Colorado Scenic Drives.
Serendipity: The gift for making fortunate discoveries while searching for something entirely unrelated. For some people, luck just seems to happen, and for those that let it; oftentimes even fate or destiny --- or whatever you want to call it --- steps in to lend a helping hand. Such is the situation of stumbling upon those peaceful, carefree times while seeking out something entirely unrelated. Welcome to Colorado Scenic Drives where you can find some of the our favorite day and weekend drives in the state of Colorado. Read our take on where to go and when to stop then head out for yourselves and discover your favorite scenic drives across the state of Colorado.
For purposes of this site; we are assuming that your starting point is on the western side of the mountains and will be writing the content of this site with this assumption at hand. If you're starting point differs, just adjust the times and distances accordingly to your preferred starting point. That being said, here are our favorite drives and a little about why we choose to include each as Scenic Colorado Drives.
Scenic Drives in Colorado.
Colorado Scenic Drives where you're the boss on where to go and when to stop. You also get to choose what you see and do during your visit to Colorado.
Colorado is home to no less than 25 extraordinary scenic and historical drives otherwise known as scenic byways. These memorable drives will take you through five regions of Colorado; Front Range, Southwest, Northwest, Southcentral and Eastern.
Colorado's Front Range Region:
Our #1 pick is the picturesque Cache La Poudre-North Park drive. This three hour drive begins Colorado's fifth largest city, Fort Collins and follows one of America's designated Wild and Scenic Rivers- the Cache la Poudre.
This 22 mile trek begins in the historic town of Georgetown in the Silver Plume National Historic District, just off Interstate 70. Your drive along Guanella Pass will enthrall you with its beautiful back country wilderness, mountain goats, golden eagles and bighorn sheep.
We also love to travel along the historic and beautiful Peak to Peak highway that encompasses a 55 mile drive that starts in historic Central City. Travel through breathtaking wilderness areas and amazing mountain views ending in the scenic town of Estes Park. Please plan on 2 hours for this drive.
Also along Colorado's Front Range is the 48 mile drive that holds bragging rights to being the highest paved road in North America, Trail Ridge Road. We enjoy viewing and hiking along the many historic trails that were used by the Ute Indians for hunting and gathering.
The Lariat Loop drive was created by Denverites in the early 1900's to enable visitors and locals alike to enjoy the splendor of the nearby mountain parks. Allow at least 2 hours to fully experience the majesty of the 2,000 feet mountains, downtown historic Golden and beautiful mountain lakes.
Mount Evans byway reaches altitudes of over 14,000 feet and is known as the highest paved road in North America. The drive begins in Idaho Springs off I-70 and travels through fresh conifer forests along trout filled clear mountain streams offering views of Pikes and Long Peaks.
We'd love to recommend six colorful, adventure-based drives that take you through the back roads in Colorado's southwest region. My personal favorite is one that requires four-wheel drive for the majority of the route. The Alpine Loop takes you many historic districts, sites and ghost towns along mining roads created during the gold rush in the late 1800's.
Another 7 hour picturesque drive both begins and ends in Durango. The San Juan Skyway, considered one of America's finest drives, will take you through the majestic San Juan Mountains with a stop along the way to visit the famous home of the Ancestral Pueblo people in Mesa Verde National Park.
The Trail of the Ancients is a loop that brings you through the southeast corner of Utah through the Four Corners near the town of Cortez. The end of this byway is the only location in the United States where four states meet in one spot. You will drive by the high canyon homes of the cliff dwelling Anasazi indians.
Your journey down the West Elk Loop begins just off Highway I-70 in the community of Glenwood Springs. The first stretch of the drive takes you along the the beautiful Roaring Fork Valley in Carbondale to the historic town of Redstone. This 205 mile loop is known for its beautiful groves of aspen along the Kebler Pass.
If you truly want to experience the wild beauty of the southwest then the Silver Thread route is for you. Drive through vast public lands behind the Blue Mesa Reservoir passing into the picturesque San Juan Mountains. This drive wraps up by traveling along the Rio Grande River to South Fork. This 3 hour drive covers 117 miles.
The last, but not least, scenic drive in the Colorado southwest is known as the Unaweep Tabeguache. This 133 mile byway travels along an amazing sandstone canyon with walls that reach up 2,000 feet. Pass along the passageway taken by Spanish friars traveling from mission in New Mexico to California. Plan to allow 3 hours for your scenic drive through this region.
This scenic drive, known as Grand Mesa, begins near Mesa Colorado on the worlds largest flattop mountain. This area is home to over 300 lakes, interpretive indian exhibits and trails and historic buildings found on the State Register of Historic Properties. Home of the the annual Apple Fest in early October, Cedaredge is the end of your 2 hour drive.
Dinosaur Diamond is an exciting drive along the very western edge of Colorado. Just north of the town of Dinosaur you can tour the Dinosaur National Monument. Travel through Grand Valley an outdoor enthusiasts playground to end at the Colorado National Monument which brings you in the region that includes Aches and Capital Reef National Parks in nearby Utah.
Also one of America's Byways, the Colorado River Headwaters byway begins in Grand Lake which is also the name of Colorado's largest natural lake found near the headwaters of the famous Colorado River. Pass through wondrous canyons and fun filled waterways loved by river rafters and kayakers.
Near Steamboat Springs is a beautiful, serene location where Teddy Roosevelt once hunted elk known as Flat Tops Trail. Visit Trapper Lake and learn about the Meeker Massacre in the ranching town of Meeker. Allow 2 hours for this 82 mile drive.
Colorado's Southcentral Region:
Top of the Rockies will take you on a breathtaking drive that crosses the Continental Divide three times while taking you high in the pristine mountains between historic Leadville and the ski town of Aspen. You will experience a gain in altitude between 7,775 - 12,095 feet while traveling along this 115 mile byway.
Beginning in the National Historic Landmark District site of Cripple Creek where gold has been mined from the 1890's to 2005. The Gold Belt Tour drive will take you through Canon City, home of Colorado's penitentiary, along the amazing 1,053 foot suspension bridge 1,200 feet over the Arkansas River known at the Royal Gorge.
Beginning in Pueblo, the Frontier Pathways byway will take you and your family along the 4 hour Y-shaped route that will give you a feel for the evolution of living in the wild west frontier era of the 1800's. Tour a trading post, tour museums relating the history of cattle and railroad influences. Climb through the Wet Mountain Valley in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains to Colorado City.
Colorado's Eastern Region:
The plains of Northeast Colorado are the starting grounds for the Pawnee Pioneer Trails. You will gain knowledge of what life was like for the plains indians and settlers in the states early history. See the wild grasslands of the Pawnee National Grassland where you can spot songbirds and antelope. Hike in the Pawnee Buttes where fossils have been found.
Settlers traveling west along the Overland Trail traveled along the South Platte River Trail where the town of Julesburg is situated to take advantage of the waterway access that follows the Overland trail. Fort Sedgwick, originally build in 1864 to provide support to settlers in Colorado. This historical byway is a loop of 19 miles.
The Highway of Legends is a 4-5 hour drive that travels around the the West and East Spanish Peaks between Trinidad and Walsenburg. The drive takes you through a coal-mining area near Cokedale to a fisherman's haven in Trinidad Lake State Park. Experience amazing views of the volcanic walls known as the Great Dikes in the Spanish Peaks.
Tour historic buildings from the mid-1800's while driving on the Mountain Branch of the Santa Fe Trail. This 184 mile drive starts in Lamar and ends in Trinidad and passes south over scenic Raton Pass. While driving through the grasslands be sure to look for wildlife.
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