Colorado Rockies
6 days, 1 national park and other recreation areas
6 days, 1 national park and other recreation areas
Start/End: Denver, CO
Season: Jun - Oct
Length: 6 days (5 nights)
Driving: 300-400 miles total
Hiking: 5-30 miles total
Group Size: Any
Base Price: $1,800-$2,400 (2 people)
Rocky Mountain National Park straddles the continental divide, sitting among some of the highest mountains in Colorado. You'll fly into Denver, CO, then spend the first half of your trip based in beautiful Estes Park, sitting at 7,500 feet elevation and just outside of the park gates. Enjoy hikes to mountain lakes, waterfalls, and through beautiful forests. Eventually, those forests thin out, and you'll see distant peaks, many with snow at their summits nearly year-round.
After enjoying the wilderness of the park, you'll head south to the mountain town of Idaho Springs, a fantastic hub for more hikes, easily accessible 14,000-foot mountain peaks, and even a glacier. Either in or near town, we will organize bike rides, whitewater rafting, and/or other water sports to meet your interests. In the evenings, you'll enjoy cool mountain air and a walkable historic downtown.
Afterwards, you're still a short drive back to Denver to head home. Scroll down to see the recommended daily itinerary plan as well as more options, logistics, pricing, and more details. If you're excited to go to Colorado, click here!
You'll arrange your own air travel to DEN airport outside Denver and pick up a pre-arranged rental car. From there it's a 90 minute drive to Estes, the eastern gateway town for Rocky Mountain National Park. If you arrive early in the day there are some recreation opportunities in or near the town.
Included: car rental, lodging
Today you'll focus on the eastern portions of Rocky Mountain National Park. Timed entry tickets are required to access some highlight areas, which will be secured in advance. Bear Lake is a popular trailhead, with several trails across a range of lengths and difficulties. Most lead to alpine lakes and/or waterfalls. Moraine Park also offers many family-friendly easier trails, with plenty of opportunities for wildlife viewing.
Included: park fees, lodging
RMNP straddles the continental divide, with large portions of the park above the tree ling. Trail Ridge Road cuts through the heart of the park and provides access to many alpine trailheads and long-distance views. Open only seasonally, the Fall River Road gives a more rustic experience while climbing to the same heights. After crossing the divide you'll exit the park in Grand Lake and continue south to the town of Idaho Springs.
Included: park fees, lodging
For two days, Idaho Springs will be your base in the central Colorado Mountains. The most popular nearby attraction is Mount Blue Sky, the highest paved road in the country, reaching 14,266 feet. Advanced tickets are again required, so other activities will be scheduled around this availability. Surrounding Idaho Springs you'll find many opportunities for whitewater rafting (from kid-friendly through to challenging class IVs), cycling (both road and trail rides), or even watersports on the Dillon Reservoir, all within an hour drive. Experienced hikers can climb a pair of 14ers without needing any mountaineering gear, and those needing a day off can enjoy some scenic drives, including the famous Loveland Pass or over to Red Rocks park outside Denver. Finally, in the town of St. Mary's, you have a chance to walk right up to the edge of a glacier. There is plenty to do in this area to fill 2 (or even 3 or 4 days), and we'll work out a detailed plan that matches your group's interests.
Included: attraction fees, lodging
From Idaho Springs it's a 1-2 hour drive (depending on city traffic) back to the Denver airport. If you have an afternoon flight, we'll recommend a scenic route for a few more mountain views before you fly home.
Do you want a shorter or longer visit? Do you want to build a trip into western Colorado to visit more National Parks? We know these areas and can help make a modified plan for longer or shorter trips. Just ask!
To experience the various destinations, we’ve written this itinerary over 6 full days, with air travel on the 1st and 6th day. However, depending on your interest, availability, and flight options, you could add a day or two in either area, shorten the trip to just one or the other area, or make other modifications. In particular, if you're interested in more long-distance hiking longer hike, you may wish to add time to still have space for the variety of other activities.
These mountains are beautiful throughout the year, but most of the trails and other activities are only accessible when snow-free. Some parts of Rocky Mountain National Park close for the season in mid-October, and many other areas may close as well. In the springtime, snow lingers at high elevations into early summer, but good deals can be found on lodging in exchange for some flexibility on driving and hiking logistics.
Jan Feb Mar Apr May Jun Jul Aug Sep Oct Nov Dec
Key: best months okay months not advised
Many accommodations and high-demand activity permits fill up quickly during peak seasons. Planning a minimum of 6 months in advance, or in some cases 12 months, increases availability. However, even with shorter time horizons we will work to find options for you and your group.
Tip: Foliage season peaks in October, so although road closures can begin mid-month, some feel seeing the aspens in full golden color is well worth it.
Most nights on this trip involve lodging in 3-star hotels. Sometimes lodging in or adjacent to national parks may have fewer amenities, but is still the right choice based on location, as well as historic appeal.
If you would prefer more luxurious lodging, let us know and we can present additional options along with the price difference. If you would prefer to save some money, let us know and we can discuss less expensive options as well. If you are interested in camping, there are campgrounds convenient to some, but not all, of the locations. Talk to our team about camping options in lieu of hotels when making your reservation. This will reduce cost significantly, but also may not always be available as park service campgrounds in particular often fill up quickly. (Note that Wandersaurus does not provide or facilitate rental of camping equipment.)
The recommended hikes throughout this trip are mostly of the 2-4 mile variety and can be completed by a reasonably fit person without much specific training. No more than 6 miles of hiking are listed on any individual day, unless your groups specifically requests information on climbing the 14ers or other strenuous hikes. In the case of hikes that are a bit more challenging than the others in the itinerary, detailed descriptions of are provided as well as alternative suggestions if one or more are not right for your group.
All of this trip takes place at elevations of at least 5,000 feet, and many hikes climb much higher. Altitude sickness is a risk that can be somewhat unpredictable. If booking this trip we'll make sure to include information on symptoms and treatment.
Kids: You know your kids better than we do. A 5-year-old with enthusiasm for the outdoors and some hiking experience would not find any of these overly challenging. A 15-year-old with an “indoor cat” personality might struggle. That said, many trails are not stroller-friendly. A couple of individual trails will have notes of caution for kids in your detailed daily itinerary.
The distances on this trip are not long, but many of the roads are very windy, and can also be crowded. Speed limits are often just 35 mph, and drivers are more respectful of those limits here than on bigger highways. Estimated primary drive times are as follows:
DEN to Estes Park: 1 ½ hours
Estes Park to Idaho Springs (thru RMNP): 3 hours
Idaho Springs to DEN: 1 - 2 hours
You will also end up driving an hour or two each day to get to the various trailheads, but fortunately all the drives are through the scenery of Colorado's mountains, so you probably won't mind.
The biggest challenge at many trailheads is finding parking. We'll give advice on which trailheads tend to fill up the fastest, and make sure to provide alternative hikes if parking is completely unavailable. Additionally, depending on time of year, timed ticket entry may be required for one or more areas on this itinerary. We'll make sure you have the permits you need and a complete understanding of how to use them.
This itinerary is designed around a starting point of DEN Denver International Airport. DEN is a major hub airport, the 3rd busiest in the country, and is well-served by all major airlines. All major rental car agencies have facilities accessed by shuttle bus from the main terminal. Our itineraries have flexible schedules on the arrival and departure days, so let us know what flight options you have and we can make adjustments as needed to accommodate.
There are no other major metropolitan areas other than Salt Lake City within an 8-hour drive of these destinations. That said, if you are driving longer distances to visit the Rockies, let us know your plans and we can adjust the itinerary accordingly.
Some features of this trip may have seasonal variation, so all package prices are presented as estimated ranges. Contact us for a more precise price estimate for your preferred travel dates. Pricing does NOT include airfare.
This trip was originally designed for parties of 2 people, sharing a room. The expected total price for all included items is $1,800 - $2,400.
Groups of 3-6 people can enjoy this trip as well, with costs variable depending on room-sharing preferences. Contact us for details.
Unfortunately for solo travelers, the majority of the costs are overnight accommodations which do not reduce for individuals, so a solo traveler would only save around $200 off of the couples' price.
While details of this trip were not designed with larger groups in mind, the itinerary would still be functional. Contact us to discuss!
Payments must be made by credit card. Specific restrictions may exist for certain lodging or activity vendors.
20% deposit due at time of reservation
Balance due 90 days before trip start date (If booking within 90 days of trip, full balance due at time of reservation)
Some portion of deposit may be nonrefundable, as some excursions or activity fees (which will have been booked upon confirmation) are nonrefundable. Accommodations and transportation will generally be reserved as refundable.
Fully refundable until 60 days before trip start, less $100 admin fee and any nonrefundable excursions
50% refundable until 14 days before trip start
If cancelling within 14 days of trip start, no refunds are given
Bespoke itinerary - tailored as needed to suit your particular requirements
Overnight accommodations for all nights
Rental car
Maps of all driving routes
Trail maps and trail descriptions for all recommended hikes
Restaurant recommendations, at a range of price points, highlighting vegetarian and kid-friendly options
“America the Beautiful” federal lands pass (grants access to all National Park Service facilities on the trip)
Tickets to all museums included in trip plan
Fees for any guided tours mentioned in trip plan
Expert advice and local information, including packing suggestions
Updated information on any changing conditions delivered in the weeks before your trip
Carbon offset credits for the mileage driven along the main route of the itinerary
Full support during your trip from the Wandersaurus Travel team (9:00 am until 9:00 pm Eastern Time)
Travel to and from your starting/ending points
Gasoline, parking, and/or any other ground transportation expenses unless specified
Meals unless specified
Additional guided tours or excursions beyond those specified
Tips/gratuities for any guides
Travel insurance. Note: we recommend purchasing travel insurance via a certified insurance agency