There’s a lot to love about Colorado. On top of that, there are four national parks, eleven national forests and endless other outdoor activities to pursue. On an epic road trip it’s very difficult to capture every scene that you want to see. But somehow, I nonetheless created what I believe to be the ultimate Colorado 10 day itinerary.

It’s the plan I followed on my trip to Colorado. There were things I didn’t get to see in this state, but I saw almost everything I wanted to (weather and injuries began to derail the trip toward the end) and ended my time here with a long list of things I want to see and do on my next visit. And there will be, of course, a next time with Banao Yatra Easy.

Colorado 10 Day Itinerary

Here is my Colorado 10 Day itinerary that I am going to share with you. It’s just an adventurous road trip for me where I drove 1600 miles on my rental car.You’ll see all four national parks, do numerous scenic drives, hike some amazing trails, and have a great time doing it. Yet 10 days of exploring the state, if you’re anything like me, will leave you pining for more.

Day 0 – Hello, Colorado!

You don’t have to do that day ; hence, I put it down as day 0. If you include this day in your 10 days in Colorado, the itinerary will depend on when your flight to Denver lands. I was flying into the airport, landing at 7:00 pm (we actually touched down 45 minutes early). If your flight will be the same, then take a room in the airport hotel & start with a new morning.

If your flight is in the morning, you are practically skipping this whole day. If that is the case, head straight to day 1 of this 10-day plan.

Day 1 –  Garden of the Gods and Pike’s Peak

If you stayed the previous night in Denver, get an early start and collect your rental car. And now this Colorado itinerary is really cooking.

But if you’re just coming to Colorado for the day, I would get here as early as possible so that you can make the most of your visit. If you are late today, you probably will have to miss one activity.

You can drive from the Denver Airport to Colorado Springs, the first destination on this road trip, in about an hour and a half. You can do so much in Colorado Springs, but I would limit you to doing two things.

First, make your way to Garden of the Gods, a free park with amazing rock formations. At this park, there are a couple of different hiking trails, so if you’re coming from sea level (me!), it’s a chance to begin acclimatizing. Don’t be surprised if these take a toll on your butt. The most difficult part of the acclimatizing is how you feel the first day. I got here just after 10:00 this morning and spent three and a half hours wandering around Garden of the Gods.

In the afternoon, visit Pike’s Peak. You have a few ways to reach the summit of this popular fourteener. Take a shuttle or train even if you can drive yourself. I did the driving, and it was an intro to mountain driving. Whatever you decide, allow two to three hours for your visit.

I have booked a Springs hotel in Colorado that is quite a good hotel.

Day 2 – The First Scenic Drive and Great Sand Dunes National Park

Today we are going to visit the first national park on this epic road trip & make sure you have added this place in your Colorado 10 day itinerary.

From Colorado SpringsYou can head straight to Great Sand Dunes National Park from Colorado Springs (about 2 hours and 45 minutes), or you can detour in the longer direction. Drive 40 minutes (26 miles). This scenic drive will be followed by the first of this Colorado 10 Day Itinerary driving tour.

I took a longer route from Canon City because I needed to drive on Skyline Drive.(On either side of the drive, there are drop-offs. Skyline Drive is a narrow, one-lane road. 2.5 miles away “It’s not that far — It’s just 2.5 miles — So it’s over pretty quickly — But still so exciting.” But if you’re afraid of heights or not yet confident about steering around mountain roads, this may not be the drive for you.

You must move toward west on highway 50 after canon city exploration. Really, I thought this drive along Highway 50 was prettier than our drive on Skyline Drive (though Skyline Drive was more exciting). You’ll drive along the Arkansas River through the canyon, and it is just gorgeous.” Or maybe I was just prejudiced because this was my first scenic driving day, but I really liked this one.

Just a heads up: as soon as you start driving south on Highway 17 to go to Alamosa, it is painfully boring. It’s perfectly straight, and there’s not much to write home about along it, so it feels like the kind of highway that never ends. This, I must say, has been the least favourite stretch of driving I have had this whole trip.

Soon enough, however, you’ll come to Great Sand Dunes National Park. Pass the afternoon sandboarding or sand sledging on your sandboard or sand sledge. Bring a picnic lunch for dinner and soak in the scenery.

Plan to stay for sunset and maybe some stargazing. When I was there, it was too cloudy at night to make out any constellations, but I caught some pretty sunset action.You’ll stay there for only one night on this Colorado 10 day itinerary.

Day 3 – Mesa Verde National Park – Sand Dunes National Park

You have two options today. You could return to the Great Sand Dunes National Park and spend the morning riding the dunes on a sandboard and then drive to Cortez later in the day. You have the choice to drive head toward Cortez in the early morning or enjoy a slight time at Mesa Verde National Park.

I elected for the second one, strictly just to minimize the amount of driving I’d have to do on this day (Great Sand Dunes is a half-hour drive east, whereas Cortez is west). I knew I had a lot more driving over this 10-day road trip, so it was a no-brainer for me to make. But you are your special snowflake, so I’ll let you decide.

No matter which route you take, you will ultimately be travelling west through Colorado. Once you leave Alamosa, the drive is more picturesque again. Indeed, the final portion of your drive (from Durango to Cortez) is one of Colorado’s scenic byways. Behold the San Juan Skyway, and while not my top favourite scenic driving experience, it was still nice (especially after the trek in and out of Alamosa!).

Two Warnings For Today

There is one other significant road crossing to keep an eye on with this drive. Wolf Creek Pass lies between South Fork and Pagosa Springs and is among the most perilous roads in Colorado. I’m sure that’s one of a jillion mountainous, curvy roads, but it was definitely one of the most voluptuous and steepest for me. I had been given a caution about it when I rented my sandboard, and I admit, it had freaked me a little bit.

But it was also less terrifying than I imagined, not that it was easy. Paying attention and any low gear. And remember to keep an eye out for the scenic overlook at the end. It’s well worth pulling in!

Day 4 – Mesa Verde National Park 

Today, we are going to explore Mesa Verde National Park & it takes half day to explore.Wake up before dawn so you can make it all the way to the back of the park. Erskine recommends going for the scenic drives, the Soda Canyon Overlook hike, and a tour of one of the dwellings and the other viewpoints.

In the afternoon, return east to Durango and head north on the Million Dollar Highway to Silverton. This was my favourite pretty drive of the trip. You can proceed on to Ouray from Silverton. You can eat lunch or dinner in either town before driving on to Montrose. I had a quick visit in Ouray for lunch and then headed to Montrose for my final drive home.

Day 5 – Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

That’s just about halfway on this Colorado 10 day itinerary. Where has the time gone?

Today, you’ll be focusing on the South Rim of Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. There are several overlooks and a couple of hiking trails, and you can drive along the East Portal Road, which will take you to the bottom of the canyon.

I spent probably five or six hours doing everything I wanted to do here. This means that you’ll have some of the evening left. So choose your adventure: Montrose or tranquillity. So, as your Colorado 10 day itinerary ends a busy few days, savour that rest.) Includes a night at the same hotel as last night.

Day 6 – Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

It is next day in the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, but we are going to head toward the North Rim. A small percentage of visitors to this national park ultimately make it to the North Rim, which can make it delightfully uncrowded.

Anyway, the North Rim is right across the canyon and is easily visible from the South Rim, but you have to drive 90 minutes just to get there because you have to drive all the way around the canyon. It’s well worth it, though, because some of the best views of the canyon have been reported by many to be on the North Rim, and I would have to agree with those findings.

Including all the viewpoints on the North Rim scenic drive. I also hiked out to Exclamation Point, which is supposed to have the best view of the canyon. My total stay was around three hours.

At this point, there are a couple of places you could go. I might head all the way to Aspen, Vail or Leadville. So, this is a good general region to be in so that you can optimize for tomorrow. I stayed overnight in Eagle, which was perfect.

Day 7 – Rocky Mountain National Park

Now, you’ll head to what I think is the best part of my Colorado 10 day itinerary today. You’re going to go to Rocky Mountain National Park already.

Today, you have a couple of choices. You can either head straight over to Rocky Mountain National Park, or you can make a stop at the Park of the Top of the Rockies scenic drive. I opt for the long way from Leadville to Grand Lake due to the amazing scenic drive. It was a delightful drive, and I made it to Grand Lake by 11:00.

I drove the Trail Ridge Road and, for the first time in a while, finally enjoyed a fully sunny day at Rocky Mountain National Park. With the completion of scenic drives, the drive through Rocky Mountain National Park runs from one side to another offering spectacular views.. It’s also one of the best things you can do in the park, so when you have a clear day, you have to be ready to go. If you don’t get the kind of clear day that’s ideal for hiking, don’t fret. You’ll have a few chances to get better weather, so hopefully, you’ll get lucky at least one day.

You’d actually rather have good weather, ideally. I suggest doing Trail Ridge Road on this day for time on the road save. Best of all, you only have to drive Trail Ridge Road one way (it’s an hour and a half) instead of there and back (nearly three hours). I began Trail Ridge Road at 11:00, and it took me until just before 3:00 to complete it. That included a few stops at the viewpoints and two short hikes.

Check in to your hotel in Estes Park and prepare for two more days of mountains. We might be finishing up this Colorado itinerary, but there’s still some room for adventure.

Days 8 – Rocky Mountain National Park

The weather will really determine what you can do and where you can go so that planning can be a challenge.

Today: If you had clear weather yesterday, go into the park and spend some time around Bear Lake.You could either hike all the way to Sky Pond or do some shorter hikes around Bear Lake.

If you didn’t have great weather yesterday, try Trail Ridge Road. You don’t have to drive the whole thing, but I’d put in at least for the commute to the Alpine Visitor Center. 

To prevent the drive from being monotonous (although it’s definitely not so boring, as the vistas are simply gorgeous), you can take Endovalley Road. This is a one-way road that begins on the east side of Rocky Mountain National Park and ends at the Alpine Visitor Center.

Day 9 – Rocky Mountain National Park

You still have a day left at Rocky Mountain National Park, so it’s up to you how to while it away. Should you wish to spend additional time in Bear Lake, there are some other hikes located outside the Bear Lake Corridor that you could explore too.If you’re not a hiker (or you’re clumsy like me and hurt yourself enough not to hike), here are the best things to do at Rocky Mountain National Park that you don’t have to hike.

Once you’re finished at Rocky Mountain, you’ve got two options. You could rebook for Estes Park, or you could drive just a tad longer and save a lot of money. I did drive to Louisville (a suburb of Boulder) and scored a hotel room at half the price of Estes Park. Not bad for an hour’s drive.

Day 10 – Goodbye, Colorado

This Colorado 10 day itinerary has finished now. Come back home to Denver, catch your flight home without losing  time.

Final Thoughts About Colorado 10 Day Itinerary

There’s a lot of driving on this trip. I went over 1500 miles in my rental car and for 2.5-3 hours daily. Those were fine, but I know that’s not for everyone. This would be a terrific trip to have someone to share the driving with, but it’s not prohibitive to tackle solo.

Whether you have 10 days (or just 8 days), I promise that you will have a blast with this Colorado 10 day itinerary.