Salt Lake City to Denver 3 – A highly recommended route for nature lovers. This scenic route includes a visit to Yellowstone and Grand National Parks as well as Eastern Utah and the American Rocky Mountains of Colorado. This is a very diverse route that combines 180-degree different landscape formations – from the peaks of the Grand Teton Mountains and the Geysers of Yellowstone, to the red sandstone deserts of the state of Utah and the high mountains of Colorado. This route is also perfect viewing wildlife as it includes many parks in which the chances of spotting animals are particularly high. In all this route includes a visit to 5 National Parks (Yellowstone, Grand Teton, Arches, Canyonlands, Rocky Mountains) in addition to 2 beautiful National Monuments (Dinosaur and Colorado National Monuments) and few other unique natural sites (such as Fleming George).
Day 1 – Land in Salt Lake City and spend a few hours in the city
Lodging location: Salt Lake City
(if you land early you may start driving north on this day, lodging on the way, for example here)
Day 2 – Drive to Grand Teton National Park and enjoy the afternoon in the southern part of the park, 5 hours drive
Lodging location: Jackson
Day 3 – 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 4 – Enjoy one more day in the southern part of Grand Teton National Park or in activities around Jackson, less than 1 hour drive in each direction
Lodging location: Jackson
Day 5 – 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 6 – In the morning enjoy the Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone’s wonderful waterfalls and views and then drive west in the park (on the way to Canyon you may stop for visit in Norris Geyser Basin, another option is to add an afternoon visit to West Yellowstone’s Nature Center or Zipline Park), 1 hour drive
Lodging location: West Yellowstone
Day 7 – Visit the Upper Geyser Basin, 1 hour drive in each direction
Lodging location: West Yellowstone
Day 8 – Visit the Midway and Lower Geyser Basin, 1 hour drive in each direction
Lodging location: West Yellowstone
Day 9 – Drive north to Mammoth Hot Springs and tour the springs, in the afternoon bath in the Boiling River, 1.5 hours drive
(you may add to this day outdoor activities near Gardiner)
Lodging location: Gardiner
Day 10 – Drive east to the Lamar Valley and tour the valley, in the early afternoon hours drive out of the park through scenic Beartooth Hwy (not suitable for RVs), 4 hours drive
Lodging location: Red Lodge
Day 11 – Drive to Cody and visit the town’s wonderful museums, 1 hour drive
Lodging location: Cody
Day 12 – 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 13 – 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 14 – Suggestions for this day: a. drive to Dinosaur National Monument – to Harpers Corner (circled in blue in this map) which has extraordinary scenery. b. visit this site next to Vernal. c. hike to this Arch next to Vernal, 1 hour drive in each direction or less
Lodging location: Vernal
Day 15 – Drive to Moab and visit Arches National Park or bath in the Colorado River (along HWY 128), 3.5 hours drive
Lodging location: Moab
Day 16 – Enjoy some more time in arches National Park, 1 hour drive in each direction
Lodging location: Moab
Day 17 – Visit Canyonlands National Park (Island in the Sky district), 1 hour drive in each direction
Lodging location: Moab
Day 18 – Go rafting on the Colorado River (out of Moab) or join other outdoor activities (bike trails, ATV and more), short drive
Lodging location: Moab
Day 19 – 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 20 – 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 21 – 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 22 – Hike and travel in the eastern part of the Rocky Mountain National Park, 1 hour drive in each direction
Lodging location: Estes Park
Day 23 – Enjoy one more day in the eastern part of the Rocky Mountain National Park or join activities (such as rafting) out of Estes Park, 1 hour drive in each direction
Lodging location: Estes Park
Day 24 – Drive to Denver and enjoy a day in the city, 2 hours drive
Lodging location: Denver
Day 25 – Spend the day in Denver
Lodging location: Denver
Day 26 – 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.
