Western Colorado in the Fall

[Chuckanut]

I am thinking of a road trip in 2022 to Western Colorodo in the late Summer or Fall.

When we like to travel we may hop around every day or two from one place to another, but we prefer to find a central city or town and spend 3-5 night there. From the central town we branch out on day trips to state parks, national parks, historic sites, scenic drives, etc. The town itself does not have to very special as long as it provides a choice of comfortable middle of the road hotels and several restaurants to choose from. If it has an interesting flavor to it so much the better. But basically its a FOB - Foreword Operations Base - for our travels in the area.

What towns/cities would you recommend in the Rockies or West of them that would make a good place to stay for 3-5 nights, with plenty of potential day trips in the area?

Thanks.

 

[pjm-7]

Grand Junction. You have a variety of national parks within a couple of hours, both in Colorado and Utah. Colorado National Monument is on the edge of town. There are plenty of wineries to choose from. I'm not a beer drinker but many craft brewers. There are nice restaurants to appeal to an assortment of tastes and price ranges. The Ute Indian museum is an hour away in Montrose. Need any more ideas please feel free to message me.

 

[RockyMtn]

Durango, Silverton, Telluride, Montrose, Ouray, Crested Butte and Gunnison would pretty much all work as would Grand Junction which was already mentioned.

 

[JP.mpls]

I am thinking of a road trip in 2022 to Western Colorodo in the late Summer or Fall.

When we like to travel we may hop around every day or two from one place to another, but we prefer to find a central city or town and spend 3-5 night there. From the central town we branch out on day trips to state parks, national parks, historic sites, scenic drives, etc. The town itself does not have to very special as long as it provides a choice of comfortable middle of the road hotels and several restaurants to choose from. If it has an interesting flavor to it so much the better. But basically its a FOB - Foreword Operations Base - for our travels in the area.

What towns/cities would you recommend in the Rockies or West of them that would make a good place to stay for 3-5 nights, with plenty of potential day trips in the area?

Thanks.

Chuck,
I vacationed several times in the four corners area. It is beautiful. The road from Durango to Silverton to Ouray is amazing, and all three towns are worth checking out.
Make sure to visit Mesa Verde National Park if you go.
Have fun, JP

 

[ivinsfan]

I know you said hotel but I would seriously consider Telluride where there should be plentiful VRBO condos rentals which would be a terrific upgrade.

 

[MRG]

I'd suggest doing a couple days on the western slope in Grand Junction and then move down to Durango for a few more. From there it's a good base to see Mesa Verde and head up to the Million Dollar Highway for a couple days, spend the night in Telluride before looping back. You could add another day do Chimney Rock and soak at Pagosa Springs. Add in another day and go see the dunes.

 

[Ronstar]

I agree with others - Grand Junction, Durango. We've stayed several times at each. I like Grand Junction for its proximity to Moab/ Arches/Canyonlands. And an easy drive to Aspen.

I like Durango too. A great town from which to explore the Million Dollar Highway and Pagosa Springs area. And possibly Monument Valley at 3 hours.

Personally I'd like to stay in the Silverton - Ouray area, but DW doesn't like riding on the million dollar highway.

 

[COcheesehead]

Western Colorado or the West Slope as it’s called fills up in fall. It’s harvest time in the two wine regions: Grand Valley AVA and the West Elks and that brings in the tourists. Winefest happens in September too. The National Parks are busy. I tell you all of this so you book early. We’ve had friends not be able to find hotels or book a slip for their RV before.

The million dollar highway, Ouray, Telluride, Durango, Palisade, Moab, Paonia, Glenwood Springs, the Grand Mesa, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Colorado National Monument, Dinosaur NP, on and on there is so much to do out here.
PM me if you want more info. We retired here.

 

[DrRoy]

I agree with others - Grand Junction, Durango. We've stayed several times at each. I like Grand Junction for its proximity to Moab/ Arches/Canyonlands. And an easy drive to Aspen.

I like Durango too. A great town from which to explore the Million Dollar Highway and Pagosa Springs area. And possibly Monument Valley at 3 hours.

Personally I'd like to stay in the Silverton - Ouray area, but DW doesn't like riding on the million dollar highway.

We've been to all of these. We stayed in Durango, Montrose, Grand Junction, and Aspen.

 

[bobbyr]

The Durango - Silverton - Ouray drive is really something (we drove it in a snowstorm once...yikes).

I would strongly recommend Maroon Bells near Aspen if you can squeeze that in. Basalt is also a great place with great guided fishing on the Roaring Fork or step into the Frying Pan river and wet a line.

 

[folivier]

Just be aware that US 50 halfway between Montrose and Gunnison will have daily and night closures due to the construction. https://www.us50info.com/

 

[Chuckanut]

Once again, there are so many great suggestions I will have to get out the map and do the very pleasant work of planning a vacation for next year.

 

[COcheesehead]

A bit off the beaten path, but Crested Butte along with Telluride are my two favorite towns on the West Slope.

 

[walkinwood]

Fruita is a funky town near Grand Junction.


If you want to spend a couple of days high in the mountains, look at Ouray or Silverton.


The fall colors around Creede are spectacular.

 

[Drewjd]

Ouray is a great home base to access nearby areas, on top of having plenty to do in or very near to town. If you’re a little adventurous, I highly recommend renting a Jeep and exploring some of the mountain roads. Engineer’s Pass if you haven’t done any off-roading. Imogene Pass over to Telluride is spectacular and a great day trip.

 

[Chuckanut]

Just be aware that US 50 halfway between Montrose and Gunnison will have daily and night closures due to the construction. https://www.us50info.com/

Ugh!

We are interested mainly in driving about the park and taking some short hikes here and there of a few miles each.

As I read my map, if a person wants to spend a day or two visiting Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP, staying in Montrose and taking route 347 would be a good for seeing the South West part of the Canyon. That would avoid the road closures farther east of on Route 50.

What about using route 92 for seeing the North Eastern portion of the NP? What would be a good place to stay to avoid the road closures?

 

[CatinKS]

The places listed above are all great, have been several times. I did mess up last time and waited too late into the Fall and went during hunting season. It messed up some hikes we had planned as I didn't want to end up as a head mount on some hunter's wall.

Moose dates Oct 1 -19
Elk/Deer Oct 29 - Nov

 

[Mark1]

Ugh!

We are interested mainly in driving about the park and taking some short hikes here and there of a few miles each.

As I read my map, if a person wants to spend a day or two visiting Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP, staying in Montrose and taking route 347 would be a good for seeing the South West part of the Canyon. That would avoid the road closures farther east of on Route 50.

What about using route 92 for seeing the North Eastern portion of the NP? What would be a good place to stay to avoid the road closures?

Route 92 works, but takes more time than it appears on the map. I have hikes the north rim, but in my opinion it isn't worth the opportunity cost of not visiting other locations on the Western Slope.

We go to Crested Butte every summer and we usually go on Highway 50 on Sunday to avoid the delay and closure. Sometimes on our return we go west out of CB and take Road 12, but it is 30 miles of gravel and my DW hates its narrowness and blind curves (and the knuckleheads flying with their big trucks/trailers). This summer we are going to CB on Sunday and leaving Friday going east over Cottonwood pass (Goggle shows it as Road 209/306). This is a nice new highway and is a nice drive over the Cont. Divide (of course you are no longer on the Western Slope). Return to Junction via Buena Vista, Leadville, I-70, etc. It's longer, but a much prettier drive and new scenery to us as we haven't done the section from Cottonwood pass down to Buena Vista (and we will stop at Costco in Eagle to restock on red wines ). Just another thought. Enjoy your trip.

 

[folivier]

The road work on Hwy 50 is exactly halfway between Gunnison and Montrose. So you can see the eastern half of the canyon from Gunnison, then Hwy 92 is the bypass that takes you around the north end of the canyon over to 50 again to Montrose where you can see the western half of the canyon. There is a possibility that starting in July (we hope) there will be alternating one way traffic all day through the construction zone. Except when they are blasting then it's shut down for a couple hours.

 

[Chuckanut]

Thanks to all who have contributed ideas.

I have been pouring over my maps and a detailed gazette of Colorado and have figured out a nice trip that will allow me to visit four different areas with 2-3 day stays in each area.

I wanted to avoid one night stops as much as possible. The checking in and out can soak up a lot of time. Thanks to you folks I think I have managed it without having to compromise our goals. Of course, if we discover something new and interesting while in Colorado, we can adjust our plans. All reservations can be cancelled up to 1-3 days before arrival.

I have not worked in RMNP, but I figure that is do-able later on, perhaps on a trip to Denver and some Eastern Colorado areas. Besides nobody goes there anymore, it's too crowded.

 

[MRG]

Enjoy. Given the drought conditions and active fires it would be good to have backup destinations.

This site has what appears to be current conditions: https://data.coloradoan.com/fires/

I'm sure it's going to change.

 

[folivier]

Another consideration to the fires are the smoke. It can be pretty miserable if the winds carry smoke into your area and you are forced to spend your time indoors. And that will cause tourists to be more concentrated in other areas.
Many mountain areas don't have air conditioning so if you have to close up all the windows to avoid the smoke it can be uncomfortable.

 

[Chuckanut]

Thanks for the warning. If there is a big fire issue, I will execute Plan B.

 

[ApeX]

Throw a dart. Anywhere you land in this state, there's plenty to do. It's one reason so many people have moved here ...

 

[Chuckanut]

Has anybody stayed at the Delaware Hotel in Leadville, CO?

It looks like an old hotel, and I understand it is slowly being renovated. Reviews are mixed. Some people love it, others find the rooms too small, etc. Most reviews seem to be older before the new owners took over.