Itinerary

Choose to spend the first night after your flight at a hotel at your leisure or pick up your motorhome on arrival and start your journey. We highly recommend spending a few days in Colorado’s Mile High Capital, Denver before starting your motorhome trip. A beautiful city with a thriving culture scene and diverse neighbourhoods, you’ll get to visit the historic Union Station with its delightful restaurants and coffee shops, climb the impressive Capitol Building, taste Denver’s craft breweries and, if you time your trip right, even experience some live music at the legendary Red Rocks Amphitheatre, one of the most iconic music venues in the world – all before starting your road trip.

When you are ready to start your journey, collect your motorhome from the Denver depot and head north. Your first stop will be in leafy and liberal Boulder, home of the University of Colorado with its towering stone buildings and manicured lawns. You can take a free guided tour of the campus, set high above Boulder’s downtown, for spectacular views, if you’re interested. Before carrying on your way, stop by the Boulder County Farmers Market, held every Wednesday and Saturday on 13th Street between Arapahoe Avenue and Canyon Boulevard for some organic groceries from the region’s local farms. You’ll be in for a treat!

Afterwards, continue north and skirt the eastern edge of the mighty Rockies as you make your way to Estes Park, the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park, and the location of your campgrounds, Jellystone Park Camp-Resort.

• 88 km from Denver to Estes Park

Today you’ll only have a short drive, so you can spend the day experiencing the splendour of Rocky Mountain National Park. One of the most popular parks in the USA, Rocky Mountain National Park features towering peaks over 11,000 feet, over 350 miles of hiking trails, terrains ranging from high alpine tundra to low grassy valleys and an abundance of untouched wildlife across its 415-square-mile expanse. A hike along one of the park’s many trails is a must, as is a drive along the Trail Ridge Road across the top of the Rockies. This is the highest continuously paved road in the USA at 12,183ft and is classed as an All-American Road for its sheer natural beauty.

Your campground for the night will be the beautiful Winding River Resort, which also happens to be a working ranch, so choose a horse ride or rent an ATV for some off-road adventures. The resort also offers guided hikes if you’d prefer to head into the Rockies with a group.

• 96km from Estes Park to Grand Lake

Colorado’s Rocky Mountain region is renowned for its famous mountain towns, and one we would suggest stopping at is Breckenridge. One of the only towns that is not a purpose-built ski resort, Breckenridge has a quaint and historic downtown area that is well worth exploring, and the Breckenridge Resort which offers endless outdoor recreation with options ranging from hiking and ziplining to alpine slides.

Continue after to Glenwood Springs. Offering a true taste of Colorado with its scenic setting, this mountain town is famous for its natural hot springs and boundless opportunities for outdoor adventure – like whitewater rafting in Glenwood Canyon or soaking in the world’s largest mineral pool.

Your accommodation for the night will be at the top-rated KOA Colorado River Campgrounds just west of town.

• 270km to Glenwood Springs

Today you’ll continue west to the spectacularly scenic Colorado National Monument just outside the city of Grand Junction. The monument one of the great landscapes of the American West and features canyon panoramas and towering monoliths which you can see on the 23-mile Rock Rim Drive that passes right through the park.

Afterwards, head south and stop at Gunnison National Park’s Black Canyon. At over 2,000 feet deep, no other canyon in the whole of the United States can match its steep cliffs and vertical depths, and a short hike around the rim will be awe-inspiring.

Next, head into the San Juan Mountains to your ultimate destination, Ouray. Referred to as the ‘Switzerland of America’, this picturesque old mining town is bordered on all sides between imposing mountain peaks, and your campground, Ouray RV Park, is just a 10-minute walk to Main Street. Relax in the town’s hot springs, or spend the afternoon hiking to Box Canyon Falls.

• 265km to Ouray

Leave Ouray – you’ll be driving up the side of the mountains as soon as you exit the town – along the US 550, otherwise known as the infamous Million Dollar Highway, to Silverton. The name of this highway is disputed: some say it’s named after the million-dollar views and others say it took a million dollars per mile to build. But the most important thing to note is that it is full of sheer drops and hairpin bends as it winds up no less than 3 mountain passes, so take your time and be careful when driving it.

You’ll then arrive in Silverton with its pretty saloon-lined streets and mining history, which you’ll likely want to get out and explore for a few hours before arriving at the outdoor haven of Durango where you’ll be staying at the United Campground. We recommend 2 nights in Durango as a base so you can spend the second day visiting Mesa Verde National Park, or taking a day trip on the famous Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway.

Designated as a World Heritage Site, Mesa Verde National Park is one of the USA’s most notable and best-preserved archaeological sites, detailing over 600 cliff dwellings of the ancestral Pueblo people and an ecosystem of more than 1,000 species of flora and fauna. Take a self-guided audio tour across Cliff Palace and Petroglyph Point, or join a tour with a park ranger.

• 112km to Durango

Head east today along Highway 160 through the Rio Grande National Forest to Great Sand Dunes National Park. The tallest sand dunes in North America, you’ll find the park is also a dark sky preserve so the nighttime atmosphere is just as beautiful as during the day. Your accommodation will be just outside of the park at the Piñon Flats Campground where you’ll find breathtaking scenery – just make sure to spend the evening outside to soak up the stars. Go sandboarding, sand sledding or hiking up the dunes during the day.

• 265km Alamosa

Today you’ll head north through the valleys of central Colorado towards Cañon City where you’ll find America’s highest suspension bridge, the Royal Gorge Bridge, at an eye-watering 955 feet above the Arkansas River. Take a train across this spectacular expanse, or for those looking for an adrenaline rush, try America’s highest zipline or one of many other activities.

Afterwards, continue to the beautiful city of Colorado Springs, stopping for a gold mining tour halfway along the road at Cripple Creek.

Basking in over 300 days of sunshine each year, Colorado Springs sits at the base of the Pikes Peak Mountain, and you can either drive yourself to the top along the toll road or take a leisurely ride up on the cog railway – the highest railway in the United States. You’ll want to spend time also viewing the 300ft towering sandstone rock formations at the Garden of the Gods Park. Your accommodation for this night will be at the Pikes Peak RV Park located on the fringes of Colorado Springs.

• 249km to Colorado Springs

Drive 128km back to Denver to return your motorhome to Cruise America and catch your flight back home from Denver International Airport.