Our Sept trip itinerary is shaping up and we are seeking advice from the experts. We fly into Denver late on Friday and plan to drive an hour or so to Colorado Springs so we can start out a little farther south. Itinerary is roughly looking like this:
Colorado Springs to Ouray via Rtes 50 & 550
-we can't decide whether to do 1 or 2 nights in Ouray area.
Ouray to Mesa Verde (2 nights in MV)
Mesa Verde to Bisti Badlands - overnight in Farmington area
Farmington to Chaco Canyon(2 nights Chaco)
Chaco to Jemez Springs (1 night in Jemez)
Jemez to Taos (3 nights Taos)
Taos to Denver - fly home
We plan to make reservations only for Mesa Verde (Far View) and Taos (it's a weekend). We'll be camping in Chaco. Any suggestions are appreciated. We love hiking and photography. I must spend some time in hot springs somewhere - either Ouray or Jemez or both. Would love some feedback on great hot springs. Also places to stay and dining. Thanks so much for your help. Sharon and Peter

I am not an expert, but that sounds good to me. I like the same things you do as far as hiking and photography. I have not been to Ouray but I have been to Mesa Verde and Taos. So many people speak so highly of Mesa Verde but I was not as overwhelmed with it as I have been with many other places, especially since you are going to Chaco Canyon too. I have not been to Chaco, so I don't know how much it differs from Mesa Verde, but it seems like it is the ultimate place to see ruins, sunsets, and energy of the spirits of the past civilizations. We only spent one afternoon in Mesa Verde, took one of the two hour tours, went to a couple of museums and drove through the park with a few other stopping points. I was satisfied with that but I know many other posters have wanted to explore much more in depth than that.

We also stopped in Durango during that trip and it is a neat town. The drive from Durango to Taos is very pretty with big rolling green hills, pastures and pines. You will come to the Rio Grande bridge that is so famous before you get to Taos so you should stop when you cross the bridge in the little parking area and walk out on the bridge for some great pictures of the gorge. After that, you go through a flat area where there are some of the solar, space homes that the area is known for.

Since you are staying three nights in Taos, be sure to drive around the Enchanted Circle. My husband and I are doing this in August when we go out to New Mexico. There is also a state park that I ran across in my reading called Cimarron State Park. It is just a few miles east of Eagle Nest and it sounds beautiful. A river runs through it and it is supposed to have a beautiful canyon and be a great fly fishing destination. We don't fish, but it sounds like a good hiking spot too.

Based on what I have experienced, I would spend two nights in Ouray instead of two in Mesa Verde area. Since you will have had a long drive from Colorado Springs, you will probably enjoy the pace more, plus the scenary is so legendary and I am sure the the hiking there will be some of the best.

I also noticed that you are driving from Taos to Denver on the same day you fly out. That would make me a little nervous depending on when your flight leaves. I always like to be somewhere closer to the airport the night before and Taos is surely four hours at least.
Sounds like a wonderful trip. If I learn anything more about the Taos area when I go, I will post.

Definitely spend two nights in Ouray - it is one of the most beautiful mountain towns. You can also take several day trips from there - Black Canyon of the Gunnison, drive to Telluride and Back, and of course, the Million Dollar Highway. Spend a couple of hours at Box Canyon Falls, soak in the hot springs, and take a jeep tour.

I completely disagree with jet519 - Mesa Verde is one of the most interesting places, especially if you are interested in history or archaeology. Staying at the Far View Lodge is an experience unto itself - the sunsets are spectacular, and it is SO quiet.

By spending more than one day in the park, you will also have the opportunity to take several of the ranger-guided tours. There are a number of ruins in the park - I espeically recommend Long House, Balcony House, and Cliff Palace. I have always found the rangers to be well-informed and friendly, and the ruins have been meticulously excavated. They are truly spectacular - I'm not sure why jet519 thinks they aren't as good as Chaco (especially considering he/she has never been there).

There is a documentary shown every evening in the basement of the Far View Lodge lobby, about the history of the park and the people who lived there. It is one of the best documentaries I have ever seen, and it really adds a lot to the Mesa Verde experience.

Also, take the time to drive the scenic loops through the park. Wetherill Mesa Loop tends to be overlooked, but it is beautiful.

I figured I would raise some hackles by stating my opinion on Mesa Verde! I am sure we just didn't plan enough time to do it justice, and we did enjoy the guided tour of Long House. There is no doubt that it is a beautiful place. That is what is so great about this forum, you get lots of opinions!

Looks good to me. I've never been to Taos, but it's on my list of to do's.

Mesa Verde and Chaco are really different in that Mesa Verde has mostly cliff dwellings and Chaco ruins are out in the open on flat land for the most part. It's amazing that they are still there considering they are so exposed to the elements. Another thing about Chaco is the massivness of ruins in one place. I really love Mesa Verde, but Chaco holds a very special place in my heart and I'd love to be able to spend the night at the ruins!

sharondi, I read on another board that someone thought that they are working on paving the road to Chaco. While you are there, could you ask a ranger. I'd love to know if it's going to be paved and when.

Utahtea

Utahtea, I've read that they have plans to NEVER pave the road to Chaco to make sure that it stays less "trafficed". I hope that that is true...some places should be harder to get to.

As you know, I'm sharondi's husband. I've been to most areas in the southwest in the last 40 years including Mesa Verde (last time in 1976) but have never made it to Chaco Canyon. I've always been fascinated with the place and have read just about everything there is to read about it and it is one of my lifelong dreams to visit it so we're going to drag the tent & bags & campstove on the plane just to be able to camp there for 2 nights. It looks as thougth we'll be there for part of an afternoon (arrival from Mesa Verde or Farmington that day), all the next day and then as much of the next day as we wish to spend before we depart for Jemez Hot Springs. Do you think that is enough time?

I realize that we'd need a month to do this trip justice but we haven't that much vacation time left.

We're trying to hit as many hot springs as we can along the way and are more interested in the "hike a little to the springs" than in the "spa/resort" type although a rustic pay hot spring isn't out of the question...anybody got any hot tips on hot springs to share?

Hi Peterboy,

Yeah, that's what they said about the road into Canyonlands, Island in the Sky district. We're going to keep this road unpaved to keep it natural and hard to reach. The next time we went a couple years later they had JUST opened up the new paved road.

Because the road to Chaco was unpaved we didn't want to tow our 24 foot trailer into the park. We had no idea how the roads were so we camped in Farmington and drove into Chaco just for the one day. It wasn't enough time, so spending two nights would be wonderful!

I can't wait to see your pictures when you get back. Never heard about Bisti Badlands until your wife mentioned them and now I want to go there too!

Utahtea