Jane22

In May, my husband and I are flying in and out of Denver for a 17 day vacation. (my first trip to the Rockies). We plan to see the Denver/Bolder/Estes Park area and then drive to Grand Junction on I-70 and down Hwy 50 to Hwy 550 (Million Dollar Hwy) to Mesa Verde/Durango and on to the Grand Canyon and Sedona. We would also like to drive to Sante Fe and Taos before returning to Pikes's Peak and Denver. At the end of the day we enjoy a nice hotel room, local cusine and fine wine! And I must admit, I love to shop!! Are we trying to do too much? We may not be back this way again. Any suggestions are appreciated.

tovarich

It's doable but you'll be in the car a long time.You'll have to take the Interstates from Mesa Verde to the Grand can. and the back to N.Mexico via Albuquerque to S.Fe and Taos.Paul

Jane22

Maybe I should bypass New Mexico this time although I really wanted to go to Santa Fe. Oh well, back to the maps!!
It's hard for me to judge how long it will take to drive in the Rockies. I know to go from Cherokee to Gatlinburg in the Smokies is around 30 miles and takes well over an hour. Thanks for your reply. Any other suggestions?

martym

First of all, I don't think that there is an interstate between Mesa Verde and Grand Canyon without going way out of your way. My feeling is that you will be doing too much driving and not enough enjoying. And the scenery you will see is pretty desert-y on some of your drives though some are glorious. More than likely there will still be some snow in the higher elevations of Colorado.

The speed limit on the interstates is usually 65-70 mph and you can drive that (or more). (I-70 Denver to Grand Junction, I-40 Arizona-Santa Fe and I-25 Santa Fe to Colorado Springs/Denver).

All that said, here are some suggestions. Since you enjoy a nice hotel room, fine wine and shopping--you need to go to Santa Fe--which has all three in abundance.

My suggestion--leave out Estes Park, especially since Trail Ridge Road (the road through Rocky Mountain National Park) is usually not open until Memorial Day and then at the top you'll be driving between piles of snow. And Estes by itself is rather touristy.
You might want to consider stopping at either Ouray or Telluride on your trip from Grand Junction to Durango. Wonderful towns--beautifully situated and absolutely fabulous scenery!
I would also not spend much/any time in Sedona--the red rocks are beautiful but you're going to be seeing the Grand Canyon, after all!! And while Taos is an interesting town and the Taos Pueblo is unique, Santa Fe has more of what you say you like.
Also what were you wanting to see in Colorado Springs--IMHO many of the advertised tourist attractons are not that great.

tovarich

This could be a possible itineraryenver arrival and visit :2 days
-Boulder-estes park -RMNP to Grand junction: 2 days
-Moab; visit canyonlands and Arches n;P great not to be missed 3 days
-Kayenta; visit Monument valley unique 1 day
-S. Grand can. 3 days
-via Flagstaff IS 40 to Albuquerque then IS 25 to S.Fe and taos 3 days
-via Alamosa-Walsenberg then IS 25 to Colorado springs: 2 days
-last day to Denver airport.Take the Toll road it saves you a lot of time and little money.
The traffic will be light in May.We usually do our tours in the US in Sept/oct.Greetings from Belgium.Paul

tovarich

Forgot to tell you that you can easily calculate the above route with the aid of Mapquest.Paul

MaureenB

Could you fly open-jaw, so you don't have to return to Denver for your flight home?
>-

Jane22

Well, martym wrote the magic words...great food, fine wine and good shopping! Santa Fe is back on my list of "must do". I'll check flights into Denver and out of Albuquerque. Paul, thank you for your suggested itinerary. By the way, last year we were in Brugge and loved it. Martym, we do want to spend time in Ouray. And everyone talks about Mesa Verde. Is this a must see? Thank you all for your help and keep it coming. Jane

tovarich

Brugge is my favourite city to.My aunt lived there and during the bombartment of the harbor of Antwerp by V2 rockets we were send there by my father to be out of harms way.Greetings from Belgium.Paul

fmpden

Wow -- three reactions. First, that is a lot of driving. Second, I wonder how many posters are native to CO and third, Why are in such a hurry to leave CO?? As a native, I would shorten the trip. If you ware coming to CO why not see CO?

The earlier comment about Estes Park and Trail Ridge Road are correct. This year it may be the 4th of July before Trail Ridge is open. But it could stop snowing and make the traditional Memorial Day opening.

Palisade, near Grand Junction, is the center of Colorado wine industry with about 25 wineries where you could spend some time sampling some very good wines. YES, we do have a wine industy in CO. There are even wineries in Denver.

The two block square or so hot tub in Glenwood Spprings is worth a visit -- and close to Palisade.

The Black Canyon near Gunnison in its own way is as magnificant as the Grand Canyon -- just smaller with fewer crowds.

I would overnight in Mesa Verde. The train ride out of Durando to Silverton is touristy but a great visual experience. Have to check to see when it starts running.

From there you could loop to Santa Fe before returning to Denver. The Great Sand Dunes National Park would be an interesting stop on the way back.

And there is nothing wrong with spending a couple of days in Denver. We have excellent restaurants that complete with any city and some interesting attractions -- a most unusal new art museum.

An even close in attractions -- Georgetown, Leadville, Breckenridge can be interesting. Leadville has a terrific twelve mile loop for biking/hiking through the old mining region. It just depends on your interests. If you want to see the Grand Canyon, fly to L Vegas on your next trip.

Contact me off line if you want more suggestions.

Frank

martym

Hi fmpden--you caught me--I'm not a native only in Colorado since 1978.

fmpden

As I said, I was just "wondering." More wondering about tovarich than yours because there is no interstate connect between M Verde and the G Canyon. The only possible connect via I-40 would be through Gallup and Flagstaff. And that would not make any sense. And two days in May in Estes/Boulder doesn't make a lot of sense either. So I was just wondering. But as you know there are natives, semi-natives, and want-to-bs. I will send you the quiz for semi-native.

Frank

TheWeasel

<I'll check flights into Denver and out of Albuquerque.>

Why bother flying into Denver? It seems like most everything you want to do is centered around the SW corner of CO, so just fly into ABQ and save yourself the drive to/from Denver and/or the open-jaw and one-way car rental hassles. Estes Park itself is not worth a visit (especially if you're looking for great food/wine and shopping) and you'll get to see plenty of mountains elsewhere so visiting RMNP shouldn't be a huge priority. Denver is a fine destination, just not the best city to fly into if you're only staying there for 1-2 nights and then driving to the Four Corners area.

Jane22

Thank you all for your info. You've just been great. Frank, you really nailed our interest. Colorado wine!! And Denver sounds like a great city with lots to offer. I believe Colorado has won all of your hearts...even those of you not born there. I'm sure I'll need more help as I finalize plans. Jane

fmpden

Jane22 -- don't know your interests --- BUT if interested in biking or hiking contact me off line and I will have some more suggestions for you. Do you know why it is called, "Million Dollar Highway?" Also, would you like directions to "O' My God Highway?" A true mountain driving experience.

Frank