Scenic drives around Denver/Boulder/RMNP
 

I want to go from Denver to Boulder to RMNP and then back to Denver.

What is the most scenic route to take? I was thinking of taking 36 from Denver to Boulder, and then taking 119 west to Nederland and taking the Peak to Peak Byway up to Estes Park, and then driving the Trail Ridge Road, and then going down thru Granby, Winter Park, and taking 70 back to Denver.

Should I go out of my way to take a more scenic route? Instead of taking 36 from Denver to Boulder, I could take 70 west and then go up the Peak to Peak Byway to Nederland and then 119 east to Boulder. Would that be worth it to be able to drive the entire Peak to Peak Byway, or is going from Nederland up to Estes Park good enough?

Any other scenic routes I might be able to do?

>>What is the most scenic route to take? I was thinking of taking 36 from Denver to Boulder, and then taking 119 west to Nederland and taking the Peak to Peak Byway up to Estes Park, and then driving the Trail Ridge Road, and then going down thru Granby, Winter Park, and taking 70 back to Denver.<<

We did this in May, and it was pretty spectacular. We were part of the first group to drive all of Trail Ridge Road this year; I haven't seen that much snow in years!

Lee Ann

Your original route is the way to go - hands down.

Trying to add on that extra little bit of the Peak to Peak Highway from Central City to Nederland and back down to Boulder isn't worth it IMHO, unless after all that driving you've still got the daylight and the stamina.

Thanks, I should have mentioned that this isn't all in one day. I was thinking of spending 1 day in Denver, 1 day in Boulder, and then 3 days in RMNP.

One more thing, do these roads get congested at all?

Congested? You mean like "stop and go" traffic at rush hour?

NO.

You may find yourself behind a slow poke once in a while though.

No congestion as mentioned but do watch out for cyclists on those routes. Probably won't be to many doing Trail Ridge Road. ;)

How long do you think it would take to do the Boulder-Nederland-Estes Park drive? Are there a lot of stops along the way?

How long will this ride take?

One hour and fifteen minutes to 3 and a half hours, depending upon how slow you go and how many times you stop to take pictures.

When do you plan to do this? Trail Ridge Road closes with the snowfall, you know.

Since you are going to be in the park a few days, one day take the Old Falls River Road up to Alpine Visitor Center.

I can tell you it was beautiful while the aspens were golden. I would think it would be a fun drive anytime.

This was a three month old posting and assume youre-up has come and gone. Don't know why bea revived this posting.

Don't you learn from posts where the trip has already passed?

How do you know the trip has already occurred? I plan trips 12 months or more ahead of time.

Thanks for your replies. I revived this subject because Ill be in Denver next Saturday for a convention, but wanted to drive around a bit. Ill be driving from and to Denver. Will the Trai Ridge Road be closed by next week? Is it already snowing in Denver?

Fogot to ask you guys, where online may I find a good Colorado road map?

Try AAA for a good road map. It's warm and dry in Denver now, but I don't know what's forecast. Denver's weather can be totally different from the the weather in the mountains. You'll need to check out Trail Ridge Road on-line. Unless someone else knows. Have a safe trip.

The latest forecast, as of Monday afternoon, is a winter storm warning for mountains.

Thanks very much for your help

bea

Officially, Trail Ridge Road is closed.

However, the fact that it's closed doesn't mean it's entirely closed, if that makes sense. The middle, highest section is closed and certainly won't be open until spring. But you can still drive up partway, pending current weather conditions. I know someone has been as far as the Forest Canyon Overlook as recently as yesterday.

You can call for current road conditions at this number: 970-586-1206 from 8-4:30 daily. The state DOT website just lists it as being closed so that's not very helpful.

The weather in Denver should be nice for this weekend. The forecast is for rain and maybe a little snow mix depending on temp on Thursday. The mountains will pickup a foot or more on Wed and Thur. If you want a quick, 4 hr., mountain drive, follow 285 west to Fairplay, over Hoosier pass to Breckenridge and return to Denver via I-70 with stops in Georgetown and or Idaho Springs. Even with the earlier snow, the roads will be good.