Utah, Wyoming, Colorado Road Trip
 

Hello!

Some of you might have seen me post a thread (https://www.fodors.com/community/uni...s-slc-1665992/) on a 3 weeks road trip which includes Yellowstone/Teton/Glacier/Arches. Unfortunately, due to work, we had to push back our trip a month to End Sep/Oct. Therefore, I have made some amendments to the itinerary as I felt it maybe too late for Glacier, and included Colorado instead. Just some introduction again, my wife and I likes to go for easy/moderate hikes, shopping and great food. We are from Singapore, and would appreciate advice if the itinerary below needs any changes and if the duration in each park makes sense. Thanks!

28 Sep: Flight from Singapore to SLC (via LAX). We will land in SLC at about 10+pm.

29 Sep: SLC. Mostly getting some groceries done for the road trip ahead plus a little sight seeing (Antelope Island?)

30 Sep: SLC - West Yellowstone

01 Oct: West Yellowstone

02 Oct: West Yellowstone

03 Oct: West Yelowstone - Jackson (Grand Teton)

04 Oct: Jackson (Grand Teton)

05 Oct: Jackson (Grand Teton) - Rawlins/Laramie. Not sure which is better for a stop?

06 Oct: Rawlins/Laramie - Estes Park (Rocky Mountain)

07 Oct: Estes Park (Rocky Mountain)

08 Oct: Estes Park (Rocky Mountain) - Denver. Will spend time at the premium outlets since it's on the way.

09 Oct: Denver (Zoo?, sightseeing...)

10 Oct: Denver - Aspen. I'm not really sure if I should go to Aspen, or cut it off and add days to other parks. I would head straight to Moab if I'm not heading to Aspen.

11 Oct: Aspen

12 Oct: Aspen - Moab (Arches)

13 Oct: Moab (Arches)

14 Oct: Moab (Arches + Canyonlands)

15 Oct: Moab - SLC. Flight to LAX is at 6pm

16 Oct: Flight from LAX to Singapore

If I could add another day to the itinerary, where should I add it?

See if you can get at least one night at Mammoth or in Gardiner to take the place of one of the West Yellowstone nights.
I would skip Laramie and Rawlins and take US 287 south from Laramie to Fort Collins to see a lot more of Rocky Mountain the next day.
Stay in Glenwood Springs and take the bus up to Aspen for the day. Glenwood Springs has a great bicycle/walking trail through the Glenwood Canyon along the Colorado River. It also has a chairlift up to a cavern and also the worlds largest hot spring fed swimming pool.

I live in Fort Collins and agree with Tom that it's a nicer stop than Laramie or Rawlins. (Larimie is OK though). However it's a long drive from Jackson to Fort Collins and the last hour is on a road best not driven at night, especially in any kind of weather. So it might depend on your timing and the weather, then make a decision where to stop.

If you are going to cut off anything I'd be tempted to drop Denver. I used to work with a lot of Singapore folks and I know you guys love the outlet shops, but really, compared to being in Aspen you can skip them. You'll already be in the mountains so presuming Trail Ridge Road is still open then just leave Estes that way and head to Aspen.

The Denver zoo is fine, but you are from Singapore! You have a great zoo! :)

Have a good trip.

P.S. Anyway there are outlet shops in Silverthorne, up in the mountains, that you can hit on your way to Aspen if you really need to do that.

If you add a day, give it to Yellowstone or Moab. Arches and Canyonlands cover a huge area and there are plenty of easy hikes to take as well as other sites near by.

I would lean toward adding time in Yellowstone/Tetons. If you end up tweaking your itinerary, we also enjoyed Colorado National Monument near Grand Junction.

Just be aware that Oct in the mountains can have very wide swings of weather. Most of the ski areas will be trying to open by mid Oct so snow at higher elevations should be expected. And snow is possible in early Oct in Yellowstone. So you just need to be prepared for cold weather.

Our own trip to Yellowstone was pretty compact.We stayed in West Yellowstone too and had two full days in the park, and they were long days. We wished we had had a third day to go into the more remote areas of the park. Always a tradeoff though and I haven't seen some of your other destinations so I can't compare.

I also like Aspen area much more than Denver. If you are driving through Denver, it is really something to stop and see the Red Rock Ampitheatre, not far off the freeway. It wasn't a concert night. I believe we just drove up and walked around, but that has been several years so maybe a local can confirm.

Yes, there can be snow in the mountains in Colorado in October. A small SUV with four wheel drive might be a better option for your car rental. All wheel drive doesn't solve everything but it can help.

Another vote for the Utah parks if another day is available. After Yellowstone and the Rockies, when you get to Utah, you'll feel like you're on Mars. The contrast in landscape is stunning. You may run into some school holidays in Utah in early October, but don't let that stop you.

Growing up in that neck of the woods...at that time of year (October) I would not do that 445 mile drive to Fort Collins through Laramie to take 287 south...I'd get off on 130 through Saratoga. Weather could be a PITA even that early in the Fall To MAXIMIZE your time and avoid weather issues I would fly from Jackson to Denver but that's me.