OT: Colorado Getaway...Mesa Verde?

[Dove]

Hey,

My wife and I are visiting family in CO and want to drive from Denver area to Mesa Verde. What can we do in 48 hours there? Please give ideas. All I have had mentioned to me was a railroad...something about Durango. Also, any lodging tips and any experiences with sightseeing with a personal guide?

Looking forward to replies.

 

[Phoenixhusky]

Mesa Verde is awesome! You can do the San Juan Skyway which we started in Mesa Verde. We then drove to Ouray and did the mine tour and waterfall there. We then drove to Telluride and did the gondola up the mountain. This runs in the summer. We then went onto to Silverton and to Durango. We did the narrow gauge railway from Durango back to Silverton. I did not love the train since it was not really my thing. we have done this trip a few times.

 

[Waquoit]

It has to better than the place nearby that we went to on the cheap - Mesa Merde. That place was crappy.

 

[Cheddie]

Dove - We did a trip from Denver to Mesa Verde, then looping back east a few years ago. What to do/see depends on how much time you have. Not sure if you have 48 hours total from Denver or 48 hours to spend in MV.

• If you have time, Rocky Mountain National Park is a great way to see some high peaks. You can drive north to Estes Park, spend the night and then go over Trail Ridge Road to the western exit of the park and then head south.
• Independence Pass to Aspen is a scenic ride, and Aspen is fun town with some very nice restaurants. Nearby are Maroon Bells, one of the iconic photo spots in the state
• Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is another scenic park on the way (can do a quick drive tour in an afternoon).
• One of our favorite towns was Ouray. (You could also visit Telluride instead). A number of operators take you on jeep tours up into the mountains that are really scenic and fun. As someone mentioned above, it's a scenic ride south from Ouray to Durango.
• In Mesa Verde, be sure to take one or more of the cliff-dwelling tours with a ranger.
• There are a lot of hot springs in Colorado. Would recommend you check out a few. There was a cool place in Pagosa Springs where a number of pools had a range of temperatures from luke-warm to quite hot.
• It's probably out of your way, but we both loved Great Sand Dunes park.
• One travel trip - altitude can make for wildly varying temperatures. It can be warm down low and windy/cold on a pass. Mountains also tend to make their own weather, so rain gear comes in handy.

 

[sledog]

Denver to MV is a hike! If you have a total of 48 hours, you'll spend it all in the car.

MV is interesting archeology. National Park , and the ruins are a good 20-30 miles in from the main drag. The road snakes around the tops of the mesa. HOT in the summer - no wonder everyone left. Durango is nearest (only) town around, and Motel 6 may be the high end there. I'm sure the roadside Mex food stands will cure whatever ails you.

Suggestions above are good - if you have TIME. Silverton RR is a ride to nowhere, but great for kids, and scenery is great. The mt views in Ouray and Telluride are spectacular (14,000 ft peaks everywhere), perhaps among best in US, but it'll take you 1/2 day to get there from MV. The ride over Red, Molas, and Coal Bank passes (yes, 3 of them) between Durango and Ouray is spectacular. The road tops out at 11,000 ft. Watch out in dark and bad weather as there are NO guardrails on the cliff side of the road! Rt 550 is only 1 of 2 roads that go N/S in western CO, and it's 2 lanes - pray no big truck in front of you. The Telluride/MV/Durago/Ouray/Telluride loop drive is a full day with a stop only at MV. I've always admired the Tulluride airport design. There's a monster cliff at the end of the runway, so you WILL be airborn one way or another. b/t/w, Butch Cassidy robbed the Telluride bank.

With the altitude, breath deeply, and pack the Motrin. It'll take a few days to acclimate.

 

[Hugo]

48 hrs doesn't give you a lot of time to see the sights, but Cheddie's summary covers a lot of the highlights. I haven't been to Mesa Verde, so can't comment on that, but Rocky Mountain NP and Estes Park are definitely worth a trip. Inside the park you can cross the continental divide on the Trail Ridge Road and see the source of the Colorado River along with some great views.

Heading south from Denver to Colorado Springs, there's the Garden of the Gods which has your basic Southwestern scenery and some nice hikes and rock climbing. And Aspen is always worth a trip if you haven't been there before.

If you can extend your trip another day, it would definitely be worth it. Enjoy !!!

 

[Dove]

I'll be reading these comments with detail tonight. May do 72 to 96 hours. for this excursion. Thanks to all who replied so far.

 

[Dove]

Mesa Verde is awesome! You can do the San Juan Skyway which we started in Mesa Verde. We then drove to Ouray and did the mine tour and waterfall there. We then drove to Telluride and did the gondola up the mountain. This runs in the summer. We then went onto to Silverton and to Durango. We did the narrow gauge railway from Durango back to Silverton. I did not love the train since it was not really my thing. we have done this trip a few times.

Thanks phoenix...based on the replies Ouray is in. We will look to check out the mine and waterfall. We aim to be there on the 4th of July and read there is a torchlight parade at dusk before the fireworks. We'll drive the Skyway to Mesa Verde on the 5th. We will skip the train.

Dove - We did a trip from Denver to Mesa Verde, then looping back east a few years ago. What to do/see depends on how much time you have. Not sure if you have 48 hours total from Denver or 48 hours to spend in MV.

• 
  [ ]If you have time, Rocky Mountain National Park is a great way to see some high peaks. You can drive north to Estes Park, spend the night and then go over Trail Ridge Road to the western exit of the park and then head south.
  [ ]Independence Pass to Aspen is a scenic ride, and Aspen is fun town with some very nice restaurants. Nearby are Maroon Bells, one of the iconic photo spots in the state
  [ ]Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park is another scenic park on the way (can do a quick drive tour in an afternoon).
  [ ]One of our favorite towns was Ouray. (You could also visit Telluride instead). A number of operators take you on jeep tours up into the mountains that are really scenic and fun. As someone mentioned above, it's a scenic ride south from Ouray to Durango.
  [ ]In Mesa Verde, be sure to take one or more of the cliff-dwelling tours with a ranger.
  [ ]There are a lot of hot springs in Colorado. Would recommend you check out a few. There was a cool place in Pagosa Springs where a number of pools had a range of temperatures from luke-warm to quite hot.
  [ ]It's probably out of your way, but we both loved Great Sand Dunes park.
  [ ]One travel trip - altitude can make for wildly varying temperatures. It can be warm down low and windy/cold on a pass. Mountains also tend to make their own weather, so rain gear comes in handy.

Thanks cheddie. On our first or second day with the fam we will head NW to Estes Park and RMNP. Looking forard to that. You have me wanting to check out Black Canyon on the way to Ouray. Looks like Aspen might be too remote to fit in but who knows that may change. We will def do the dwellings with a guide.

Denver to MV is a hike! If you have a total of 48 hours, you'll spend it all in the car.

MV is interesting archeology. National Park , and the ruins are a good 20-30 miles in from the main drag. The road snakes around the tops of the mesa. HOT in the summer - no wonder everyone left. Durango is nearest (only) town around, and Motel 6 may be the high end there. I'm sure the roadside Mex food stands will cure whatever ails you.

Suggestions above are good - if you have TIME. Silverton RR is a ride to nowhere, but great for kids, and scenery is great. The mt views in Ouray and Telluride are spectacular (14,000 ft peaks everywhere), perhaps among best in US, but it'll take you 1/2 day to get there from MV. The ride over Red, Molas, and Coal Bank passes (yes, 3 of them) between Durango and Ouray is spectacular. The road tops out at 11,000 ft. Watch out in dark and bad weather as there are NO guardrails on the cliff side of the road! Rt 550 is only 1 of 2 roads that go N/S in western CO, and it's 2 lanes - pray no big truck in front of you. The Telluride/MV/Durago/Ouray/Telluride loop drive is a full day with a stop only at MV. I've always admired the Tulluride airport design. There's a monster cliff at the end of the runway, so you WILL be airborn one way or another. b/t/w, Butch Cassidy robbed the Telluride bank.

With the altitude, breath deeply, and pack the Motrin. It'll take a few days to acclimate.

I now see its best to do this in 4 days. Looking forward to it and the three passes you mention are a must see.

48 hrs doesn't give you a lot of time to see the sights, but Cheddie's summary covers a lot of the highlights. I haven't been to Mesa Verde, so can't comment on that, but Rocky Mountain NP and Estes Park are definitely worth a trip. Inside the park you can cross the continental divide on the Trail Ridge Road and see the source of the Colorado River along with some great views.

Heading south from Denver to Colorado Springs, there's the Garden of the Gods which has your basic Southwestern scenery and some nice hikes and rock climbing. And Aspen is always worth a trip if you haven't been there before.

If you can extend your trip another day, it would definitely be worth it. Enjoy !!!

Thanks hugo. Perhaps the drive back to Denver will have us check out the Gardens of the Gods.