Colorado is a state with a lot to offer. There’s four national parks, eleven national forests, and countless other outdoor activities to take advantage of. The problem is trying to cram everything you want to see and do into one epic road trip. But I managed to craft what I consider to be the perfect Colorado 10 day itinerary.
In September 2022, I followed this itinerary and road tripped around some of the highlights of Colorado. I didn’t see everything this state has to offer, but I managed to see nearly everything I wanted to see (weather and injuries became a problem toward the end) and finished my trip with a list of things to see and do on my next visit. And I know there will eventually be a next visit.
Colorado 10 Day Itinerary
Here’s my 10 day Colorado itinerary (which is actually 11 days). It’s an epic road trip where I logged over 1500 miles (1509 to be exact) on my rental car. You’ll visit all four national parks, do numerous scenic drives, hike some awesome trails, and have a wonderful time.
Day 0 – Hello, Colorado!
This first day is optional, which is why I have it labeled as day 0. Whether this day is part of your 10 day Colorado itinerary depends on when your flight to Denver arrives. My flight was scheduled to arrive at 7:00 pm (although it arrived almost 45 minutes early). If your flight will be similar, just spend the night at an airport hotel and get an early start tomorrow.
If you’re flight arrives in the morning, then you can skip this day entirely. If that’s the case, jump straight to day 1 of this 10 day itinerary.
Sleep: Denver Airport
Day 1 – Garden of the Gods and Pike’s Peak
If you spent the night in Denver, get up early and pick up your rental car. Now this 10 day Colorado itinerary really gets going.
If you are arriving in Colorado today, try to arrive as early as possible so you can maximize your time.
From the Denver Airport, it’s a 90 minute drive to Colorado Springs, which is the first stop on this road trip. There’s a lot you can do in Colorado Springs, but I recommend limiting yourself to just two activities.
First, head to Garden of the Gods, a free park with incredible rock formations. There’s several hiking trails at this park and if you’re coming from sea level (like me!), it’s a good opportunity to start getting acclimatized. Don’t be surprised if these hikes kick your butt. The first day of acclimatizing is the hardest. I arrived here shortly after 10:00 and spent about three and a half hours exploring Garden of the Gods.
In the afternoon, head over to Pike’s Peak. You have several options to get to the top of this popular fourteener. You can drive yourself, you can take a shuttle, or you can take a train. I drove and it was a great introduction to mountain driving. Whichever you choose, plan to spend between two to three hours here.
Check in to your hotel in Colorado Springs and get a good night sleep.
Sleep: Colorado Springs
Day 2 – The First Scenic Drive and Great Sand Dunes National Park
Today you’ll head to your first national park of this road trip. However, first you’ll need to make the first choice on this Colorado itinerary.
You can go straight to Great Sand Dunes National Park from Colorado Springs (approximately 2 hours and 45 minutes) or you can take the longer, more scenic route. Taking the scenic route will take you to your first scenic drive of this ten day Colorado itinerary.
I detoured through Cañon City for one reason: to drive Skyline Drive. Skyline Drive is a narrow, one way road with steep drop-offs on either side. The distance is short—only 2.5 miles, so it’s over relatively quickly—but it’s still thrilling. However, if you’re scared of heights or not comfortable driving on mountain roads quite yet, this may not be the drive for you.
After Cañon City, you’ll continue west on Highway 50 before heading south. Honestly, I think this drive on Highway 50 was more scenic than Skyline Drive (although Skyline Drive was more adrenaline filled). You’ll be driving along the Arkansas River through a canyon and it is just beautiful. Maybe I was just biased since this was my first day of scenic drives, but I really enjoyed this drive.
Be warned, once you head south on Highway 17 toward Alamosa, it becomes incredibly boring. The road is perfectly straight with not much interest, so it feels like it goes on forever. Without a doubt, this was my least favorite section of driving of the entire trip.
Eventually though, you’ll reach Great Sand Dunes National Park. Spend your afternoon riding the dunes on a sand board or a sand sled. Bring a picnic lunch for dinner and enjoy the scenery.
Consider staying for sunset and for some stargazing. It was too cloudy the night I was there, so I skipped the stargazing, but I still saw a nice sunset. Head back to Alamosa once you’re finished. You’ll spend just one night of this Colorado itinerary there.
A Note About Sand Board and Sand Sled Rentals
Whether you do scenic drives or not, is up to you. However, before you get to Great Sand Dunes National Park, you need to make one quick stop. One of the top things to do at Great Sand Dunes National Park is to rent either a sand board or a sand sled and ride down the dunes. Sand boards are ridden similar to snowboards, while sand sleds are ridden down on your butt.
You cannot rent sand boards or sand sleds at the park. These have to picked up in town before your visit. I highly recommend picking up your board and supplies for a picnic dinner at the dunes before entering the park. I rented from my sand board from Kristi’s Mountain Sports in Alamosa. A week before I left for Colorado, I called and made a reservation over the phone. They are not to only outfitter in town that will rent a sand board, but they offered the most convenient return option for me.
Sleep: Alamosa
Day 3 – Great Sand Dunes National Park OR Mesa Verde National Park
You have two options today. You could go back to Great Sand Dunes National Park and spend your morning sand boarding and then head to Cortez in the evening. The other option is to head straight to Cortez in the morning so you can have a little extra time at Mesa Verde National Park.
I chose option two, simply to cut down on the amount of driving I had to do on this day (Great Sand Dunes is a half hour of driving east—Cortez is west). Knowing that I had a lot more driving over this 10 day itinerary, it was an easy choice for me to make. However, you may feel different, so I’ll leave the choice to you.
Regardless of which option you choose, you’ll eventually be heading west across Colorado. Once you get out of Alamosa, the drive gets more scenic again. In fact, the last stretch of your drive (from Durango to Cortez) is one of Colorado’s many scenic byways. This is the San Juan Skyway and while it wasn’t my favorite scenic drive, it was nice (especially after the drive in and out of Alamosa!).
Two Warnings For Today
There is one other major road crossing to be aware of on this drive. Wolf Creek Pass sits between South Fork and Pagosa Springs and is one of the most dangerous roads in Colorado. It’s one of many windy mountain roads, but this road definitely had some of the tightest curves and steepest roads I drove. I was given a warning about it when I rented my sand board and I’ll be honest, it freaked me out a little bit.
However, it turned out to be less scary than I thought, but that doesn’t mean it’s easy. Pay attention and use your low gear. And don’t forget to watch out for the scenic overlook at the end. It’s well worth pulling in!
If you chose to drive in the morning to spend more time at Mesa Verde National Park, you need to be aware of one major thing. Most of the sights for Mesa Verde National are a solid one hour drive from the front entrance. So if you go to those main sights in the back of the park, you’ll add nearly two extra hours of driving today. That’s a lot of extra time on this already driving intensive Colorado itinerary.
I went as far as the Point Lookout Trail. This trail is about two miles and has my favorite views in the park. It’s not too far from the entrance so you don’t add a ton of extra driving to an already driving heavy trip. Just be warned, I think this was my favorite view of the park, so when I went back the next day, many of the other sweeping views felt like a let down.
Sleep: Cortez
Day 4 – Mesa Verde National Park and the Million Dollar Highway
Today you’ll be exploring Mesa Verde National Park properly. You’ll only have half a day here so you’ll need to make it count. Get up early so you can get all the way to the back of the park. Do the scenic drives, hike to the Soda Canyon Overlook, take a tour of one of the dwellings, and check out the other viewpoints.
In the afternoon, head back east toward Durango and then turn north to follow the Million Dollar Highway to Silverton. This was by far my favorite scenic drive of the entire trip. If you only go out of your way to do one scenic drive, make it this one (even though the Million Dollar Highway isn’t out of the way at all for this particular Colorado itinerary).
From Silverton, you can continue on to Ouray. You can stop in either town for lunch or dinner, before continuing on to Montrose. I made a brief stop in Ouray, just long enough for lunch before driving the last forty five minutes to Montrose.
Sleep: Montrose
Day 5 – Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
It’s the halfway point of this 10 day Colorado 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 multiple lookouts, a few hiking trails, and you can drive the East Portal Road which takes you to the bottom of the canyon.
It took me about five or six hours to do everything I wanted to do here. This means you’ll still have some time in the evening. So you can take your pick: explore Montrose or just spend some time relaxing. It’s been a busy few days on this Colorado itinerary, so enjoy the fact that you’re spending the night in the same hotel as before.
Sleep: Montrose
Day 6 – Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
It’s another day at Black Canyon of the Gunnison, but this time, we’re heading for the North Rim. Only a fraction of the people who visit this national park make it to the North Rim, so it can feel delightfully uncrowded.
You can easily see the North Rim from the South Rim, but it takes an hour and a half to get here since you have to drive all the way around the canyon. It’s worth it though because many people say that some of the best views of the canyon are from the North Rim and I have to agree with them.
I visited all of the view points on the North Rim scenic drive and hiked out to Exclamation Point (which is considered to be the best view of the canyon). My entire visit lasted about three hours.
From here, there’s a few places you can go. I’d recommend getting as far as either Aspen, Vail, or Leadville. This general region puts you in a great position, so you can maximize your time tomorrow. I spent the night in Eagle, which worked out great.
Sleep: Eagle, Aspen, Vail, or Leadville
Day 7 – Rocky Mountain National Park
Today you’ll finally reach what I consider to be the highlight of my 10 day Colorado itinerary. You’ll finally visit Rocky Mountain National Park.
You have two options today. You can head straight for Rocky Mountain National Park, or you can detour to do park of the Top of the Rockies scenic drive. I did the scenic drive and detoured through Leadville on my way to Grand Lake. It was a nice scenic drive and I still got to Grand Lake at 11:00.
I had a clear day (which ended up being my only completely clear day at Rocky Mountain National Park), so I drove the Trail Ridge Road.
Trail Ridge Road is another scenic drive, but it’s the main road that goes through Rocky Mountain National Park. It’s also one of the top things to do in the park, so when you have a clear day, you have to be ready to jump. If you don’t have a clear day, don’t worry. You’ll have a few more tries to get better weather, so hopefully you’ll be lucky at least one day.
Ideally though, you’ll have good weather. I recommend doing Trail Ridge Road on this day because it will save some driving time. Most notably, you’ll only have to drive Trail Ridge Road one way (which takes an hour and a half), instead of both ways (which takes about three hours total). I started Trail Ridge Road at 11:00 and finished just before 3:00. This included stops at the view points and two short hikes.
Settle in to your hotel in Estes Park and get ready for two more days of mountains. We may be nearing the end of this Colorado itinerary, but there’s still more time for some adventure.
An Important Reminder
Rocky Mountain National Park requires timed entry reservations. If you do not have a reservation, you will not be allowed into Rocky Mountain National Park. So, plan ahead and make sure to pick up those reservations as soon as you are able to.
Sleep: Estes Park
Days 8 – Rocky Mountain National Park
The weather will really dictate what you can do, so planning can be difficult.
If you had clear weather yesterday, head into the park and explore the Bear Lake area. You could hike all the way to Sky Pond or do some shorter trails around Bear Lake. But if you hike to Sky Pond, try not to dislocate your knee!
If you didn’t have clear weather yesterday, try Trail Ridge Road. You don’t have to drive all of it, but I’d recommend at least getting as far as the Alpine Visitor Center. To make the drive less monotonous (although the scenery is stunning so I doubt it would get too boring), consider driving Endovalley Road. This one way road starts on the eastern side of Rocky Mountain National Park and finishes at the Alpine Visitor Center.
Sleep: Estes Park
Day 9 – Rocky Mountain National Park
You have one more day at Rocky Mountain National Park, so it’s up to you how to spend it. You could spend more time in Bear Lake or venture out to some of the other hikes outside of the Bear Lake Corridor. If you’re not a hiker, check out this post of the best things to do at Rocky Mountain National Park besides hiking.
When you’re done at Rocky Mountain, you have two choices. You could return to Estes Park, or you could drive just a little further and save some serious cash. I drove as far as Louisville (just outside of Boulder), where I was able to get a hotel for half the price of Estes Park. Not bad for one hour of driving.
Sleep: Louisville
Day 10 – Goodbye, Colorado
It’s time to say goodbye to Colorado. This 10 day Colorado itinerary is complete. Drive back to Denver, return your rental car, and catch your flight home.
Final Look and Hotels Needed
There’s a lot to do on this 10 day Colorado itinerary, so you’ll be moving hotels frequently. It does get tiring, but in the middle of your trip and again near the end, you get two two-night stops.
Day 0: Fly Into Denver (if arriving late at night). Sleep Denver
Day 1: Colorado Springs. Sleep Colorado Springs
Day 2: Great Sand Dunes. Sleep Alamosa
Day 3: Great Sand Dunes or Mesa Verde. Sleep Cortez
Day 4: Mesa Verde. Sleep Montrose
Day 5: Black Canyon of the Gunnison South Rim. Sleep Montrose
Day 6: Black Canyon of the Gunnison North Rim. Sleep Aspen/Vail/Leadville
Day 7: Rocky Mountain National Park. Sleep Estes Park
Day 8: Rocky Mountain National Park. Sleep Estes Park
Day 9: Rocky Mountain National Park. Sleep Louisville
Day 10: Fly Home
Changes to This Itinerary
If you don’t have the vacation time to dedicate to this full 10 day Colorado itinerary, don’t worry. You still can have a wonderful time. Here’s some options for where to cut days.
If You Only Have 9 Days
While I do think that 10 days is ideal for this Colorado itinerary, nine days won’t alter this too much.
Option 1 – Cut one day at Rocky Mountain National Park.
If you love scenic drives, but are not a big hiker, this will likely be the best option.
Day 0: Fly Into Denver (if arriving late night). Sleep Denver
Day 1: Colorado Springs. Sleep Colorado Springs
Day 2: Great Sand Dunes. Sleep Alamosa
Day 3: Great Sand Dunes or Mesa Verde. Sleep Cortez
Day 4: Mesa Verde. Sleep Montrose
Day 5: Black Canyon of the Gunnison South Rim. Sleep Montrose
Day 6: Black Canyon of the Gunnison North Rim. Sleep Aspen/Vail/Leadville/Eagle
Day 7: Rocky Mountain National Park. Sleep Estes Park
Day 8: Rocky Mountain National Park. Sleep Louisville
Day 9: Fly Home
Option 2: Skip Colorado Springs and go straight to Alamosa.
If your big goal is national parks, this may be the Colorado itinerary for you. Just be aware that Great Sand Dunes sits nearly 1000 feet higher in elevation than Colorado Springs so you will lose out on your acclimatization day.
Day 0: Fly Into Denver (if arriving late night). Sleep Denver
Day 1: Great Sand Dunes. Sleep Alamosa
Day 2: Great Sand Dunes or Mesa Verde. Sleep Cortez
Day 3: Mesa Verde. Sleep Montrose
Day 4: Black Canyon of the Gunnison South Rim. Sleep Montrose
Day 5: Black Canyon of the Gunnison North Rim. Sleep Aspen/Vail/Leadville/Eagle
Day 6: Rocky Mountain National Park. Sleep Estes Park
Day 7: Rocky Mountain National Park. Sleep Estes Park
Day 8: Rocky Mountain National Park. Sleep Louisville
Day 9: Fly Home
Option 3 – Skip the North Rim of Black Canyon of the Gunnison.
If you’re really focused on hiking, try to maximize time in Rocky Mountain National Park by cutting the North Rim of Black Canyon of the Gunnison. Yes there is hiking on the North Rim, but I think the hiking at Rocky Mountain is better.
Day 0: Fly Into Denver (if arriving late night). Sleep, Denver
Day 1: Colorado Springs. Sleep Colorado Springs
Day 2: Great Sand Dunes. Sleep Alamosa
Day 3: Great Sand Dunes or Mesa Verde. Sleep Cortez
Day 4: Mesa Verde. Sleep Montrose
Day 5: Black Canyon of the Gunnison South Rim. Sleep Montrose
Day 6: Rocky Mountain National Park. Sleep Estes Park
Day 7: Rocky Mountain National Park. Sleep Estes Park
Day 8: Rocky Mountain National Park. Sleep Louisville
Day 9: Fly Home
If You Only Have 8 Days
Eight days is definitely pushing it. You’ll have to do a little more cutting and you’ll have a very packed trip. But it is still doable.
Option 1: Cut both the North Rim of Black Canyon of the Gunnison and one day at Rocky Mountain National Park
Day 0: Fly Into Denver (if arriving late night). Sleep Denver
Day 1: Colorado Springs. Sleep Colorado Springs
Day 2: Great Sand Dunes. Sleep Alamosa
Day 3: Great Sand Dunes or Mesa Verde. Sleep Cortez
Day 4: Mesa Verde. Sleep Montrose
Day 5: Black Canyon of the Gunnison South Rim. Sleep Montrose
Day 6: Rocky Mountain National Park. Sleep Estes Park
Day 7: Rocky Mountain National Park. Sleep Louisville
Day 8: Fly Home
Option 2: Cut Colorado Springs and North Rim of Black Canyon of the Gunnison
Day 0: Fly Into Denver (if arriving late night). Sleep, Denver
Day 1: Great Sand Dunes. Sleep Alamosa
Day 2: Great Sand Dunes or Mesa Verde. Sleep Cortez
Day 3: Mesa Verde. Sleep Montrose
Day 4: Black Canyon of the Gunnison South Rim. Sleep Montrose
Day 5: Rocky Mountain National Park. Sleep Estes Park
Day 6: Rocky Mountain National Park. Sleep Estes Park
Day 7: Rocky Mountain National Park. Sleep Louisville
Day 8: Fly Home
Option 3: Cut Colorado Springs and one day at Rocky Mountain National Park
Day 0: Fly Into Denver (if arriving late night). Sleep, Denver
Day 1: Great Sand Dunes. Sleep Alamosa
Day 2: Great Sand Dunes or Mesa Verde. Sleep Cortez
Day 3: Mesa Verde. Sleep Montrose
Day 4: Black Canyon of the Gunnison South Rim. Sleep Montrose
Day 5: Black Canyon of the Gunnison North Rim. Sleep Aspen/Vail/Leadville
Day 6: Rocky Mountain National Park. Sleep Estes Park
Day 7: Rocky Mountain National Park. Sleep Louisville
Day 8: Fly Home
If You Only Have 7 Days
I don’t necessarily recommend this Colorado itinerary because I think it’d be too rushed. This itinerary really needs 10 days, but if you’re set on doing everything in seven days, here’s what it would look like.
Day 0: Fly Into Denver (if arriving late night). Sleep, Denver
Day 1: Great Sand Dunes. Sleep Alamosa
Day 2: Great Sand Dunes or Mesa Verde. Sleep Cortez
Day 3: Mesa Verde. Sleep Montrose
Day 4: Black Canyon of the Gunnison South Rim. Sleep Montrose
Day 5: Rocky Mountain National Park. Sleep Estes Park
Day 6: Rocky Mountain National Park. Sleep Louisville
Day 7: Fly Home
Instead of cramming everything into seven days, I’d recommend splitting your trip into smaller trips. Take a look at my 5 day Colorado itineraries.
Final Thoughts
This trip has a lot of driving. I put over 1500 miles on my rental car, and drove an average of 2.5 to 3 hours per day. I did fine, but I realize that’s not for everyone. This would be a great trip to have a second driver, but it’s still doable solo.
Whether you have 10 days, or only 8 days, I know you’re going to have a great time if you use this Colorado itinerary.
Continue Your Adventure
Colorado National Parks: Colorado is home to four national parks and all are worth a visit. Visit Great Sand Dunes, Mesa Verde, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, and Rocky Mountain.
Scenic Drives: Colorado is full of scenic drives. Some can be added to this itinerary without any extra effort while some take a little more planning.
Colorado Springs: With just one day in Colorado Springs, you’ll have enough time to visit both Garden of the Gods and Pike’s Peak.
Colorado Itineraries: If you don’t have ten days, try one of these 5 day Colorado itineraries.
Similar Itineraries: If you liked this itinerary, you may also like by 10 Day Utah National Park Road Trip, which features Utah’s “Mighty Five”, the Grand Canyon, and Monument Valley.