The Best Texas to Colorado Road Trip Itinerary for 7 to 14 Days
Map out your Texas to Colorado road trip with this guide to the best stops and routes to the Rockies and beyond.
Canyons, fourteeners, sand dunes, alpine lakes — it’s all on the agenda of this epic road trip from Texas to Colorado. Whether you’re leaving the Lone Star State to explore Colorado’s diverse national parks, checking into a charming ski village, or spending a few days in the Mile High City, these ideas for routes and stops will help you map out the ideal itinerary.
I’ve included suggested routes for a San Antonio, Austin, Houston, Fort Worth or Dallas to Colorado road trip, plus the best places to visit once you get there. Since there is so much to see in the Centennial State, I recommend hightailing it through Texas to spend as many days as possible in Colorado. There are a couple of cool stops in the Texas panhandle on the way, though, to break up the drive!
Keep reading for an unforgettable road trip to Colorado from Texas full of photo-worthy landscapes, adventurous hikes, and tasty bites! Scroll to the end for a Texas to Colorado road trip planner.
Index
Texas to Colorado Road Trip
Colorado Sightseeing Loop
Colorado to Texas Road Trip
Road Trip Planning Guide
1-3 Days — Road Trip From Texas to Colorado
Depending on where you live, the drive for a Texas to Colorado road trip may take up a full day or more. The Houston to Denver road trip, for example, is at least 15 hours.
While there are some fun stops along the way, I recommend saving most of your vacation time for the mountains, canyons, sand dunes and ski villages of Colorado. The routes below have a couple of the best things to do between Texas and Colorado, but keep scrolling for the ultimate Colorado road trip loop.
Places to See Between Texas and Colorado
The sights along the way of a road trip from Texas to Colorado depend on your route. From many of the larger cities on the east side, you’ll cross through the panhandle of the state, so here are a few things to do in Texas on the route. For where to go in Colorado, scroll down to the rest of the road trip itinerary.
The city of Lubbock is mostly on the way for folks coming from the Austin and San Antonio area. Famous as the birthplace of Buddy Holly, Lubbock has a museum dedicated to the singer and the West Texas Walk of Fame for other regional musicians. Don’t miss the Moody Planetarium, American Windmill Museum, and National Ranching Heritage Center while you’re in town.
Caprock Canyons State Park and Trail has red rocks, hiking and biking trails, and a herd of bison about two hours southeast of Amarillo. If you’re driving to Colorado from Dallas, Fort Worth, Houston, Austin or San Antonio, this is only slightly off the path, between Interstate 27 and U.S. Route 287.
Palo Duro Canyon State Park is a must if you take a route through Amarillo. It’s only 30 minutes outside the city and has the second-largest canyon in the country that is up to 800 feet deep.
Amarillo makes a great rest stop on a Texas to Colorado road trip itinerary since it’s roughly midway along many routes. The city’s historic district harks back to its old Route 66 days while the Cadillac Ranch graffiti art installation still draws crowds.
Houston to Colorado Road Trip
Houston to the Colorado border is around 800 miles. It takes over 14 hours for a Houston to Colorado Springs road trip and another hour plus to reach Denver.
If you’re doing a round-trip journey, you can stop in Dallas and Oklahoma City on one route and Amarillo, Palo Duro Canyon and Fort Worth on the way back.
Dallas to Colorado Road Trip
The Dallas to Colorado road trip is 500-plus miles. Dallas to Colorado Springs takes at least 11 hours and Denver around 12 to 13 hours.
Similar to the Houston road trip, you could drive into southern Colorado via Amarillo to stop at Palo Duro Canyon and Caprock Canyons State Parks on the way and return on a Kansas and Oklahoma route, taking Interstate 70 out of Denver and Interstate 35 south through Wichita and Oklahoma City.
Austin to Colorado Road Trip
It’s about 700 miles from Austin to the Colorado border, 850 miles to Colorado Springs, and 915 miles to Denver. The drive to Colorado Springs typically takes at least 13 hours and the Austin to Denver road trip is over 14 hours.
For this drive, the most direct route goes through Lubbock and Amarillo, so plan to soak up the West Texas scenery and stop at state parks like Palo Duro Canyon and Caprock Canyons for hiking breaks.
San Antonio to Colorado Road Trip
San Antonio is about 730 miles from the Colorado border. The drive is typically over 13 hours to Colorado Springs and 14 to 15 hours to Denver.
The shortest routes for a San Antonio to Colorado road trip all go through Lubbock, but from there you could either continue north to Amarillo or head west to New Mexico and tack on a couple extra driving hours to divert through Santa Fe. The New Mexico capital is known for its arts culture and Pueblo-style buildings.
4-10 Days — Colorado Road Trip Loop
Once you arrive in Colorado, the adventure really begins! To quickly visit all the stops below, plan to spend a good 8 to 10 days making a loop through the state. For a short visit, you could either focus on the cities of Denver and Colorado Springs, drive the southern section to Great Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde National Parks, or head into the Rocky Mountains for a few days.
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
Located in southern Colorado, Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve has a 30-square-mile dune field with peaks up to 750 feet tall (the total elevation in the park is much higher).
The most popular activities here include hiking along the ridges, sandboarding the dunes, and splashing in the Medano Creek when it flows at the base in spring. You could spend just a few hours playing on the dunes and snapping some photos, or longer to explore the backcountry trails in the park.
Durango
Durango makes a great base for exploring Mesa Verde National Park and the forests and slopes of southwestern Colorado. The small town near the New Mexico border is known for the Durango and Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad and Museum, where you can book a train ride through mountain passes to a historic mining town.
Mesa Verde National Park
This park in the southwest corner of Colorado is home to hundreds of cliff dwellings and other archeological remains of the Ancestral Pueblo people. Some of the cliff houses are visible from viewpoints but others require a guided tour to visit.
On your Mesa Verde National Park itinerary, you’ll want to include a tour of Cliff Palace and the Long House archeological sites, a drive on Mesa Top Loop to see about half a dozen ruins from the Sun Point View, and a stop at the Park Point Lookout deck on Mesa Top Ruins Road.
Canyons of the Ancients National Monument
If you have time for it, Canyons of the Ancients National Monument is just 20 minutes from Mesa Verde on the border with Utah. Covering about 176,000 acres, the monument holds over 8,300 archaeological sites, including villages, cliff houses, shrines and petroglyphs.
Million Dollar Highway
Between Durango and the town of Montrose, U.S. Route 550 climbs up and down mountains and weaves in horseshoe curves. The 25 mile stretch between the historic valley towns of Silverton and Ouray is known as the Million Dollar Highway, particularly jaw-dropping and nail-biting as it cuts through a gorge, narrowly skirting the edge of steep cliffs without guardrails.
If you have time for a longer stay, Silverton and Ouray are both great bases for year-round outdoor recreation, the latter dubbed the Switzerland of America.
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
A river carves through steep rugged cliffs and dark rock spires at Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park in western Colorado. You can visit the North and South Rim of the gorge, but they are more than 2 driving hours apart, so the more accessible South Rim is a popular choice for first-timers.
The paved South Rim Road runs for about 7 miles and has short trails to a dozen overlooks. You can see most of them with just half a day at the park, but make sure you don’t miss the Painted Wall, where light colored streaks cut through the dark rocks, and Chasm View, where the canyon narrows. Gunnison Point at the Visitor Center and Sunset View toward the end of the drive are a couple of the easiest overlooks to access for stunning vistas.
Colorado National Monument
Just outside of Grand Junction on the western border of the state, Colorado National Monument features red rock canyons full of eye-catching sandstone monoliths.
Just passing through on the winding, 23-mile Rim Rock Drive, you’ll be able to appreciate the sheer cliffs and panoramas. But, if you have time, add in a few short hikes like Window Rock Trail, Canyon Rim Trail, Otto’s Trail and Coke Ovens, all about a mile or less. The popular Devil’s Kitchen Trail (1.5 miles) on the east end of the park leads to a natural grotto formed by upright boulders.
Eagle and Summit Counties
Between Grand Junction and Denver, the I-70 Corridor traces the Colorado river canyon, passes through mountain tunnels, and hosts a large concentration of ski villages. To break up the scenic drive, you can pause in spots like Vail, Avon, Copper Mountain and Breckenridge before heading north to Rocky Mountain National Park.
Rocky Mountain National Park
There are two scenic drives into Rocky Mountain National Park, so I recommend doing one on your way into the park and the other on the way out.
Running for nearly 50 miles between Grand Lake on the west and Estes Park on the east, Trail Ridge Road winds up to an elevation of 12,183 feet along several hairpin curves with pullouts to stop and soak up the sweeping views. Along the way, you can stop for hikes like the Ute Trail to Tombstone Ridge (4 miles) and pop by the Alpine Visitor Center near the top for a shop, cafe and the Alpine Ridge trail (0.5 mile).
Closest towns to Rocky Mountain National Park
On the other side of the park, the Peak to Peak Scenic Byway spans about 55 miles between Estes Park and Black Hawk. On the drive, you can access Lily Lake and the Wild Basin area trails in the national park, stop for sights like Saint Catherine’s Chapel on the Rock, and visit historic mountain towns like Nederland and Rollinsville.
Plan for at least a full day or two in Rocky Mountain National Park — more if you want to do longer day hikes or backcountry trails. The Bear Lake Corridor is a popular spot to spend a day, with access to hikes like the Sprague Lake Loop (0.5 mile), Emerald Lake Trail (3.6 miles), Bear Lake Loop (0.5 mile), and Alberta Falls Trail (1.7 miles).
Between late May and early October, Rocky Mountain National Park requires a timed entry reservation in addition to your park pass. Reservations open up on the first of the month for the next month (e.g. June 1 for July dates) and prime times and dates sell out fast. There are two reservation types available. The first is for the Bear Lake Corridor and the whole park and the second for the park without the Bear Lake Corridor.
These are the most popular national parks in the USA
Denver
Any Texas to Colorado trip should include at least a brief stop in the Mile High city of Denver. Downtown highlights include the State Capitol building, historic Larimer Square, the 1881 Denver Union Station, and museums for art and history.
Outside of the city, check out spots like the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge to see bison, the Red Rocks Park and Amphitheater, and the small town of Golden for mining history.
Colorado Springs
Just an hour or so south of Denver, Colorado Springs has a couple of must-see spots for your Colorado road trip. With just a day, you can walk around the red-rock landscape at Garden of the Gods and drive or ride a cog train to the 14,115-high Pikes Peak summit.
With a little more time, add in visits to Manitou Springs for the Manitou Cliff Dwellings and mineral springs, and to Old Colorado City for shops, galleries and eateries in 19th-century brick storefronts. Both communities are on the west side of Colorado Springs near Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods.
1-3 Days — Colorado to Texas Road Trip
On the return trip to Texas, either take a different route from the first section above to mix up the scenery and road trip stops, or buckle down for a long driving day or two back.
Texas to Colorado Road Trip Planner
Use these tips to plan out your drive from Texas to Colorado. I’ve included what to pack for a road trip, the best time of year to visit Colorado, and how long it takes to get from Texas to Colorado destinations.
Best Season for a Road Trip From Texas to Colorado
Colorado is spectacular in every season, from the fields of wildflowers in spring to the yellow aspens in fall and winter wonderlands in the Rockies come ski season.
If you’re planning a Texas to Colorado road trip, though, I recommend driving in late spring through early fall for your first trip. Summers are crowded in popular destinations like Rocky Mountain National Park and winter conditions can be hazardous, especially for drivers inexperienced with icy roads. Fall is a particularly scenic time, when the trees start turning golden around late September.
These are the best spring road trips in the USA
What to Pack for a Texas to Colorado Road Trip
This road trip packing guide includes the essentials you may need for the drive from Texas to Colorado. If you plan to do some hiking, don’t forget your hiking boots, a day pack, a reusable water bottle, and trail snacks.
How Many Days Does it Take to Drive From Texas to Colorado?
How long it takes to drive from Texas to Colorado depends entirely on where you’re coming from. Amarillo to the southeast border of Colorado is only a couple of hours, but a Houston to Colorado road trip can take 16 hours or more. These are the average Texas to Colorado road trip distances and Texas to Colorado road trip times for a few popular routes, according to Google Maps.
Dallas to Colorado Road Trips
Dallas to Colorado Springs Drive — 725 miles, 10 to 13 hours
Dallas to Denver Trip — 785 miles, 11.5 to 13.5 hours
Dallas to Rocky Mountain National Park Drive — 845 miles, 12.5 to 15 hours
Dallas to Grand Junction Drive — 930 miles, 14.5 to 16.5 hours
Houston to Colorado Road Trips
Houston to Colorado Springs Road Trip — 960 miles, 14 to 16.5 hours
Houston to Denver Trip — 1,020 miles, 14.5 to 17.5 hours
Houston to Rocky Mountain National Park Drive — 1,080 miles, 16 to 18.5 hours
Houston to Grand Junction Drive — 1,165 miles, 18 to 21 hours
Austin to Colorado Road Trips
Austin to Colorado Springs Drive — 850 miles, 12.5 to 15 hours
Austin to Denver Road Trip — 915 miles, 13.5 to 16 hours
Austin to Rocky Mountain National Park Drive — 975 miles, 14.5 to 17 hours
Austin to Grand Junction Road Drive — 1,050 miles, 16.5 to 19 hours
San Antonio to Colorado Road Trips
San Antonio to Colorado Springs Road Trip — 865 miles, 12.5 to 15 hours
San Antonio to Denver Road Drive— 930 miles, 13.5 to 15.5 hours
San Antonio to Rocky Mountain National Park Drive — 990 miles, 14.5 to 17 hours
San Antonio to Grand Junction Drive — 1,070 miles, 16.5 to 18.5 hours
El Paso to Colorado Road Trips
El Paso to Colorado Springs Trip — 570 miles, 8 to 10 hours
El Paso to Denver Drive — 640 miles, 9 to 11 hours
El Paso to Rocky Mountain National Park Drive — 700 miles, 10 to 12 hours
El Paso to Grand Junction Road Drive — 650 miles, 10.5 to 12.5 hours
