Need some help with best route thru Colorado. Will be coming down from Cheyenne or Laramie. Want to get to the Sw corner [Mesa Verde] then on to the Grand Canyon thru [Monument Valley] Want to travel the quickest route thru the mountains. [The Rockies in Colorado seem much higher than Canada is this possible? I keep reading about high altitude sickness [Don't want to get lightheaded driving those mountain roads]Which route would you recommend and how long is the drive? Have read about the Million $ highway sounds awesome is it as scary as it sounds? Would like to see it I think.
Thanks a bunch for any input here.
Cheers,
Jan

The instructions to get to the Million Dollar Highway would be almost the same as before:

I-25 south to I-70,
West on I-70 to Grand Junction (just before the Utah border),
South on 50 to Montrose,
South on 550 (through Ouray and Silverton),
West on 160 at Durango.
The Mesa Verde entrance station is about 45-50 miles from Durango.

The problem with this route is that from Ouray to Durango is fairly slow going (takes around 2 hours to drive about 80 miles) on narrow, winding mountain roads. I think it's lovely, but if you're looking for a fast route through the mountains, this is not it. The Million Dollar Highway is best considered a destination in itself.

If you choose this route, you would be remiss if you didn't stop by the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, just recently made a NP. You'll have that parks pass, remember?

Mountain passes in SW Colorado usually average about 10-11,000 feet high. I don't know of anyone getting lightheaded on these passes, but some people do get headaches. The fact that you're driving ought to give you time to acclimate.

The route outlined in the other reply is one way to go. An option is I25 south out of Denver to Pueblo and Rt. 50 west to Montrose. About 10 miles east of Montrose is the Black Canyons of the Gunnison National Park - worth a two or three hour visit. From Montrose south on Rt 550 to Durango and then rt 160 west to Mesa Verde. Continue west on 160 to rt 89 south to Cameron and then rt 64 to the Gr. Canyon. You should visit Monument Valley before heading to Gr. Canyon. At Kayenta take rt 163 north about 20 miles to Monument Valley. A half day at Monument allows you to take a jeep or truck tour of the Valley. When finished head back to rt. 160 to head to the Gr. Canyon. As you are driving west on Rt. 160 soon after leaving Kayenta you pass the Navajo NAtional MOnument. If time permits it is worth a stop. Rt. 550 is a scenic road and not at all intimidating. Ouray is worth a stop and a jeep tour into the mountains is an interesting experience.

Schedule some time for the SW area of Colorado. Don't just drive through.
You'll be glad you did. Otherwise, you are going to want to come back this way again!

Thank you everyone.
Going to try your way rqf.
Will shoot for Pueblo or Gunnison for an overnight, then down to Cortez for a night, then to the North Rim to stay at the Lodge. Hope to hit all places in between that you have all mentioned.
I hope starting out from Pueblo or Gunnison will give me plenty of time for all the sightseeing in between. Same for Cortez to North Rim. I think they will be very early rising and very long days but do you think I can do it
Black Canyon of the Gunnison
The Million Dollar Highway
Mesa Verde
Monument Valley.
Navajo National Monument.
I value all your input.
Thanks Again
The crazy Canuck,
Jan
OOps one more thing can I purchase the parks pass at the border or on entry to the first park or must I get it in advance online or by phone. One place said it may take up to 8 weeks for delivery. I don't have 8 weeks left.
Please advise best option for that purchase.
Cheers
jan

With Cheyenne as the start point it is about 300 miles to Gunnison and 360 miles to Montrose. I would aim for Montrose as the first overnight stop. I would be on my way be 7 am . Total drive time is going to be between 7 and 8 hours. With a quick stop for lunch you could be in Montrose by 3pm. I would make a confirmed reservation for a motel in Montrose so you can arrive at any time. You pass the Black Canyons on the way to Montrose so you make your visit before getting to MOntrose. If you are not going to hike you can drive to all the overlooks in 3 hours or less. A long day but the rest of the days are easier. Montrose is less than 160 miles from Cortez. With stops on rt 550 to enjoy the scenery the trip will take around 6 hours. If you start at 8 am you could be in Cortez by 2pm. This allows you to visit Mesa Verde in the afternoon. Monument Valey is not part of the park system. It is operated by the Navajo and the park pass is not accepted. Admission was $2 when I last visited. It is probably higher today.

I did that exact route last year- it is as awesome as it sounds!! If I remember correctly, it took us about 10 hours- we stopped occasionally, but for 10 minutes at the most. I am not one for long car rides, but I can honestly say I was in the car for 10 hours and wasn't bored one second!

Give yourself a little time to stop in Ouray and Silverton. They are charming old mining towns. You won't find many like them.

You can buy a pass at the first national park or monument you reach. One pass covers all passengers in the car.

You guys are doing such a great job helping me with my trip. I thought I might try to get a bit more help from the pros <sincerely.
Please know I appreciate it immensely. Cortez ZZZZZ sleep->Mesa Verde->Monument Valley >North Rim ZZZZZ sleep->onto Vegas ZZZZZ sleep->Pismo Beach ZZZZZ sleep->Marina Dunes sleep ZZZZZ -> Eureka ??, Lincoln City or Cannon Beach.
Ok Better stop I guess this is now a lot more help.
Thats a relief to be able to get the pass at the park entrance was kinda worried about time with that one
Cheers and Thanks
Jan

I'd still recommend Mancos over Cortez for visiting Mesa Verde. Part of this is because Mancos is nicer, but the other part is that I hate backtracking. Mancos is east of the park; Cortez is west. Staying in the park is even better.

The first time my husband and I visited Mesa Verde, we stayed in Cortez. We got in in late evening, and couldn't find any place for a decent meal after 9pm.

I agree travellyn, no time for backtracking on this trip it has gotten totally out of hand already. 4 weeks as opposed to 2 weeks, but there is so much to see in your fine country.
Is there a place to stay in the park or just camping [we could sleep in the van to save on a hotel. If not do you have a recommendation for Mancos.
Thanks
Cheers, jan

There is backtracking and there is backtracking. We are talking about 10 miles. Mancos has a population of 800 and the AAA tour book lists two motels, no restaurants. Cortez has a population of 7000 and the AAA tour book list 11 motels and 3 restaurants but there are more than a dozen. Where is it going to be easier to find a place to stay if you don't have an advance reservation?. If there isn't a decent place to eat after 9pm in Cortez (didn't find this to be the case) what can you expect to find open late in the evening in Mancos. IF you don't have a reservation and you see something in Mancos then stop for the night. And if you can stay at the Far View in the park then do so by all means.

One more time
ttt
Cheers
jan

Okay, I admit my backtracking thing is a little odd. I agree with rqf in that Far View lodge in MV itself would be the best choice if you can get reservations.

The Millwood Junction Restaurant on Hwy 160 in Mancos is well-known and supposed to be pretty good. There's a B&B next door, but I can't attest to its quality. The are a couple of other historic places to stay in Mancos, if you like that kind of thing. There are also a couple of new, nice-looking motels on Hwy 160 around Mancos.

Durango has a lot of good restaurants. Do a search on this site if you want to eat in town. When you come to Durango, park your car and walk around the historic disrict, which begins a couple of blocks east of the highway. If you look for signs for the Strater Hotel, you can walk there and ask for further directions if you don't have a map.

As you're driving from Durango to MV, around 11 miles west of Durango, there is a good restaurant called Cafe Kennebec. It has a nice breakfast menu; the lunch and dinner menus tend toward gourmet options, with some prices to match. There are more reasonable choices as well.

The Cafe sits at the corner of Hwy 160 and the La Plata Canyon Road. If you drive up La Plata Canyon, past the paved section of the road, you get into a lush, beautiful area with waterfalls, cliffs, etc. (Maybe not as good this year if we don't get rain by then.) There a couple of good national forest campgrounds there. You can get almost to the top of the road with a high clearance 2WD car. A 4WD will take you all the way up to the Kennebec Pass area, where you have mountains spread out around you as far as you can see. This was one of the most surprising sights I encountered after moving here. If you take this detour, you'll need 3 hours to get up to the top and back. 40 minutes will give you a nice flavor of the canyon.

I have begun to realize that I could easily use a month just for Colorado. Geez, I guess I'll simply have to come back again. I envy you living in such a beautiful state. I continue to print all these directions and can only hope I can get to most of them.
I hate to think of all I would have missed had I not found this forum and especially travellyn, rqf and Connie.
I always daydreamed about visiting your neck of the woods but never really expected it would happen. I can't wait to hit the road.
ThankYou once again
the wandering Canuck
Jan

Me Again,
Got into Far View Lodge no problemo.
Thanks and Gnight all
jan

You should be at the Far View by early or mid afternoon. As soon as you get to Mesa Verde stop at the visitor's center to get information on the ranger guided tours to the ruins. There were two such tours when I last visited. A visit to Mesa Verde would not be complete if you don't take the ranger guided tours.