Do you have 3 days to spend in Colorado and are you looking for an exciting road trip itinerary? Here is our recommended route!
Contents
Disclaimer: While this article presents a 3-day itinerary, you can always re-arrange this trip into your own plan! Feel free to change the route and length of the trip! This post is merely a tool for you to continue planning your adventure!
Highlights of this 3-day road trip itinerary
Here are the highlights of this road trip! Of course, it’s up to you to decide what to include in your trip. Scroll down below to catch some of our similar road trips in the area!
1. Rocky Mountain National Park
Time to spend: 1-3 days
Main activity type: Hiking🚶🏿
No matter how much time you have, a road trip through Colorado isn’t complete without visiting the Rocky Mountains National Park! You can easily spend a couple of days here, as this area is filled with beautiful hikes, wildlife, and viewpoints! If you need a place to stay, Estes Park offers the best accommodations in the area!
Extra costs?
National Park Pass
Links:
2. Glenwood Springs
Time to spend: 1 day
Main activity type: Leisure🏊♀️
Glenwood Springs is a great place to relax and take a break from your driving. There are numerous hot springs here where you can fully relax your body and soak in the heat. There are also some hikes around, but most people stop here to do groceries at Walmart or enjoy a dip in the hot waters.
Extra costs?
Entrance fee for springs
Links:
3. Colorado National Monument State Park
Time to spend: 1 day
Main activity type: Viewpoint(s)⛰️
This is a classic road trip in Colorado. The Colorado National Monument features a beautiful winding road that takes you past beautiful viewpoints overlooking canyons, mountain tops, and rock outcrops. You can do some hiking while you’re there, but the main attraction here is the road itself with the many viewpoints you’ll pass along the way.
Extra costs?
None
Links:
Best time to do this Colorado road trip?
If you want to experience all of what Colorado has to offer, you should plan your road trip for the Summer. All the road and mountain passes will be open and clear in June, July, and August. If you’re okay with some closed roads due to the snow, you can consider road-tripping Colorado in May. You won’t find many tourists at this point! For example, the Trail Ridge Road in the Rocky Mountain National Park is generally open and ready for travel from the end of May through October. The road, which connects the west and east entrances of Rocky Mountain National Park, closes each year due to snow accumulation.
Driving distances during this 3-day road trip
Here is a table with the distance (in miles) between every highlight included in this itinerary.
| From / To | Colorado National Monument State Park | Glenwood Springs | Rocky Mountain National Park |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado National Monument State Park | X | 106 | 235 |
| Glenwood Springs | 106 | X | 130 |
| Rocky Mountain National Park | 235 | 130 | X |
How to read distance table: The highlights in this itinerary are plotted on each row and column in this table. The intersecting cell between two destinations contains the number of miles you’d have to drive to get from one to another. This driving distance is calculated in Google Maps at the time of publishing this itinerary.
Road trip itinerary statistics
Avg. fuel price
$3.8 per gallon
Total route distance
236 miles
Assumed driving distance (double the route)
472 miles
Average driving distance per day
157 miles
Similar road trip itineraries in Colorado
- 4-Day Colorado Road Trip Itinerary (Map, Route, Highlights)
- 5-Day Colorado Road Trip Itinerary (Map, Route, Highlights)
- 7-Day Colorado Road Trip Itinerary (Map, Route, Highlights)
- 10-Day Colorado Road Trip Itinerary (Map, Route, Highlights)
- 2-Week Colorado Road Trip Itinerary (Map, Route, Highlights)
- 3-Week Colorado Road Trip Itinerary (Map, Route, Highlights)
- 4-Week Colorado Road Trip Itinerary (Map, Route, Highlights)
How we create these guides: Using Google Maps API and by analyzing trips from TripAdvisor, Google Map reviews, Reddit, etc, we come up with the most unique and memorable road trip itineraries!
