Second Time to Colorado -- Trip Ideas!!!
 

Hi, all!

I want to first thank those of you that helped me with my trip planning last year! We had a fantastic time visiting Boulder, Estes Park, Frisco, and some sights in CO Springs.

This year..... we are trying to take in the sights of the SW area of Colorado. I have look over other forum postings to gather as much information as possible. I still would like to get some feedback on our trip if possible.

Time of year -- first week of September. 7 nights. We are traveling in and out of Denver (yes, I already did my research on flying in and out of ABQ and this option did not give me less travel time or lower car rental fees). We are staying in Denver the first night.

Places we want to see for sure: Aspen (Maroon Bells), Silverton/Durango (train), Mesa Verde NP. I need guidance on which way to design my "loop". Also on neutral locations to stay.

For example, would it be smart to stay in Glenwood Springs as a neutral travel location when visiting Aspen? I've read in previous posts Durango is a great neutral place to stay as well. What would be your suggestions on routes from Denver? Should I start my loop heading Southwest? Or should I head straight West and then down?

My husband and I love small eclectic towns, good food/beer, small/relaxing nature hikes, love the scenic drives (I don't look at it as spending all my time in a car -- I look at it as an adventure!) We don't mind staying 1 night here and 1 night there..... 2 nights would be ideal though. We really love B & Bs!

I really do appreciate your time and help with my planning! Last years trip was such a success!

Amanda K.

What do you mean by "neutral?"

Glenwood springs has a brewery with good food.

I suppose I mean "central hub" location for easy travel to and from sights, etc.

For seeing Mesa Verde, stay IN the park at Far View Lodge for at least one night and maybe two.

Stay in Aspen proper, if you can.

I agree for Mesa Verde, do stay in the park at Far View Lodge. It saves you the long drive down the mesa at the end of the day on that steep, narrow curvy road.

I don't know that there is any advantage to taking your loop heading west or south of Denver but I think I would head south first and hit the Great Sand Dunes. From there, head to Wolf Creek and Pagosa Springs (home to natural hot springs) and arrive in Durango as your first stop. This makes for a long day and you might want to stick an overnight in there. It's only about an hour from Pagosa Springs to Durango. Durango makes a great hub and a suggestion for a B&B would be Apple Orchard Inn. It's only about a 15 minute drive north of Durango and is convenient for many activities in and around Durango. Another option for reasonably priced lodging that is also convenient in the Durango area is Purgatory Ski Resort. It is open for all kinds of summer activities that may still be open first week in Sept. Check out Purgatoryresort.com. Many people enjoy our narrow gauge railroad between Durango and Silverton but I would not recommend taking the train roundtrip. Take the train north an ride the railway's bus back to Durango. The San Juan Skyway loop starting in Durango then going through Silverton, Ouray and Telluride before returning to Durango via Dolores and Mancos is highly recommended. If you have read about the Million Dollar Highway, it is the Silverton to Ouray section of this loop. While the portion of the loop between Durango and Silverton is the same area covered by the train, it is a different perspective since the train is down in the canyon and the road is quite a distance above the Animas river canyon. If you choose not to take the San Juan Skyway loop, you will have an opportunity to see part of it as you head north towards Grand Junction or Montrose because you will either go Durango to Ouray or Durango to Telluride then Ridgeway to head north. I agree with others that it is more efficient to stay one night at Far View Lodge when visiting Mesa Verde, that way you are either starting your day or ending your day right at the MV cliff dwellings. The town of Durango has several award winning microbreweries right in town and many great restaurants. A very nice walk is to take all or any portion of the Animas River walk that runs right along the river for 7 miles through Durango Other activities include the Diamond Belle Saloon for a old west feel on Main Street in Durango. Check our Durango.org for events and activities that might be scheduled during your visit. Other options around Durango are hiking, horseback riding, rafting, an old fashioned chuckwagon dinner in the trees just outside Durango that includes cowboy entertainers; It's called Bar D Chuckwagon. If you ride the train to Silverton, you will have the opportunity to explore Silverton before your return to Durango, usually a lunch stop. You may also want to check out the quaint little town of Ouray and of course Telluride. This is an area of Colorado that is not short on scenery (I think the best in Colorado), good food, beer, or eclectic towns. After you head north, you'll want to see the Black Canyon before heading over to the Gunnison area. There are many others on this site that have great tips for that area so I won't get into that here.

Thank you so much for all your help, especially bailey 123!

So, I am going to plan for 1st night in Denver, then 2 nights in Durango, 1 night in Mesa Verde @ Far View Lodge.

So, from there.... would it make more sense to do a night in Ouray, night in Aspen, then last night somewhere closer to the airport (last year we did Highlands Ranch)???

Anyone have any suggestions for the second leg of the trip? Suggestions on heading North to Grand Junction and over toward Glenwood Springs, then down to Aspen? Or through Ouray over the mountain pass directly to Aspen -- spend time there and then out toward airport?

Any suggestions are welcomed! :)

You do realize that Denver to Durango is about seven hours?

Oops. I said to see the Black Canyon before heading off to Gunnison. I meant see the Black Canyon of the Gunnison before heading off to Glenwood Springs and Aspen. Depending on the time of your flight out of Denver, it might not be a bad idea to spend a night near the airport if you have an early flight. Also keep in mind that you are dealing with summer vacation traffic and traffic coming back into Denver which can be quite busy.

From either Mesa Verde or Durango, Ouray is not that far to drive to so you may not want to spend a night there. If you use one of your days in Durango to do the San Juan Sky Way, you will see Ouray during that scenic drive and still be able to fit in a short hike in Ouray to see the Box Canyon Falls. If you head north from Mesa Verde, you could take part of the San Juan Skyway through Telluride and with a little backtracking, also see Ouray then head north towards Montrose; with this plan you miss the Million Dollar Highway but there is still lots of scenery. Montrose could be a convenient stop for the night and then maybe Gunnison or Aspen for your final night before Denver.

Forgot to answer your question on the route from Ouray. It is going to be more scenic to go Ouray to Montrose to Aspen to Denver than to go Ouray to Montrose to Grand Junction to catch the 70 to Glenwood Springs and then on to Denver. If you have time, with a little backtracking, you can also see the Black Canyon of the Gunnison before heading off to Aspen if you take that route.

I do realize the drive is going to be very far either at the beginning or end of my trip. I am trying to balance the other trips to around 2-3 hours. Ideally, I would have 2 full weeks -- but my husband will not commit! So I am stuck!

Thank you again, bailey 123. You have really helped with my planning!

Well, if you can talk your husband into even one more night, you could break up your trip from Denver to Durango by spending a night around Alamosa and get the bonus of seeing the Great Sand Dunes; you could break that 6 1/2 to 7 hour drive into 3 1/2 to 4 hour drives over 2 days ;). Frankly the drive between Denver and Durango is not bad @ 6 1/2 hours including some nice scenery.

There's also the option to take a short flight from Denver to Durango and pick up your rental car in Durango with drop off in Denver but we all know about layovers, delayed flights, cancelled flights etc...fact is, SW CO is not the easiest place to get to but it's so worth it.

Bailey123 -- I got two more nights out of him! Yay! Not as stressed about my planning! Hope you see this :)

Amanda

Far View Lodge is often booked far in advance; keep calling as folks do cancel. Stay in Cortez [10 minutes from entrance of park] if you can't get into FV.

Take the train only one way and bus the other; round trip is a lot of time and the return trip isn't any different. If you go on train FROM Durango, sit on the right side of car for best views. If you go TO Durango, sit on the left side.

Two more nights. Good going Amanda. This is a long shot, but did you by any chance grow up in Phoenix?

Bailey123 -- no, I am from Pittsburgh, PA!

So, here is what I have booked so far:

Night 1: Denver area
Night 2: Alamosa
Night 3: Durango
Night 4: Durango
Night 5: Mesa Verde NP (Far View Lodge!)
Night 6: ?? -- haven't booked yet
Night 7: Aspen -- haven't booked yet
Night 8: Aspen -- haven't booked yet
Night 9: Denver area -- haven't booked yet

I have taken suggestions into consideration from above... I just haven't made any final decisions on last four nights. Any more opinions? Should we stay longer in SW area -- like Ouray/Telluride? Aspen has always been a "bucket" list item -- thought/opinions on this area?

Its so hard when you are from the East! I apologize for the repeat questions! I get most of our great experiences and future plans from forums!

Thanks in advance!

If you go south from Denver, I'd go to Great Sand Dunes NP (tallest sand dunes in N. America), grab a snack, and rent a sand sled at the convenience store/restaurant/gas station outside the park. A few hours will probably be plenty of time there, and then spend the night in Pagosa Springs.
I agree with staying at the lodge in Mesa Verde NP. It's a long drive to Cortez from the heart of the park.
I highly recommend staying in Ouray at least one night, preferably two. If you have time for Black Canyon of the Gunnison, it's worth seeing.
If you aren't able to take the Silverton RR, there's a narrow gauge line that runs a loop between Georgetown and Silver Plume.

I would definitely make night 6 either Ouray or Telluride. Either would be a good choice; by choosing either one, you can get about a half day in each town. They are both worth seeing. Telluride is a bit larger with more shops, restaurants and lodging options and a nice small hike to a waterfall at the end of town; unlike Ouray's box canyon falls, it is not full of tourists. Also many parades and festivals so check Telluride website for possible activities during your time. There is also a free gondola ride from Mountain Village to the center of town with nice views day and night. Both Victorian towns. Ouray much smaller, has hot springs options and box canyon falls. I would personally choose Telluride. Check Groupon, it often has a couple very nice lodging deals in Telluride. Telluride also has one of my favorite restaurants, 221 south Oak. For casual, there's Smugglers brew pub. Telluride Brewery offers tours.

Two days would be good for Aspen. My favorite lodging in Aspen is the Jerome. Also plenty of good restaurant options. My personal choice of things to do in Aspen would be Maroon Bells hiking.

You have a wonderful trip planned!

Yes, you have a good trip planned. Ditto on Ouray or Telluride for night 6. Do a little research and see which one rings your bell.

For Aspen if the Hotel Jerome is out of your budget a few blocks away is the nice Molly Gibson Lodge.

Along with Maroon Bells hiking there is a photogenic ghost town named Ashcroft in the Castle Creek Valley outside of Aspen, a spectacular setting.

The bike trail right in Aspen is also well worth a stroll.

Haves a great trip.

IF Telluride overnight is a weekend, I would skip it and go to Ouray.

Telluride has festivals every weekend during the summer and most hotels have 2 night minimum.

http://www.visittelluride.com/festivals-and-events

There's only two festivals in Telluride in September, unless things have changed recently. Those two are the film festival which is always over labor day weekend and the second is Blues & Brews which is the middle of the month. If flurrygirl1218 is going with her original plan of travelling the first week in Sept., there should be no problem with crowds in Telluride even on the weekend.

Flurrygirl1218, some restaurant recommendations for Durango-Breakfast, Durango Diner; lunch or dinner casual, Steamworks microbrewery or Old Tymers; dinner Ken & Sues, Seasons, Eolus, Cyprus Café. All of these are in downtown Durango. Early Sept. will be a nice time to dine al fresco and all of these places except Durango Diner have great patios.

I missed that this was September.

We have gone to Blues and Brews many times and have had day time temps of well into 80s and then it has also snowed in the same weekend!! be prepared for all possibilities.

Kennebec Cafe is a favorite of ours, on the road between Mesa Verde NP and Durango.

Also, Guido's for Italian food.
And Gazpacho New Mexican Cooking Y Cantina

Thank you all SO MUCH! I am so excited now and feel so much better because of all your help! :) :)

Personally think Great Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde are the highlights of this loop.