A two week camping road trip visiting 4 Colorado National Parks and 3 National Monuments. Complete with where I camped on the trip and some local recommendations on places to eat. 

This trip is best not planned during the Winter (including late fall and early spring) since snow may make some routes impassable. 

Colorado, USA

Western Colorado Roadtrip

Drive 1 hour. Durango is a great place to pick up coffee/tea for the road and some groceries. 

Overall: Travel to Montrose, the town next to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison. 

The drive to and from the monument (it is on top of a plateau) may be off-putting to those who don't do well with heights. 

Rainbow Curve Overlook and Many Parks Curve Overlook:

Great Sand Dunes Oasis- Great Sand Dunes National Monument

Zapata Falls

I always watch the official park videos. A great way to cool off after a morning hike. Check in with the visitor center for ranger-led programs while you are visiting the dunes. 

Located at the Great Sand Dunes Oasis (on the way into the main entrance to the park) the general store has basic Supplies and some additional souvenirs. Need a snack? Stop in for some delicious pie. Want to try sand boarding? This is the place to rent the boards. 

Plan this trip in advance and try to snag a spot at the national parks campground. Absolutely stunning views. This campground has basic amenities and bear lockers. If you can't score a spot here, the Great Sand Dunes Oasis is a good back up.  

Roughly 15 - 20 minutes outside the park. The drive up to the hike is rocky and unpaved - take it slow! If you are in a low clearance vehicle, this may not be the best stop on your trip. 

Drive 1 hour to the Mesa Verde visitor center - the Visitor center closes at 4pm, so plan accordingly. 

This campground is within Mesa Verde and operated by a contractor with the park system. The National Park also has a lodge within the park if you are not interested in camping. 

3.5 hours from Hovenweep to Montrose Colorado

South Rim Campground

I did not stay at the South Rim Campground, but I did stop by and they have very basic amenities. This is a small campsite that fills up very fast - book early. I did stay at the Montrose KOA - I unfortunately can't recommend this to tent campers. If you have an RV or rent a cabin the amenities looked perfectly normal. The tent sites were a let down and next to an empty lot (as the KOA is essentially within the small town of Montrose) and I did not feel completely safe. 

There are multiple campsites to choose from. I stayed at the Green River Campground on the Utah side of the park. The only downside is there is limited overhead trees, so it feels pretty open. But, it was not particularly busy during the middle of the week in the summer. I stopped by the Split Mountain campground and it had very similar amenities. Both campsites are along the river and afford beautiful views. 

I stayed at a beautiful campground, Arapaho Bay, a part of the Arapaho and Roosevelt National Forest. This campground is on the banks of Lake Granby. The only downside is that this area of Colorado had a large forest fire a number of years ago and there is still a prominent burn scar. This created the feeling of a wind tunnel that made me legitimately worried about my tent ending up in the lake. Depending on your Camping situation, I would possibly consider a local air b&b. 

Travel to the Great Sand Dunes and plan to explore early morning on day 2

Drive to Great Sand Dunes (from Denver: roughly 4 hours ; from Colorado Springs: roughly 2.5 hours)

There aren't any trails out on the dunes - just explore! The first ridge of dunes you see from the parking lot are not the highest dunes in the park. But, hiking up them and back takes roughly 4 hours. The view is amazing from the first ridge, but keep in mind the elevation and the potential heat from the sand.  I like to start as early as possible so I'm back in the parking lot by 10. If you are hiking in cooler months, check-in with the visitor center for how warm the sand is heating up to currently. 

Gear: Wear close-toed shoes - it's especially important as the sand heats up. and, of course, bring water!

Mesa Top Loop Drive Audio Tour

Stop in the visitor center for a comprehensive list!

6 mile drive overlooking cliff dwellings. There are multiple pull-offs for overlooks at various cliff dwellings. This is also the road to the Cliff Palace. Remember, access to the Cliff Palace is ranger-led and you need to make reservations before your trip!

6 mile drive through mesa-top villages and overlooking cliff dwellings. Check out the accompanying audio tour to enrich the drive (download prior to trip due to lack of service in the park):

2 miles, round trip. A short hike that I took in the evening to watch the sunset over the Montezuma Valley. The trail head is located in the campgrounds. 

1 mile round trip, paved. Ends at a Step House staffed by a ranger. It is an up close look at one of the cliff dwellings. 

2.5 miles round trip and strenuous. Beautiful hike that, first, runs along the side of a canyon and then on top of a mesa. Traveling from the canyon side to the mesa top will involve some scrambling and rugged terrain - may be difficult for those with a fear of heights.  

Make this a top priority to reserve on recreation.gov. These fill up quickly and the 

A, roughly, 30 minute drive into the closest town to Mesa Verde. 

2 mile hike (1.5 - 2 hours). You are able to walk by the major towers, all built between A.D. 1200-1300. The first part of the hike leads you around the rim of the canyon. Eventually you descend into the canyon and back up the other side - depositing you back at the visitor center. 

A, baseline, 2-3 hour drive along the southern canyon rim. This allows time to get out at the majority of the overlooks (all within short distances of the pull-offs). Add on more time, based on any additional hikes you choose. 

Uplands Trail: A short and easy 1.3 mile jaunt right outside of the visitor center. A nice way to warm up and stretch to start the day. 

Warner Point Nature Trail: The trailhead is at the end of the scenic drive. The trailhead offers picnic tables, in the shade, and vault toilets. The trail itself is 1.5 miles round trip, but is a more moderate trail. Pick up a trail guide at the visitor center to learn more about the local flora and fauna. 

Entrance Passes (U.S. National Park Service)

Both short trails that are around the Saddlehorn campground.  Take the 1/2 mile jaunt to an overlook to see the Monument and Wedding Canyons. Add on an additional mile (1/2 mile out, then back) to walk to the visitors center from the campground. This gives you additional views of the independence monument as you walk along the canyon edge. 

A short, 1/2 a mile trail right across from the visitor's center. You can pick up a guide to the local flora/fauna at the trail head. A very simple, mostly level stroll.

Start early, it does get quite hot! The entire trail is 5.5 miles, one way. We did not choose to do the whole trail, we hiked roughly an hour and 1/2 out, then back. This is the highest trail in the park and does go onto the McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area

"Historic Rim Rock Trail". A straight drive, no stops, is 45 minutes. This drive spans the distance between the two entrances to the park. The main difference in the drive (choosing between entering at the north entrance, by Fruita, or the south entrance, by Grand Junction) is what side of the road you will be on. I chose the north entrance so that I would be on the inside (away from the drop off) since I had never done this drive before. 

Add this onto to your scenic drive. It is a short, 1 mile total (out and back) hike. It leads to an overlook of Grand Valley. You will be able to see Sentinel Spire, Pipe Organ, Praying Hands, and Independence Monument.

Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

Mesa Verde National Park

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Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

Colorado National Monument

Dinosaur National Monument

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Trail Ridge Road - Rocky Mountain National Park (U.S. National Park Service)

Trail Ridge Road: Rocky Mountain National Park Scenic Byway

Hovenweep National Monument

27 S. Cascade Ave Montrose, CO 970-249-8211 Wednesday is discount day with all 2D tickets $5.00 and all 3D tickets $7.00! Age Restriction Policy Must be 17…

Fox Cinema Center

Colorado Boy Pizzeria & Brewery

Get authentic Nepali and Indian food at the Himalayan Pun Hill Kitchen & Bar in Montrose, CO. Sit down restaurant, lunch buffet, and take out.

Himalayan Pun Hill Kitchen

Montrose 

Morefield Campground

Saddlehorn Campground

La Casita de Cortez

Main Street Brewery & Restaurant, about us, food menu, beer menu, gift shop, venue information.

Main Street Brewery & Restaurant

Cortez

Colorado Springs

Stay in the historic Stanley hotel featuring both king and double queen rooms, expansive superior rooms, or spirited rooms for a frightful stay.

Western Colorado Roadtrip

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