Moab to Amarillo - first time in CO
 

Good day!

Looking for some advice for our first family drive through Colorado. We will be in Moab and will be spending two nights in Colorado before making our way to Amarillo. My current idea is coming in on I-70 and then down to Aspen for the night and then through Buena Vista and down to Canon City (ziplining there) for the second night. Obviously there are many routes that could be enjoyed and I'm wondering if maybe we should go south out of Moab and enjoy the San Juan Skyway/Teluride area instead.One worry is that we would be hitting Aspen on a Saturday at the end of July...might be kinda busy. I haven't even mentioned the US50 through Gunnison and that area, that's an option too. We generally like a little bit of hiking, maybe some ziplining, good fattening food and small towns with junky antique shops and general stores :)

Thanks in advance!

If you do decide to use I-70, at least take rt.128 along the Colorado river from Moab to get there, not 191.

Good idea. Thanks!

Best to avoid Telluride on weekends in summer; their are festivals every weekend and most hotels have 2 night minimum on weekends.

You can enjoy San Juan skyway, including Telluride without spending the night in Telluride. Maybe stop in Telluride for lunch then continue to Ouray then Silverton then Durango. You can look at any of these towns for overnight. Also, between Silverton and Durango is reasonably priced lodging at Purgatory Resort which has a lot of summertime activity including a small zipline. And, during your time, there may be a Music in the Mountains concert. Check out Purgatoryresort.com. Some of the best hiking in Colorado is found between Ouray and Durango. My favorites are between Silverton and Purgatory Resort. All of the towns should meet your shopping requirements. Durango has more restaurants per capita than San Francisco. For a really great zipline experience, there is one that offers a trip on the narrow gauge railroad out of Durango into the San Juans. Check out soaringcolorado.com.

bailey123- does Purgatory still have Alpine slide?

Debitnm, yes they do and you they have added a bunch of new activities this summer.