Denver to Moab to Albuquerque/Santa Fe?
 

We were originally looking at flying into Denver this summer, renting a car to go up to RMNP and the come down and go across to Arches et al., then heading north to Salt Lake. My husband suggested the alternative of after RMNP going across I-70 to Moab down through the canyonlands and flying out at Albuquerque or Santa Fe. We have no great interest in Salt Lake itself, so on the surface that makes more sense.

It would about a 2-week trip or just under. It sounds as if it might be more doable going this route plus more interesting. Any thoughts? Also, is there any practical way to see Aspen? It looks pretty far out of the way.

Thanks!

As far as seeing Aspen--if you're going west on I-70, exit at Glenwood Springs. Aspen is about 1 hour from Glenwood Spings on highway 92--nice drive--the view of Mt. Sopris is magnificent. Stay the night is Aspen and enjoy the area or you can stay in Glenwood Springs and enjoy the large hot springs pool.

We are doing something similar in April-- Denver through Moab, etc., ending up in Tucson. FWIW, one way car rentals are very expensive. I was finally able to find just one that did not incorporate a substantial dropoff charge. My only other comment is that Fodor's folks talk about how hot Arches, etc. is during the summer, so be prepared for that.

Thank you--an hour sounds very doable. It's really hard to tell from looking at the map, plus I imagine the roads are windy. I can't see how they wouldn't be!

Just answered your other post before seeing this one. Take the train (CA Zephyr) to Glenwood Springs. There is a good bus service from Glenwood Springs 41 miles to Aspen.
The next day, take the CA Zephyr to Grand Junction and rent a car for the Moab and National Parks leg of your trip.
If you wanted to take the train all the way to SLC, to rent a car that would work too.
In any case, avoid paying a drop off fee on a rental car. I try to plan a loop and return where I rented.

Might a round trip Denver to Denver make a lot more sense financially as far as a rental car goes? We would prefer to have a car. Thanks!

Never mind -- looked it up and it's about a thousand dollar difference! I had no idea. So thanks for the tip.

Have you priced a round trip to Salt Lake City? Rent in SLC and make the big loop SLC-Moab/Parks-Glenwood/Aspen-Winter Park/RMNP Denver and returning the car to SLC and then flying to ABQ and renting a car there for Santa Fe etc.

We are flying in to Denver and out of ABQ at the beginning of May. I booked with Alamo on one-way care rental and drop of was not too bad - became an Alamo rewards member and got automatic 10% discount. Check them out. I got a full-size car for 10 days including an extra driver, and the total with tax is $499.

Have you put it into Google maps? It's generally accurate in times (56 minutes it says for Glenwood Springs to Aspen) and you can see exactly how windy etc. And the road from Glenwood Springs to Aspen is not windy at all.

You could also do 4-corners, Mesa Verde, Durango and Chaco along that route.

If you decide to do the one way trip, always check the trip in the opposite direction. Sometimes it is MUCH less expensive to rent in one city (like Albuquerque) than the other (like Denver) and drop off charges may be less also.

If you arrive in Glenwood Springs this is the way to get to Aspen and other destinations: http://www.rfta.com/
Glenwood Springs has the largest hot spring fed swimming pool in the US. A couple of nice hotels as well.

We'll be mapping the whole trip out soon, once we get a better idea of where we'll want to stop when. We now have airplane tickets roundtrip Denver -- I'm not all that interested in Salt Lake, though I'm sure that's a sight all its own.

We've decided on a full 2 weeks, so I'm hoping we'll have time enough not to rush, at least too, too much!