Cololrado road trip suggestions: Looking to plan a road/photo tour of Colorado in September, starting in Denver -- seeking places to see or skip, roads to take or avoid, number of days...

SaratogaMan

Looking to plan a road/photo tour of Colorado in September, starting in Denver -- seeking places to see or skip, roads to take or avoid, number of days to spend where?

enygy Loc: LI, NY

Great Sand Dunes NP

https://www.nps.gov/grsa/index.htm

Amazing place, opportunities for spectacular photography with the right lighting.

SaratogaMan wrote:

Looking to plan a road/photo tour of Colorado in September, starting in Denver -- seeking places to see or skip, roads to take or avoid, number of days to spend where?

jackm1943 Loc: Omaha, Nebraska

Drive up to the peak of Mt. Evans if you have time. If you're into railroading, don't miss the Colorado Railroad Museum near Golden, it's just excellent.

Cany143 Loc: SE Utah

If you'll be staying east of the Continental Divide: Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak (area), Rocky Mountain NP. But west of the Divide is way better. Paonia, Silverton, skip Telluride unless you like pretentiousness, Mesa Verde, Colorado Nat'l Monument, pretty much anywhere/everywhere in SW Colo. <Edit: Give yourself a treat: Orvis Hot Springs outside Ridgeway. Cameras not allowed (clothing is "optional"), but you'll feel soooooo much better after all that driving around stuff.> Plan on spending about four lifetimes.

Jay Pat Loc: Round Rock, Texas, USA

Cany143 wrote:

If you'll be staying east of the Continental Divide: Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak (area), Rocky Mountain NP. But west of the Divide is way better. Paonia, Silverton, skip Telluride unless you like pretentiousness, Mesa Verde, Colorado Nat'l Monument, pretty much anywhere/everywhere in SW Colo. Plan on spending about four lifetimes.

Pikes Peak Railway is closed for 2018.
I think you can still drive to the top of Pikes Peak.
Don't know if the gift shop will be open.
Pat

Rich1939 Loc: Pike County Penna.

Cany143 wrote:

If you'll be staying east of the Continental Divide: Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak (area), Rocky Mountain NP. But west of the Divide is way better. Paonia, Silverton, skip Telluride unless you like pretentiousness, Mesa Verde, Colorado Nat'l Monument, pretty much anywhere/everywhere in SW Colo. Plan on spending about four lifetimes.

The "western slope" has more photo opportunities than you could possibly make use of in a short stay.
If you could stay in one of the towns on the western side of the state it would be possible to day trip to many locations worth spending time at. (Including sneaking over to Utah)

Jakebrake Loc: Broomfield, Colorado

When in the Denver area check out the Colorado Railroad museum in Golden.

http://www.uglyhedgehog.com/t-520305-1.html

Photocraig

The drive through Rocky Mountain Nat's Park is fantastic. The Western side near Granby is very beautiful and, when I did it over 30 years ago, they had a Buffalo herd. The park itself is spectacular and Estes Park on the Eastern end is a funky town with real shops and restaurants that, then weren't particularly touristy. The drive from I-25 on Rt 34 is as scenic as any in the country.

Pick up your adventure from Granby and circle back to Denver, perhaps through Colorado Springs. Every time I visit Colorado, I almost stay there.

SaratogaMan

Thanks to all for your suggestions...there's nothing better than advice from folks who know.
Hopefully, I can eventually contribute as much to this site as I have received on this topic and others.
As someone once said, there's no one from whom one cannot learn something.
We all can learn from each other, no matter the topic.

Cdouthitt Loc: Traverse City, MI

Denver Botanical Gardens are great...of course it's been about 15 years since I've been there.

BlueMorel Loc: Southwest Michigan

South of Granite there are old mining towns and mines. We went to Phoenix Gold Mine, had a nice tour inside - south of Rocky Mtn NP. The Durango-Silverton Narrow Gauge Railway is great. Mesa Verde NP and Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP. Definitely Rocky Mountain NP - lots of scenery and wildlife.

Blaster34 Loc: Florida Treasure Coast

SaratogaMan wrote:

Looking to plan a road/photo tour of Colorado in September, starting in Denver -- seeking places to see or skip, roads to take or avoid, number of days to spend where?

Agree with Cany143, the Million Dollar Highway (US Route 550) from Montrose to Durango going through Ridgeway, Ouray & Silverton is beautiful. And if you've the time the Silverton Durango RR is not a bad trip, especially in the fall. Then swing back east to the Sand Dunes NP, an amazing, out of the way, NP. I've done that route a couple of times and plan to do it again. Don't forget Rocky Mountain NP also, especially on the west side. Enjoy and be safe

DougS Loc: Central Arkansas

The road from Leadville, Buena Vista/ Cottonwood Pass, to Salida, and on down to Great Sand Dunes, is quite scenic.

Blaster34 Loc: Florida Treasure Coast

DougS wrote:

The road from Leadville, Buena Vista/ Cottonwood Pass, to Salida, and on down to Great Sand Dunes, is quite scenic.

sb Loc: Florida's East Coast

The area around Aspen is fantastic. Southwestern Colorado around Durango is unbelievably beautiful - and you can ride on the Durango-Silverton narrow gauge railroad which is very cool!! Then head over to Mesa Verde NP for the cliff dwellings - like nowehere else. Denver also has a great zoo, by the way.