Las Vegas to Denver 5 – A beautiful breathtaking route that features spectacular scenery – perfect for nature lovers. This diverse route combines the glacial peaks of the Rocky Mountains (in Colorado) with the deserts of southern Utah and the gems of Wyoming. In addition to visiting the cities of Denver Las Vegas, this route leads to 7 (!) National Parks – Rocky Mountains, Arches, Canyonlands, Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Bryce and Zion, in addition to few National Monuments and State Parks and many other nature sites.
Day 1 – Land in Las Vegas and spend the afternoon in the city
Lodging location: Las Vegas
Day 2 – Drive to Zion National Park and visit the park, 2.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Springdale
Day 3 – Drive to Bryce National Park on scenic route 9 and visit the park, 2 hours drive
Lodging location: Bryce
Day 4 – Drive to Grand Teton National Park, 8.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Jackson
Day 5 – Visit the southern part of Grand Teton National Park and enjoy activities around Jackson, less than 1 hour drive in each direction
Lodging location: Jackson
Day 6 – Drive north through Grand Teton, towards Yellowstone National Park, after entering the park visit the West Thumb Geyser Basin (on the shores of Lake Yellowstone), and enjoy abundant wildlife in Hayden Valley, 3 hours drive
Lodging location: Canyon (or Lake Yellowstone)
Day 7 – In the morning enjoy the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone’s wonderful waterfalls and views, and then drive west in the park and visit the Upper Geyser Basin, 2 hour drive
Lodging location: West Yellowstone
Day 8 – Visit the Midway and Lower Geyser Basin and drive north to Mammoth Hot Springs and tour the springs, in the afternoon drive east through the Lamar Valley and exit the park, 3.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Cooke City
Day 8 – Drive to Cody and visit the town’s wonderful museums, 1.5 hours drive (or 2.5 hours drive via the scenic Beartooth Hwy – not suitable for RVs)
Lodging location: Cody
Day 10 – Drive south through Wyoming to Flaming Gorge, on the way stop at the small town of Thermopolis (which has hot springs and petroglyphs), 5 hours drive
Lodging location: Flaming Gorge
Day 11 – Go on a short rafting trip in Flaming Gorge and them drive to the Dinosaur National Monument and visit the monument’s Quarry (circled in red in this map), 2 hours drive
Lodging location: Vernal
Day 12 – Drive to Harpers Corner (circled in blue in this map) in Dinosaur National Monument, which has extraordinary scenery, and from there continue to Moab (see link to map here), 5.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Moab
Day 13 – Visit Arches National Park, 1 hour drive in each direction
Lodging location: Moab
Day 14 – Go on a half day rafting tour on the Colorado River (out of Moab) and then visit Canyonlands National Park (Island in the Sky district), 1 hour drive in each direction
Lodging location: Moab
Day 15 – Drive towards Colorado via scenic route 128 (along the Colorado River) and visit the Colorado National Monument, 3 hours drive
Lodging location: Grand Junction
Day 16 – Continue driving east toward the Rocky Mountains and the small town of Grand Lake and spend the afternoon in Grand Lake, 4 hours drive
Lodging location: Grand Lake
Day 17 – 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 18 – Hike and travel in the eastern part of the Rocky Mountain National Park and drive to Denver, 2.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Denver
Day 19 – Fly Home
– In order to fill this route with content – see our Southwest USA and Northwest USA destinations pages, where you can find articles that include suggestions what to do in various locations along this route.
