Colorado road trip: Rocky Mountain National Park to Durango
From Denver to Estes Park for Rocky Mountain National Park, across the mountains to Glenwood Springs, then south to Ouray and Durango.
- Stops
- 5
- Nights
- 8
- Driving
- 516 mi
Free, no account needed. Change any stop or night once it’s open.
The route by road
The stops, in order
Denver, Colorado
1 night
Fly in here.
1 h 19 min · 69 mi from Denver
Estes Park, Colorado
2 nights
Base for Rocky Mountain National Park and Trail Ridge Road.
3 h 33 min · 200 mi from Estes Park
Glenwood Springs, Colorado
1 night
Hot springs and Glenwood Canyon.
2 h 50 min · 176 mi from Glenwood Springs
Ouray, Colorado
2 nights
On the Million Dollar Highway, US 550.
1 h 34 min · 71 mi from Ouray
Durango, Colorado
2 nights
Mesa Verde National Park is about an hour west.
Day by day
8 days with the nights above. Drive times are for a car without traffic; a day over six hours is flagged.
- No driving
Day 1: In Denver
- 1 h 19 min · 69 mi
Day 2: Denver to Estes Park
Night in Estes Park
- No driving
Day 3: In Estes Park
- 3 h 33 min · 200 mi
Day 4: Estes Park to Glenwood Springs
Night in Glenwood Springs
- 2 h 50 min · 176 mi
Day 5: Glenwood Springs to Ouray
Night in Ouray
- No driving
Day 6: In Ouray
- 1 h 34 min · 71 mi
Day 7: Ouray to Durango
Night in Durango
- No driving
Day 8: In Durango
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Photo: Trail Ridge Road, Rocky Mountain National Park, Colorado. “Trail Ridge Road, Rocky Mountains National Park 20110824 1” by DXR, CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons. “Utah State Route 12 110814 1” by DXR, CC BY-SA 3.0. “Badlands National Park, South Dakota 2014 10” by Murray Foubister, CC BY-SA 2.0. “Grand Teton from the Snake River Overlook” by Frank Kovalchek, CC BY 2.0.
