6 Stops on our Unique Colorado Road Trip you need to see
I can’t belive I’ve lived in the midwest my entire life and I never took the time to road trip out to Colorado! My boyfriend and I started our trip in Minneapolis, Minnesota. It was over a 13 hour drive to our first location on our itinerary. We may not have taken a conventional route through the gorgeous state, but I absolutely LOVED every stop on our trip. Let’s get into it.
A - The Paint Mines
B - Royal Gorge
C - Paradise Cove
D - Great Sand Dune
E - Blue Lakes Trail
F - Maroon Bells
G - Denver + Boulder
1. Paint Mines
29950 Paint Mine Rd, Calhan, CO 80808
Our first stop the trip was a solid 13 hours and 20 minutes and 3 states away from Minneapolis: The Paint Mines. It is a unique geological space that is “named for their colorful clays that were collected by American Indians to make paint. Brightly colored bands, caused by oxidized iron compounds, are found in varying amounts throughout the many different layers of clay.”
We drove through the night to arrive perfectly at sunrise. I’m so grateful that we did because there was almost no one else in the park. There are such unique
I would like to note that visitors are supposed to stay on the main paths to preserve the walls of the mines.
2.
Royal Gorge
Home of America’s Highest Suspension Bridge & Zip Line! There is a bridge and park but it costs money to cross. In the midst of COVID-19, we chose to skip the attractions visit a trail nearby. We actually scouted the location on IG by scrolling through past posts from the Royal Gorge Geo-Tag. Its not exactly a “trail head” but you can walk over to the clift’s edge near a picnic area up the road from the bridge entrance. I’m glad we did because the view was AMAZING. Fair warning, there is a lot of loose rock and no real trail so please careful when visiting this overlook.
This place is worth the drive. Dunes in the front, Mountains in the back. This stop on our road tip was WAY out of the way. For me, there was no question on whether it was worth it or not. Absolutely stunning views and a completely unique experience. It took endurance to climb to the top these dunes. We even considered stopping but WE AINT QUITTERS. I highly suggest making it to the top for golden hour, it was so surreal and liberating to walk through the cool sand with the vast landscapes.
I LOVED this hike. It had a great variety throughout the trail including a small waterfall, wildflowers, and great views all the way up. We only hiked to the lower of the three lakes but our drone was able to catch photos of all three.
“The Blue Lakes trail near Ridgway (not to be confused with Blue Lake, singular, closer to Telluride) is a great outing for hikers who enjoy the best the San Juan Mountains have to offer: meadows spangled with wildflowers, craggy ridgelines, dazzling alpine lakes and the chirp of pikas.” - Telluride.com
5. Maroon Bells
Oh My Gosh. This is THE most wonderful place to watch the sunrise. Just a few minutes outside of aspen, this view of the Maroon Bells is a must see. Since it is only about a 3 minute walk from the parking lot, its a great way to get fresh air in the morning. Colin and I actually drove through the night and slept in our car in the parking lot so all we had to do was step out and enjoy the view.
And that’s a wrap! We finished up the trip by stopping in Denver for a night. We got pizza from a place on Peal Street in Boulder. We made some friends by playing volleyball at the park. We ate at Linger on the rooftop on the 4th of July and it was the most outstanding, 360 display of fireworks I’ve ever seen! It was a great 24 hours in the Mile High City, then we made our way home to Minneapolis. I would do it again without thinking twice!
I hope you take away at least one of these wonderful locations in Colorado. Please reach out on Social if you make your way to any of these stops, I’d love to hear what you think!
FOLLOW ALONG
