This has to be the most 20lbs of **** in a 10lb bag trip ive ever seen.

Go to one part of the state and chill. You're going to hate life even with your new plans.

If I showed that to our kids, they would refuse to get into the car. Borderline abuse to be driving that much.

No one's mentioned it but you thoroughly have to be prepared for snow in high country. Trail ridge road averages closing 10/23 in Estes. There will definitely be snow and it'll be cold.

Wahoo82 said:

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If you end up in Estes Park, Hunter's Chop House is good for dinner. Lots of wild game as well as other things. According to the help there, one owner likes wine and the other likes bourbon, so the restaurant carries a solid assortment of both. I can testify on the bourbon side.

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Excellent rec....it's our favorite place to eat in Estes

The elk carpaccio is awesome

FightinTAC08 said:

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Royal Gorge is nice but if you aren't in the area already I don't think its worth going too.

I'd plan a separate trip to the COS area in the future. there's plenty to do in that area alone for a long weekend.

Garden of the Gods, Pikes Peak, Royal Gorge, Manitou Incline, Manitou Springs, maybe a day trip to great sand dunes NP.

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My parents and I spent the week in Colorado Springs in the mid-90s. SO much to do. We also saw Seven Falls and the Anasazi dwellings.

The Lost said:

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No one's mentioned it but you thoroughly have to be prepared for snow in high country. Trail ridge road averages closing 10/23 in Estes. There will definitely be snow and it'll be cold.

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Yeah its a concern and will have to watch carefully as it approaches. Looking at the actual dates the variation is pretty tight, don't see any instances in the past couple decades of closure occurring even with 5-6 days of our travel time. But that's total closure, can definitely be some temporary closures. I'll need to research some sort of contingency plan.

SJE, with your current thinking about a stem-to-stern tour of Colorado during its 150th anniversary of statehood, I'm a little shocked your AI model did not mention Mesa Verde National Park. AMAZING cliff dwellings and up-close tours. Deep southwest corner of the state, but hey, if you're going to go, go all the way. I'd rank Mesa Verde above Black Canyon if time was a concern. (And Black Canyon >>> Royal Gorge, imo.)

Have fun.

OP,

Your original itinerary is way too ambitious, as others have said.

We drove to Colorado a couple of years ago. We broke our trip into a southern zone for 3 days, and a northern zone for 4 days. We based in Manitou Springs for the first part. That gave us ample time to acclimate to the altitude (coming from flat Katy, Texas). Did Pikes Peak via the Cog Railway, Garden of the Gods, and Museum of WWII Aviation. Then we drove up to Estes Park and stayed in Colorado Cottages right on the edge of RMNP. It doesn't make sense to fly into Denver, then drive down to the Springs for a few hours before then driving back north to Estes Park ; fly into Colorado Springs for all that then drive once to the north.

Our time in Estes Park gave us ample time to explore that little town, take the tour at the Stanley Hotel, and take in all the splendor of RMNP. I highly recommend the hike up to the top of Alberta Falls. Bear Lake was great also.

I can't comment on the western locales you are wanting to visit, as we didn't venture that far west into the State. We did hit Georgetown on our final day in Colorado to ride a train, not gonna recommend - it wasn't a bad experience but it also wasn't particularly memorable.

SJEAg said:

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Ok, thinking adding a day for buffer and to spread it out some - but may stick with high mileage. We're accustomed to it, probably 5 vacations in recent years equal or surpass 1000mi/20ish hours that this is shaping up to be. Just not sure when we will return to CO so want to get it mostly done.

Next up - dining recs?

Estes Park
Aspen/Snowmass or maybe Glenwood area (unsure where we are staying at this point)
Montrose
Maritou Springs

Nothing exotic or super expensive. American, Italian, Mexican (no idea about CO Mex quality, but even average will probably hit the craving). Very casual is good for some meals (burgers/pizza/bar food). Interested in any great breakfast place in Maritou.

Thanks all!

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The only one I remember from our shopping/wandering day in EP is Penelope's World Famous Burgers and Fries.

milner79 said:

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SJE, with your current thinking about a stem-to-stern tour of Colorado during its 150th anniversary of statehood, I'm a little shocked your AI model did not mention Mesa Verde National Park. AMAZING cliff dwellings and up-close tours. Deep southwest corner of the state, but hey, if you're going to go, go all the way. I'd rank Mesa Verde above Black Canyon if time was a concern. (And Black Canyon >>> Royal Gorge, imo.)

Have fun.

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OP already has 20+ hours of driving packed in a 7 day trip, why not add another 7 hours on top.

RMNP: if you are going to hike to Alberta Falls, keep going up to Mills Lake. Bear Lake is nice, but you park/get off the shuttle and you are there. It's not a hike, but it is about a flat mile around it.

Compare Yocod and Windy City's replies/suggestions for scheduling and venues. Both of them look to allow for ample time to enjoy where you are while not being stuck busting your ass to drive to a dozen different places