Denver Circular 5 – A beautiful, off the beaten track, route that features spectacular scenery. This diverse route combines the glacial peaks of the Rocky Mountain Mountain National Park with the deserts of eastern Utah and the dunes of southeastern Colorado. In addition to visiting the city of Denver and charming small towns (Aspen, the towns along the Million Dollar Highway and more), this route leads to 6 National Parks – Rocky Mountains, Arches, Canyonlands, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Mesa Verde and Great Sand Dunes, in addition to few national monuments and many other nature sites. This route crosses the Rocky Mountains several times, and in cases of extreme weather (especially during transition months in Autumn) roads along it may be temporally closed.
Day 1 – Land in Denver and spend a few hours in the city
Lodging location: Denver
Day 2 – Drive south to Colorado Springs, visit the Garden of the Gods and drive up to Pikes Peaks, in the afternoon drive south towards the Great Sand Dunes National Park, 4 hours drive
Lodging location: Great Sand Dunes or Alamosa
Day 3 – Spend the morning in the wonderful Great Sand Dunes National Park and in the afternoon drive west towards Mesa Verde National Park, 4 hours drive
Lodging location: Mesa Verde or Cortez
Day 4 –Spend the morning in Mesa Verde National Park and in then drive north on the scenic Million Dollar Hwy and visit the picturesque towns and natural areas along this route, 3.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Ouray
Day 5 – Drive north to the Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park and and visit the park and then drive to Moab, 4.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Moab
Day 6 – Visit Canyonlands National Park (Island in the Sky district) and in the afternoon go rafting on the Colorado River (out of Moab), 1 hour drive in each direction
Lodging location: Moab
Day 7 – Visit Arches National Park and then drive via scenic route 128 to Grand Junction
Lodging location: Grand Junction
Day 8 – Visit the Colorado National Monument and then drive to Aspen, 3 hours drive
Lodging location: Aspen
Day 9 – Spend the morning in Aspen and in the afternoon drive to Grand Lake via scenic route 82, 4 hours drive
Lodging location: Grand Lake
Day 10 – Cross the Rocky Mountain National Park on Trail Ridge Road and stop and hike along this scenic route, 1.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Estes Park
Day 11 – Spend the morning in the eastern part of the Rocky Mountain National Park and then drive to Denver, 2 hours drive
Lodging location: Denver
Day 12 – Fly Home
– In order to fill this route with content – see our Southwest USA destinations pages, where you can find articles that include suggestions what to do in various locations along this route.
