With scenery on a gigantic scale, hiking trails that take you to ancient Pueblo dwellings, hot springs to relax and the buzzing city life of Denver, Colorado is one of the USA states that I’ve long wanted to visit.
With the help of Visit the USA’s trip planner, I’ve been dreaming about a road trip in Colorado that will last just over a week and take in some of the most interesting sights. Read on to find out how you can use the trip planner to plan your own dream trip to the USA.
Using the Visit the USA Trip planner, I decided to plan my dream Colorado road trip for early June when the temperature will be warm but comfortable for sightseeing and hiking.
The trip planner allows you to favour hidden gems or more popular sights, which is what I went for as I haven’t visited Colorado before and didn’t want to miss any of the highlights.
I chose a mixture of culture, historic sights and great outdoors since Colorado is known for its stunning scenery. Take a look at my 8 day Colorado itinerary if you’d like to see the detail and plan something similar yourself.
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Colorado Springs – gold rush heritage and striking scenery
Our imaginary road trip starts in Colorado Springs where I plan to wander around the Old Colorado City Historic District which was a gold-processing hub during the Gold Rush era of the late 1800s.
I’ll enjoy looking at arts and crafts by local artists and trying some of the different gourmet foods on offer from all over the world.
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In the area we’ll take a drive through the Garden of the Gods which is famous for the jagged red rock formations. These were formed by geological upheaval millions of years ago and surrounded by pine forests.
At the park’s visitor centre there’s a cafe with panoramic views over the park. Another amazing viewpoint in the area is at Pike’s Peak and you can reach the visitor centre at the summit on the historic Pikes Peak Railway.
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Mesa Verde National Park – ancient Pueblo buildings
Our road trip takes us on to the Mesa Verde National Park where we’ll spend a night. This is where the Ancestral Pueblo people lived from AD 600 to 1300. The park preserves 600 of the dwellings they built into the khaki-colored sandstone.
Five of these are open to the public through guided and self-guided tours and the best known is Cliff Palace, which is accessible only via a ranger-guided tour from the Visitor and Research Centre. There are hiking trails within the park, that also allow you views of some of the dwellings built into the cliff.
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Durango – gold rush town and a heritage railway
We’ll be spending a night at Durango, an old frontier mining town. We plan to take the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad to enjoy some of the picturesque scenery.
The steam-powered railway built in the 1880s is one of the country’s oldest. It takes visitors through the high rocky cliffs and canyons of Colorado between Durango and Silverton. There’s a railway museum and Silverton Freight Yard where you can learn more about the 1800s railroading industry.
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A waterfall hike and thermal bath at Glenwood Springs
Our Colorado road trip continues as we arrive at Glenwood Springs for a night. Glenwood Springs sits at the junction of two rivers at the edge of the Rocky Mountain range.
We walked the Hanging Lake Trail up to the mountain lake, through lush forest with sheer rocky cliffs and waterfalls. After our hike it will be time to soak in the warm mineral waters of the town’s hot springs pools.
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A final stop for the urban sites of Denver
The final stop on our Colorado Road Trip is the state’s capital of Denver. It’s aptly named the “Mile-High City,” due to its altitude of 1,600 m above sea level. This is where the Great Plains give way to the Rocky Mountains.
On our final day before we fly out, perhaps we’ll hire a bike to explore the street-art murals and art galleries of the RiNo (River North) Arts District.
I’ll also be exploring the foodie scene at the Denver Central Market. I love food halls like this where you can take your pick of lots of different restaurants. I’m sure we’ll also enjoy a local craft beer in one of the many outdoor patios.
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You can use the Visit the USA Holiday Planner Tool to plan a trip to a favourite USA destination.
To plan your visit to the USA and Colorado
You can find more information about holidays to the USA and Colorado on the Visit the USA website.
Try out the Trip-Planner Tool yourself to discover ideas on where you might go and what you could see depending on your interests.
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This article is originally published at Heatheronhertravels.com
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Neilsen
Wednesday 31st of October 2018
Having a culturally rich holiday in Arizona would be my #wanderlustwish. Arizona is unique blend of Native American, Mexican, frontier, and contemporary influences. No package holidays with fixed agendas, as there’s little room to go off the beaten path, and the more beaten the path is on a trip, the less authentic it is.
Andrew Lee
Tuesday 30th of October 2018
My trip starts in Seattle and visits Los Angeles and San Francisco also on the West Coast, followed by party city Las Vegas and finally to the mountains of Denver. Really clever planner and I'm impressed with the guidance and options on 'balanced'. I would love this trip to come true! #wanderlustwish
Stephanie campbell
Tuesday 30th of October 2018
I am desperatre to do a route 66 road trip... maybe for my 40th... i just have to get past my 30th 1st haha. I just want a foodies trip along the route 66 in a mustang with my man in tow...yano to share the driving and the great sights #wanderlustwish
Karen Tranmer
Tuesday 30th of October 2018
My #Wanderlustwish - enough of seeing the "coast to coast" food options in my canteen at work .... the Trip-planner Tool will help us to experience the real thing! Our three week trip will start in LA, the City of Angels - a trip to Disneyland and a stroll along Santa Monica Pier. Moving on to Las Vegas to view the breathtaking Hoover Dam Bypass and take an adrenaline fuelled tour (my husband might give that one a miss!)! Next stop is some trekking in the Grand Canyon National Park. Santa Fe then offers some fascinating attractions - Harrell House of Natural Oddities, The Cathedral Basilica of St. Francis of Assisi and Santa Fe National Historic Trail to name just a few. In Chicago we'll get the best views from the 360 Chicago Observation Deck before exploring with our feet firmly on the ground. We'll admire the natural beauty at Missouri Botanical Garden, and immerse ourselves furthr in nature at John Dillon Park, Lake Placid. In the last leg we'll make our way to New York City, with brief stops in Old Forge and Cooperstown. Our epic trip will end after must-have visits to the Empire State Building and Central Park. What a great tool that has come up with suggestions that I never would have thought of if planning the trip without its asisstance!
Karen T
Tuesday 30th of October 2018
My #wanderlustwish sees me in New York for 10 days. Shopping in Soho and visiting the museums there, followed by a trip to Chelsea Market to awaken the tastebuds and sample the gastromic delights. A day spent exploring Central Park with a visit to the zoo and a horse and carriage ride. Shopping in 5th Avenue and a night at the theatre on Broadway. A tour of the Rockafellar Centre and a trip to the 9/11 museum.