This Colorado Road Trip Is THE Best Way to See the Rockies in One Day

Seeing the Rocky Mountains is as much a part of great American locomotion as cruise the PCH orcomplaining about TSA railway line . But unlike most American traveling experience , there ’s no specific room to " do " the Rockies . sure enough , you’re able to go skiing in Breckenridge or drop a few days in Rocky Mountain National Park . Even then , what you see is limited , and so is what you learn . To get the actual flavor for what these mountains are , and how hoi polloi have live there , take the drive from Denver to Telluride .

For the geographically illiterate – aka everyone , include myself – Telluride is nowhere near Denver or the other Colorado mountain Town you may have heard of ( break out our synergistic map at the bottom of the clause ) . It ’s about seven hours away , in the far southwestern part of the state , a match of hours from Four Corners . And while driving there via I-70 and US-50 might be faster , the best route is on US-285 through the Pike and San Isabel National Forests . It takes a little longer , but the payoff is in the spectacular scene , quirky footling towns – including the real South Park – and an eerie , abandoned motel . After a single day ’s trip , you ’ll emerge with informal knowledge of America ’s outstanding stack range .

The journey begins at Red Rocks

Lovely metropolis , that Denver . It ’s also surprisingly flat , and on a hot day the mountains are more like bleary lineation , so the drive really begin once you turn south onto Hwy 470 . Your immediate welcome to the Rockies will be winding by Red Rocks Park , home plate of the man - far-famed amphitheater . It ’s not worth a stop unless you ’re going to a show , but the mesmerizing drive through canyons of red stone is just the rootage of 60 minutes of the best road - tripper scenery in America .

As you entrust the park and descend down Hwy 470 , through Alpine timberland that edit out away to sprawl mesas below , you ’ll be tempted to take characterisation at every possible wayside negative stimulation . But unless you ’re willing to spend three days on the road you ’ll involve to refuse . Keep incite .

Come on down to South Park

Part of the charm of this trip is coming across historic towns seemingly set in the middle of nowhere . The first you;ll face-off is Jefferson , a township instal around an historical railroad terminal that ’s on the National Register of Historic Places .

continue down US 285 , signs for something shout " South Park City " beckon you to turn off at Fairplay . And yes , it is the inspirational name for your favorite foul - mouthed cartoon townsfolk . But " South Park City " is more than a Comedy Central holidaymaker drawing card . It ’s a reestablish 1880s mining townspeople in Downtown Fairplay , home to a locomotor and relocate 19th - C edifice . The museum is about a 90 - minute tour where you ’ll teach the history of the area . But if that ’s too long for you , there ’s still a South Park sign and a wood cutout where you’re able to flummox your face on Eric Cartman ’s physical structure . Because who could resist .

A traveling history lesson along US-285

The rest of US-285 is dotted with townsfolk nestled in the valleys of the Rockies . Como – founded by Italian railroad worker – has five across the nation registered historical edifice , including the roundhouse , a brick structure in the image of the Roman Coliseum . There ’s the sometime ranching townspeople of Hartsel . And Shawnee , a one - time refuge destination for worn out miners wedged into Platte Canyon . The 110 miles of US-285 is a traveling moral in frontier sprightliness . Few route trip anywhere give you this much immersive chronicle in a foregone century .

The drive continue through the Pike National Forest , where the road is flank by flowing stream , cobwebby cliff , and towering mountains . The terrain alternate apace ; you may chance yourself ram through an dateless table and come out singing , and by the time you ’ve end belting " Since U Been Gone " you ’re all of a sudden climb through alpine woodland .

Beer and wine at the halfway point

At the end of US-285 is Salida , an old - schoolhouse mining town turned recreational hub with the Arkansas River running properly through the middle . It marks the midway point of the private road , and is THE place to stop for a wayside potable . The bars here are set up over the river on boulders , and on a gay day sip a beer outside , looking at the river and the mount behind it , will be that moment you recognize , " Holy shite , I ’m in the Rockies . "

If a beer by the water is n’t your ideal halfway beverage break , Mountain Spirit Winery sits just down US-50 . It ’s not exactly Napa - in - the - Rockies , but it has some unparalleled blends of both traditional and yield wine that you wo n’t see elsewhere . It ’s the sort of station you stumble on during a corking road trip , spend an hour when you ’d only design to drink down in for a fast degustation .

Blue Mesa Reservoir: your scenic highlight

Continuing on US-50 through Gunnison and Western State Colorado University , you ’ll arrive at the scenic highlight of the drive , the Blue Mesa Reservoir . The largest body of water in Colorado is a breathtaking field of blue smother by golden cliff and moxie dunes . The main road race just to the right of the reservoir , then crosses over a serial publication of dams and bridges for some of the best impress - automobile photo ops of the drive .

The best standpoint of Blue Mesa comes at the ending , as you near Black Canyon National Park . After baffle the artificial lake you ’ll see a short access code route to your right , score by a sign to the park . Take that road about a knot down to the top of the Blue Mesa Dam , bottle the Gunnison River as a reservoir . you’re able to look deeply into the marble canyon to one side , and the reservoir and desert cliffs to the other .

An abandoned motel worth exploring

As you hit the home stretch of US-50 , near Cimarron , a sign for a Sinclair gas place pops up around a recession , followed by a dilapidated motel star sign with a " vacancy " signboard that looks to be clinging by a undivided nail . Upon closer testing the scene is set for a picture show about fugitives and hidden agent dismiss at the base of the Rockies . Two gondola direct out ofStarsky and Hutchare park out front , and one room in the motel is cryptically full of closet clothes and props . It ’s one of the most curious abandon closure on any US highway , and deserving a full point for the enigma alone .

Your last heavy crook comes in Montrose , where a exit through the centre of Downtown brings you onto US-550 . Montrose is rather quotidian , and if you ’re thirsty at this detail oblige off until you get into Ridgeway , about half an hr Dixieland . There you ’ll discover an old house converted into a taco joint calledTaco del Gnar . Despite the tooth - clenching surfer - cape of the name it has peradventure the best greaser in Colorado , and is a unadulterated dinner party stop just an 60 minutes from Telluride .

Telluride: a destination worth the journey

A few more climbing up into the San Juan Mountain Range – the youngest part of the Rockies – institute you into Telluride . The remarkably preserved excavation town has bucked profiteering real the three estates developers to hold its historical roots . It ’s a small metropolis – only about 2,500 full - prison term resident – with a repp as one of thebest little American city to spend the weekend . It;s a well - take in reward at the death of a recollective journey and you should perfectly take a couple of days to ride its free gondola , rise the hulk peaks that surround the city , and stroll through its business district that looks remarkably similar to how it did 100 yr ago . The Rockies might continue past Telluride , but you wo n’t see much that compares to what you ’ll see there .

So , sure , there are plenty of ways to experience America ’s signature stack orbit . And , much like the peaks themselves , the options for how to see it can seem overpowering . Do n’t overcomplicate things – this is as full a one - day course in the Rockies as you may recover . You ’ll learn history , see the best scenery in the country , and eat pretty well along the path . And when you think back about the most magical day of your life , the route trip down US-285 into Telluride will unquestionably be among them .

Colorado Road trip map