CO visit, sightseeing (1 Viewer)

[stevezero]

Hey guys,

My wife and I will be spending a couple days with a buddy in CO Springs, then heading down to Durango for a couple nights. We are doing the High Line train ride, then driving from Durango to Denver for a flight home. We will have a rental car, no 4wd. We wont be in a huge rush to get to Denver, so we can take a bit of the scenic route.

Looking for route suggestions for CO Springs down to Durango, and then Durango to Denver. My wife cant do a bunch of walking, so we will be limited to car views and short hops.

Thanks
Steve

 

[black95]

I would pick up a copy of Charles A Wells “Guide to Colorado Trails” on Amazon. There is a Northern version too, so make sure you get the right one. I-70 is the dividing line. Great book, and it is easy to use for route planning.
You can also jump on Trailsoffroad.com and get trails and trail information. I find that site very difficult to use for trail finding and route planning though.

Not a whole lot we would suggest with a rental car. Boreas Pass and Guanella Pass come to mind for the Denver trip. Two really great roads. From Spring to Durango, the St Elmo townsite is really cool. Just a short jaunt off of hwy 285.
The Gold Belt Tour between Canon City and Victor/Cripple Creek is car friendly too. It includes Shelf Road and Phantom Canyon.

 

[PWCO70crusier]

I agree with Luke...all the trails he noted are easy enough for a rental (Guanella and Boreas are paved). Too bad you're not here in Sept, the Aspen are worth the trip over both passes. The dirt roads as part of the Gold Belt Tour are pretty heavily washboarded, but doable in a rental. I could also suggest the trip to Winfiled north of Buena Vista. Pretty drive and a couple cool ghost towns.

 

[stevezero]

Thanks for the input. my buddy lives in Yoder, sp a return trip will be in the cards, when we will have more time to explore.