Visiting Colorado on Your Next Road Trip
Colorado’s scenery is dramatic, diverse and downright beautiful. Towering mountains, exquisite wildflowers, rivers, streams, forests, snow-blanketed hills and bright blue skies overwhelm the senses. So pack a camera and a pair of binoculars for close-up views of the “Centennial State’s” abundant scenery and wildlife. Then set off on a slow and easy drive through remarkable, memorable Colorado. Stay at fantastic Colorado campgrounds and elegant Colorado RV camping resorts along the way.
Pack a camera and a pair of binoculars for close-up views of the “Centennial State’s” abundant scenery and wildlife.
In northwest Colorado, and extending over the border into Utah, Dinosaur National Monument is near the town of Dinosaur. The park’s Dinosaur Quarry is in Utah and is most definitely worth the trip. Experience the exhibit of more than 1,500 dinosaur bones plus life-size reproductions of prehistoric beasts. There’s even an observation window that lets visitors peek inside the park’s active paleontology lab. There are engaging automobile tours to wonders like Tilted Rocks and Echo Park, where the Green and Yampa Rivers merge. Guests can inspect petroglyphs carved by prehistoric American Indians or they can walk along nature trails that lead to waterfalls or glorious, western vistas of mountain crests and sandstone canyons. The fishing is fine on the Yampa and Green Rivers; rafters find amazing adventures on local whitewater excursions.
Mesa Verde National Park is a World Heritage Site and a notable archaeological center in southwestern Colorado near Mancos. The name translates as “green table.” But its primary attraction is the ample evidence of mechanical engineering that originated between 600 A.D. and 1300 A.D. The park preserves pueblos or villages skillfully carved into the existing walls of Mesa Verde’s rocky canyon. Fortunately for today’s tourists, these pueblos were constructed so well that curious visitors are permitted to climb on up and check them out without compromising their structural integrity. From an archaeological perspective, it’s interesting to note that twenty four, modern day, southwestern native tribes trace their ancestry to the ancient, pueblo-building people who once lived and thrived at Mesa Verde. Besides individual house tours and visits to the Mesa Museum, park guests explore the preserve’s hiking trails or drive Mesa’s Top Loop Road. The roadside displays and panoramic stops on this automobile trail are well worth the extra time required.
In the west central part of Colorado near Gunnison, Curecanti National Recreation Area includes the Blue Mesa, Morrow Point, and Crystal Reservoirs. Besides preserving the state’s biggest waterway and the nation’s prime Kokanee salmon fishery, Curecanti contains archaeologically significant dinosaur bones and the remnants of aged dwellings dating back six millenniums. The scenic drives, horseback rides and an impressive variety of hiking trails where Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, bobcats and great blue heron might be seen, aren’t too shabby, either. Curecanti’s guests also find good hunting grounds and top-notch fishing with likely catches of trout and Kokanee salmon. Boating, sailing, windsurfing, and skiing are popular summer activities and the winter season attracts guests who are ready for snowmobiling, cross-country skiing, ice fishing or skating.
Colorado’s north central region is the home of Rocky Mountain National Park, a Biosphere Reserve located between Estes Park and Grand Lake. Dozens of Colorado line the park, for close proximity to hiking and biking the great trails. The park is a land of fabulous contrasts – rugged, frosty summits; eerie, windswept tundra; rushing waters; woodlands; and meadows of vibrant wildflowers. Visitors should treat themselves to the 50-mile driving tour of Trail Ridge, which is both an All-American Road and National Scenic Byway. Trail Ridge takes visitors across the Continental Divide and on a 400-feet ascent to the alpine tundra. Up above the timberline, the tundra is an arctic-style zone of miniature plants and treeless terrain that looks more like a lunar exploration site than a national park byway. After the Trail Ridge experience, guests may choose to hike to a waterfall, ramble past Bear Lake, or attend a ranger-guided “Full Moon Walk” where a moose or tuft-eared squirrel might be encountered along your path.
Pike’s Peak, towering a majestic 14,110 feet, is one of our country’s crown jewels. A round-trip drive along Pike’s Peak Highway to the summit provides breathtaking views of the Sangre de Cristo Range, and the Gold Rush town of Cripple Creek. Journey to Seven Falls and South Cheyenne Canon and take a look at the Pillars of Hercules, the spot where the canon narrows to 42 feet in width as 1,000-foot cliffs tower overhead. Because you can take a mountain elevator, everyone can enjoy a trip to this spectacular natural wonder.
Yet another “must-see” in the area is Royal Gorge Bridge & Park. Here you’ll find the world’s highest suspension bridge – soaring 1,053 feet above the Arkansas River. Enjoy an aerial tram ride as well as an incline railway. Other attractions include Gardens of the Gods, a park complete with beautiful scenery.
In south central Colorado, Great Sand Dunes National Park is just above Alamosa. The North American continent’s highest dunes are 700 feet tall and set against the contrasting backdrop of the jagged Sangre de Cristo Mountains. Great Sand Dunes encompasses 30 square miles of desert-like mounds, as well as spruce and pine forests, grasslands, and wetlands. The park has a number of 13,000-foot mountain peaks plus icy lakes and tundra. There are creeks, meadows, canyons, and cascades, a million nooks and crannies for wildlife and people to wander. It’s an exceptional range of terrain for one park to span, and fortunate Great Sand Dunes visitors have a chance to experience them all.
About the Author
Article Courtesy of Woodall’s Campground Directory, where you can search our database of hundreds of Colorado campgrounds and Colorado RV camping resorts. Search for Colorado Campgrounds.
Woodall’s Campground Directory is the largest and most detailed North American Campground Directory available, with nearly 15,000 campgrounds included. Woodall’s rates and inspects privately owned campgrounds with its trusted 5W-5W rating system. Find out more about Woodall’s at Woodalls.com. Woodall’s… We’re everywhere RVers go.
PIKES PEAK HILL CLIMB 2010 JT Taylor PPIHC Colorado Rock Buggy Off Road Race Hillclimb CHCA
|
|
Defender SENTINEL9 Ultra Slim Web Ready 4 Channel 17-Inch LCD DVR Security System with 4 Indoor/Outdoor Hi-Res Night Vision Surveillance Cameras $2,199.99 There¿s nothing more important than the safety and security of you and your loved ones. It¿s comforting to know that day and night, at home or away, that the people you care about and the things you have are safe. Defender¿s SENTINEL9 offers around the clock monitoring of your home and business with the convenience of accessing the DVR online so you never miss a moment. There is no compromise f… |
|
|
Garmin nüvi 2555LMT 5-Inch Portable GPS Navigator with Lifetime Maps and Traffic $193.49 These powerful units feature Garmin Guidance 2.0 - an advanced navigation engine that is fast, intuitive and enhances the speed and accuracy of searches and routing for everyday driving. This series debuts a new advanced traffic avoidance system called Garmin 3D traffic. Street navigation is made simple with voice prompted turn-by-turn directions, lane assist and picture-quality Garmin photoR… |
|
|
Garmin Oregon 550T 3-Inch Handheld GPS Navigator with 3.2MP Digital Camera (U.S. Topographic Maps) $599.99 The navigator with the photographic memory–Oregon 550t combines rugged outdoor touchscreen navigation with a 3.2 megapixel digital camera. Add preloaded U.S. topo maps, along with high-sensitivity GPS, barometric altimeter, 3-axis electronic compass and microSD card slot. The result? A multipurpose device that will make your biggest adventures even more memorable. Oregon 550t combines rugged… |
|
|
Garmin MapSource TOPO! US 24k Southwest Topographic Coverage of Utah, Colorado, Arizona, and New Mexico (DVD) $129.99 Topo U.S. 24K DVD gives access to a wider coverage area than Garmin’s Topo U.S. 24k data cards. The new Topo U.S. 24K SouthWest DVD provides up-to-date detailed 24k topographic coverage for Utah, Colorado, Arizona and New Mexico.Built-in DEM (digital elevation model) data supports 3-D terrain shading and route elevation profiles to help estimate terrain difficulty. With routable roads and trails i… |
|
|
Boss BV7300 Series … |
|
|
Boss BV7940 In-Dash 3.6-Inch DVD/MP3/CD Widescreen Receiver with USB, SD Card, and Front Panel AUX Input $119.99 Boss Audio’s BV7940 plays a variety of disc formats, including DVDs, CDs and VCDs. You can also enjoy your WMA/MP4/MP3 digital files, whether from burnt discs or via the receiver’s USB port or SD Card slot. Video looks great on the 3.6-inch screen, and with 80 Watts through four channels, it’ll easily fill your vehicle with sound. Play a variety of formats. Click to enlarge. … |
|
|
Boss BV8960 Series … |
|
|
Garmin Oregon Series … |
|
|
Garmin Oregon 400T 3-Inch Touchscreen Handheld GPS Unit with Preloaded Topographic Maps $639.99 The Garmin® Oregon 400t handheld GPS unit leads the way with a 3-in diagonal sunlight-readable color touchscreen display. Its easy-to-use interface means you’ll spend more time enjoying the outdoors and less time searching for information. Both durable and waterproof, Oregon 400t is built to withstand the elements. Bumps, dust, dirt, humidity and water are no match for this rugged navigator…. |
|
|
39072-GARMIN MAPSOURCE CITY NAVIGATOR NT AUS NEW ZEAL CD Garmin Mapsource City Navigator NT Aus New Zealand CDCity Navigator Australia & New Zealand NT provides highly detailed maps for your device and thousands of points of interest (POIs) throughout the region, so you can navigate with exact, turn-by-turn directions to any address or intersection. Coverage includes cities, national roads and rural roads throughout Australia and New Zealand. Route to P… |