We will be attending a wedding in Boulder, Colorado on July 5 and have planned to extend our stay. Any comments on our itinerary would be appreciated.

Fri: Leave Boulder and sleep in Grand Junction.
Sat: Visit Colrado Nat'l Monument and Black Canyon, sleep in Ouray.
Sun: Ouray Jeep tour, mine visit, Falls, sleep Ouray.
Mon: Drive to Telluride, Bridal Falls, sleep Telluride.
Tues: Drive to Mesa Verde, sleep MV
Wed: Mesa Verde, sleep MV
Thurs: Mesa Verde, Durango, sleep Durango
Fri: Train ride (will probably skip), drive to Monte Vista
Sat: Sand Dunes Park, drive to Manitou Springs, Garden of Gods, sleep Colorado Springs
Sun: Pikes Peak RR, Air Force Academy, sleep Denver
Mon: Fly home

Sounds great to me.

Please don't skip the train. You will see great scenery and it will be an experience you will never forget.

It isn't going to take you all that long to get from Boulder to Grand Junction. It would be great if you could take some time to drive through Rocky Mountain National Park. You are in great position starting in Boulder. You could come out on the west side of the park and drive down to the interstate (great scenery there as well).

I agree, I would drive across RMNP and go south of Grand back to I-70.

The wedding is on Friday morning so we will not have time to go to Rocky Mt Nat'l park and get to Grand Junction on time.

The reason I hesitate about the Durango-Silverton RR is that I was on the NewZealand TransAlpine RR and did not like it at all and actually found it a bit boring. The scenery was terrific, but I rather walk in it than see it from a train.

Do you have any comments on Sand Dunes? I'm wondering if is worth a stop or I should take another route back to the Colorado Spings area.

Connie and C19: My other concern about RMNP is that we will be traveling on July 4th weekend and I have a major concern about the traffic in the park and on I70 at that time. Do you agree?

Itinerary is fine. I would skip the railroad The scenery on the railroad is fine but it can get boring. You will see some great scenery on the trip Telluride to Cortez. The advatage of the car over the railroad is you can stop and get out whenever you want. Definately visit the Great Sand Dunes which I beleive is being given National Park status.

rqf: thank you for the feedback. If the Durango RR wasn't going to eat up almost an entire day, I would consider it. I don't know of anyone who has visited the dunes so I'm pleased to have your positive opinion. It's always a matter of priorities when traveling as it is hard to see it all in a limited time frame. Have a missed a small "must see" that is on our route, or nearby? I would have really liked to get to Aspen and Maroon Bells but can't see how we could fit it in this trip.

I don't think you should skip the railroad. Unless you're willling to backpack in 10 miles or so, you won't get the incredible views from the cliffs into Cascade Canyon any other way. Serious backcountry people here take the train to get to the good areas (Elk Park, Needleton, etc.).

A good compromise would be to take the earliest trip out in the morning, and then either take the bus back or find some way to have a car waiting for you in Silverton (this is what my family does).

You could also drive or catch a ride to near Molas Pass, take the Molas Trail down to Elk Park, then catch the train into Durango from there. Again this involves having a car waiting for you or being dropped off at Molas. I have done this with my husband.

Another option that doesn't invove complicated car logistics is to take the early train to Elk Park, hike in the Weminuche Wilderness for a few hours, then catch a different train on the way back. You would need to tell the person selling the tickets what you want to do so they get the reservations right. Not all trains stop between Durango and Silverton. You also have to find out how to flag down the train - you can't just wave!

If you like hiking through beautiful scenery, the Mineral Creek area just north of Silverton is also spectacular.

Evelyn-

You are definitly hitting nearly all corners and it sounds great. Are you used to driving that much and pit stopping? To me it just sounds like a lot to do in a week, hope you don't get too tired. If you are interested there are recent shots of Telluride/Bridal Veil Falls (GREAT Hike!!!) on the link below. We just did a weekend trip (friday mid-day to Sunday) from Denver to Telluride. After the driving and hike (and painful massage) we were pretty tired! I would also second the Durango/Silverton Train ride. Anyways have a great time!

And here is the link since I forgot it...Sorry

http://community.webshots.com/user/lenleigh

Lenleigh... the photos are wonderful. Thank you for the link.

Yes, we are used to moving around alot. If we get too tired, we can adjust our plans. We are staying at Best Westerns just about everywhere for a good reason. What worked for us traveling out west on other trips was that if we wanted to change our plans, we would call the 800 number at about 4:00 and they would cancel and rebook us someplace else as needed. It was one phone call and there was never a problem. It works for us as we don't have strong feelings about where we sleep, but care a good deal about what we see.

Well it sounds like you will have a good time! I especially found Telluride's mining history intersting. I know Ouray and even Durango have a lot of similar history. That Jeep ride in Ouray will be great. Next time we visit that area again I want to do a jeep tour to the Tomboy Ghost town. Have a great time and I'm glad you liked the pics!

Just butting in here. WHAT RAILROAD ARE YOU ALL TALKING ABOUT?

I'm just beginning to plan a trip to Colorado / Wyoming / South Dakota for July 2003.

Thanks.

The Durango/Silverton train is a narrow gauge train that goes, as the name implies, from Durango to Silverton and back. At some points, you are within inches from both the mountain face and the drop off and way above the Animas River.

Most who have done it suggest that you go one way by train and return by bus. Yes, you will get two different views of the area. Mostly it just takes all day to do round trip by train.

Durango and Silverton are both neat towns to visit as well as Ouray north of Silverton. Over to the west is Telluride. In Ouray, you can rent Jeeps or go on a Jeep tour of the old mining trails in the mountains. There is also a swimming pool size hot tub.

North of Ouray, is Black Canyon of the Gunnison--now a national park.

This is IMO, the most scenic area of Colorado. The section of highway between Ouray and Silverton is known as the Million Dollar Highway and well known for its' breathtaking scenery.

Thanks. I'll look up info on all the places you suggested. Sounds like a great area to see.

The other posts in this discussion mention that you can see sites from the train that you could not see just driving? Do you just leave your car where you pick up the train & go from there? Is this something that needs to be booked in advance (including the bus ride back) ?

Yes - I'll definitely want to see all of the national parks in Colorado & Wyoming - but these discussion forums are great to find out all of the OTHER places "not to miss".

Thanks for your help.

Coming from Ontario Canada.

Syv - yes, you leave your car in downtown Durango somewhere to take the train. It's best to book ahead, both to be guaranteed a ticket and to choose your seat. The reservation person will tell you that both sides of the train are equally good, but most people prefer the right (east) side going up. If it's summer or fall, an outside observation car or "gondola" is your best bet.

To my knowledge, there is no cog railway in RMNP. There is one that takes you to the top of Pikes Peak near Colorado Springs. However, people can also drive to the top of Pikes Peak, so a little is lost in the overall effect.

Thank you for the quick reply. That must be the one I'm thinking of - Pikes Peak. So you can drive to the top too? Train ride doesn't sound necessary then.

Thank you for the info about the Durango train. Will look into that.

Hi - we visited the Great Sand Dunes last year. It was an unusual sight and very interesting.You should go. If you have kids, they will love it like a beach. Otherwise, you can just hike up and down the dunes, which is good too. Also, do go to RMNP if you have time.