In the planning stages of a June vacation in Colorado. Would fly in and out of Denver. Want to visit and stay near Rocky Mountain National Park. Would love to also visit Ouray. Is this possible in a week? if not is there another place we should see? We are in our 50's and love beautiful natural places. Would also like recommendations of places to stay with nice views and kitchens.

In Estes Park, near the entrance to Rocky Mountain National Park, we rented a house from Windcliff. This is a community of private homes on the side of a cliff with gorgeous views. http://www.windcliff.com/

Thanks Nikki! They look lovely! I'm thinking we'll spend 3 nights there and 3 nights in a different part of Colorado.

Splitting you week up between RMNP and Ouray is doable, but be prepared for two 7-8 hour drive days - one to get to ouray and one to get back. You may want to think of doing Ouray first, then driving back to the RMNP area for the second half of your week. That way you won't be rushing across the state to catch your flight back out.

Furledleader is correct. You will have a lot of travel times for a week's vacation. You might do just as well hanging out in the Glenwood Springs, Aspen,Leadville, Breckenridge areas will about 2/3 less driving.

Why Ouray? It's a long drive, and other spots in Colorado are also amazing. Like Aspen, for a complete change from RMNP.

I don't fault the OP for wanting to visit Ouray. It's a very picturesque place; and I'm going to go out on a limb here and even say that I think it's prettier than Aspen, Glenwood, Leadville, and Breck. It's smaller, and it still retains that blue-collar frontier charm that has been lost in the pretentious clamor for multi-million dollar sprawl that has infected SOME of these other areas. I say go for it.

Besides, you'll be able to travel across the state and see some beautiful things along the way.

furledleader, I agree!

Thanks for all your suggestions! We have the option of being gone 10 days, I'm thinking in this amount of time we could stay in 3 different locations for 3 days. We live in Northern California and don't care to visit urban sprawl. Ouray and the San Juans have always looked like a beautiful location. Any suggestions on a beautiful place about mid-way between Estees Park and Telluride?

Now that I've had time to study a map, I'm thinking:
Day 1: Fly in to Denver, drive to somewhere around Gunnison.
Day 2: See Black Canyon of the Gunnison drive to Ouray
Day 3-5: Ouray
Day 6: Drive to somewhere around Grand Junction (seems like a good way back to Denver)
Days 7 and 8: Denver Area / RMNP
Day 9: Fly home from Denver
We can add a day of needed. Suggestions on places to stay would be appreciated. We like having the option of cooking and dislike hotel chains, prefer inns and cabins.
Any suggestions, comments appreciated!

We have a trip planned the first part of June similar to what you are doing. We don't do "relaxing" vacations so it wouldn't appeal to everyone. We are flying into Denver and plan to go at least as far (and see)the Black Canyon of Gunnison the first day. Hopefully we will make it to Ouray for our first night. We have reservations for a zipline trip out of Durango Day 3 (so plan on staying in Durango for the next two nights). We have reservations at Farview Lodge in Mesa Verde the next two nights. Not sure yet which route we will take back -- tentatively go by the Great Sand Dunes to Colorado Springs (maybe spend the next night there) and then onto Estes Park for two nights. (may just go the fastest route to Estes and stay there 3 nights or go back the Ouray/Telluride route). Planning on staying in Boulder the last night just to be closer to Denver for our flight out. Our main objectives are RMNP, Mesa Verde, zipline and Million Dollar Highway -- the rest we will just wing it as we go.

Thanks maj! We like to drive about 4 hours a day with stops. My initial plan was Southern Utah and four corners area. Just spent 4 days in Las Vegas, and couldn't handle the heat, so southwest will have to wait until we can travel in the spring!

So...... I'm a little confused. On day 6 are you planning on going only as far as Grand Junction?

Trying to find a place to stay midway between Denver area and Ouray so as to not have a long driving day. Prefer not to repeat the route we came into Ouray on if possible.

As I now look at a real map (not online) I think that a good midway place would be around Glenwood Springs. I'd prefer the route taking 92 to 133 as it looks more scenic.

I thought our trip might be a little different and more travel than the one you were planning, but wanted to mention it in case something appealed to you. We've already covered the four corners area except for the Colorado part and RMNP is the only National Park in the Rockies that we haven't been to. I'm glad you posted this because I will be following it and hopefully getting ideas for the part of our trip that overlaps with yours. Have a great trip!

OK.... that's what I was going to suggest - stay in Glenwood Springs instead.

I was also going to suggest taking Hwys 92 & 133 to get there. It IS much more scenic. It will take you about 30-45 minutes longer to reach Glenwood Springs this way as opposed to going up to Grand Junction and taking I-70 to Glenwood...but I think it's worth it if you're not in any particular hurry.

Along Hwy 92 from Delta to Hotchkiss you'll be driving through scrub-brush desert, and the massive hulk of the Grand Mesa will be on your driver's side. At Hotchkiss you'll get onto Hwy 133 and the scrub brush will give way to occasional peach orchards and vineyards. If it was August, I'd suggest stopping at any convenient roadside fruit stand and picking up some peaches.

Around Bowie and Somerset you'll be passing through coal-mining country.

Passing the Paonia Reservoir you'll start to gradually climb through the narrowing valley of the North Fork of the Gunnison River toward McClure Pass (8,755 feet above sea level). Approaching the summit of the pass there will be some gentle switchbacks that the road takes, but it's easy-schmeezy. Cresting the top of the pass, the views are much more dramatic in the direction you will be heading than in the direction you came from. What you'll be looking at in front of you are the mountain tops of the Raggeds Wilderness Area to the southeast and the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness Area to the east. On the other side of this latter wilderness area is the town of Aspen.

Descending the eastern side of McClure pass, the switchbacks are a little bit tighter but still should be nothing to worry about. At the eastern base of the pass County Hwy 3 leads off to the right toward the little town of Marble, about 3 miles away. Some of the hills to the south of Marble are comprised of a beautiful, almost solid white marble. The stones for the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, DC and the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier in Arlington National Cemetery were taken from these hills.

As you continue down Hwy 133 toward Glenwood you'll be following the pretty Crystal River. Consider stopping for a bit at the little town of Redstone (about 5 miles past the eastern base of McClure Pass). Redstone was developed by John Cleveland Osgood, a late 19th century industrial baron whose coal empire extended up the Crystal River valley. It is said that at the urging of his wife, Alma (a Swedish countess, no less), Osgood built over 80 cottages for his married miners, and a 40 room inn for the single ones – all with indoor plumbing and electricity (an extravagance for that time). Just up the road, Osgood built his wife an opulent 42-room mansion known as the Redstone Castle. Today, Redstone has been transformed into a little arts & crafts community. Most of the cottages still stand as homes or stores along the main street. The inn now offers public lodging with quaint rooms and a nice restaurant. And the Castle is open at times for tours.

When you reach the town of Carbondale, stop and take a look back at the way you came. The mountain dominating your view to the south is 12,965 ft Mt. Sopris.

At Carbondale you'll junction with Hwy 82. Turning right will get you to Aspen in about 30 minutes. Turn left, and you'll be in Glenwood Springs in about 15.

Besides the world's largest hot springs pool (http://www.hotspringspool.com/), and the Yampah Hot Springs Vapor Caves (http://www.yampahspa.com/), Glenwood Springs also boasts the final resting place for Wyatt Earp’s sidekick, Doc Holliday. You’ll find his grave in the town cemetery.

The Glenwood Springs hot springs is the patriarch of Colorado hot springs areas. It can be seen from I-70, as well as from the Hwy 82 bridge that spans the expressway. It has attracted people for over 120 years, including the likes of President Teddy Roosevelt, and Doc Holliday. The Yampah hot springs on the eastern end of the property spills over 3 million gallons of 122 degree F. water daily into two large pools. The “therapy pool” (the small pool) is about 100 feet long, and contains 91,000 gallons of hot spring water that has been cooled to 104 degrees. The “large pool” is 405 feet long (which is over 100 feet longer than a football field), 100 feet wide at its widest, contains over a million gallons of water cooled to about 90 degrees F., and is billed as the largest hot springs pool in the world. It’s huge, and theoretically could hold several thousand people at one time.
About 5 times a year the pools are closed for a day or two for maintenance - check the websites “pool FAQ” section to avoid any disappointment.
There are separate men’s & women’s heated locker/changing/shower areas and an array of on-site spa amenities that is too exhaustive for me to expound upon.
The price of admission drops by about 3 bucks after 6 p.m. in the summer, and by about 6 bucks after 9 p.m. all through the year, so even if you arrive in Glenwood late in the day, it’s still affordable.
Lodging in Glenwood Springs runs the gamut from well known chains to small mom & pops. Some may offer discounts to hot springs admission. Across 6th St. from the hot springs is the associated Hot Springs Lodge. Admission to the hot springs is included in any overnight lodging there. Also across 6th St (and next to the Hot Springs Lodge) is the historic Colorado Hotel. This beautiful late-Victorian hotel sports an eye-catching lobby & courtyard, bar, spa, and fine dining restaurant. For 3 weeks in 1905 the Colorado Hotel was home to then-president, Theodore Roosevelt who was visiting on a bear hunting expedition. Legend has it that after one particular day of fruitless hunting, the hotel staff decided to try to cheer the president by sewing together a small stuffed bear out of material scraps found around the hotel. The president was delighted with the gift, and his daughter decided to name the stuffed bear “Teddy” – and thus the origin of the “Teddy Bear”.
Dining in Glenwood Springs is ubiquitous and varied according to both cuisine and cost.

Thanks for such a detailed report! I'll check out Redstone...Maybe we'll stay there rather than Glenwood Springs.
Here's a preliminary itinerary:

Day 1 Denver to Gunnison Water Wheel Inn

Day 2 Gunnison to Ouray Hot Springs Inn


Day 3 and 4 Ouray

Day 5 Ouray to Glenwood

Day 6 Glenwood to Grand Lake Gateway Inn

*at this point I'm unsure, should we see RMNP from here and stay 2 nights, or spend one night here and another night on the other side of the park?

Day 7 Grand Lake

Day 8 Somewhere East of RMNP

Day 9 Home or Denver ?

Day 10 Home

Depending on the week you're traveling, you may want to avoid Telluride during the Bluegrass Festival - usually the third week of June. You can't really even get into town without a pass, but other times should be good for a ride around the mountain.