Denver to Las Vegas 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 Denver and spend a few hours in the city
Lodging location: Denver
Day 2 – Drive to the eastern part of the Rocky Mountain National Park and visit this area of the park, 2 hours drive
Lodging location: Estes Park
Day 3 – Enjoy the morning in the eastern part of the Rocky Mountain National Park and then cross the park on Trail Ridge Road and stop and hike along this scenic route, 2 hours drive
Lodging location: Grand Lake
Day 4 – Spend the morning in Grand Lake and then drive east to towards border between Colorado and Utah, 4 hours drive
Lodging location: Grand Junction
Day 5 – Drive to Moab via scenic route 128 and continue to Arches National Park and visit the amazing park, 3 hours drive
Lodging location: Moab
Day 6 – 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 7 – Drive to Dinosaur National Monument – to Harpers Corner (circled in blue in this map) which has extraordinary scenery, and from there continue to Vernal, 5.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Vernal
Day 8 – Visit Dinosaur National Monument’s Quarry (circled in red in this map), and then drive north and add a short rafting trip in Flaming Gorge, 2 hours drive
Lodging location: Flaming Gorge
Day 9 – Drive north in Wyoming and on the way stop at the small town of Thermopolis (which has hot springs and petroglyphs), 5 hours drive
Lodging location: Cody
Day 10 – Visit Cody’s wonderful museums and then drive north to Cooke City, Montana, 1.5 hours drive (or 2.5 hours drive on the scenic Beartooth Hwy)
Lodging location: Cooke City
Day 11 – Drive west through the Lamar Valley of Yellowstone National Park to Mammoth Hot Springs and visit the springs and then drive south to the Lower Geyser Basin, 3 hour drive
Lodging location: West Yellowstone
Day 12 – Visit the Midway and Upper Geyser Basin of Yellowstone and then drive to the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone and enjoy this canyon’s wonderful waterfalls and views, 2 hours drive
Lodging location: Canyon (or Lake Yellowstone)
Day 13 – Drive south to Grand Teton National Park through Hayden Valley and Lake Yellowstone, 3 hour drive
Lodging location: Jackson
Day 14 – Visit the southern part of Grand Teton National Park and enjoy activities around Jackson, in the afternoon start driving south to Park City, 4.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Park City
Day 15 – Drive to Bryce National Park and enjoy the afternoon in the park, 4 hours drive
Lodging location: Bryce
Day 16 – Visit Bryce National Park and drive to Zion National Park on scenic route 9, 2 hours drive
Lodging location: Springdale
Day 17 – Spend the day in Zion National Park’s Canyon and in the afternoon drive south to Las Vegas, 2.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Las Vegas
Day 18 – Spend the day in Las Vegas
Lodging location: Las Vegas
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.
