Places to see in Colorado and nearby in Utah
Driving Distances:
Mesa Verde National Park in Cortez, Colorado: 125 miles = 201 km (3 hours)
Dinosaur National Monument: 227 miles = 365 km (4:15 hours)
Durango, Colorado: 70 miles = 112 km (2 hours)
Glenwood Springs, Colorado: 185 miles = 297 km (3.5 hours)
Grand Junction, Colorado for : 98 miles =157 km (2 hours)
Moab, Utah for Arches National Park and Canyonlands National Park: 166 miles = 267 km (3.5 hours)
Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park: 50 miles = 80 km (1 hour)
Mesa Verde National Park, Preserving the “Works of Man”
Mesa Verde, Spanish for green table, offers a spectacular look into the lives of the Ancestral Pueblo people who made it their home for over 700 years, from A.D. 600 to 1300. Today the park protects nearly 5,000 known archeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings. These sites are some of the most notable and best preserved in the United States.
Recommendation:
Make a 2-3 day loop, Drive the San Juan Skyway. The San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway covers 236 miles of terrain across southwestern Colorado. This loop travels through Durango, Mancos, Dolores, Stoner, Rico, Telluride, Ridgway, Ouray, and Silverton. Be sure to allow at least two days to see everything this byway has to offer.
Dinosaur National Monument
Dinosaurs once roamed here. Their fantastic remains are still visible embedded in the rocks. Today, the mountains, desert and untamed rivers flowing in deep canyons, support an array of life. Petroglyphs hint at earlier cultures. Later, homesteaders and outlaws found refuge here. Whether your passion is science, adventure, history or scenery, Dinosaur offers much to explore.
The Quarry Exhibit Hall, located over the world-famous Carnegie Dinosaur Quarry, is open! The Quarry Exhibit Hall allows visitors to view the wall of approximately 1,500 dinosaur bones in a refurbished, comfortable space. Here, you can gaze upon the remains of numerous different species of dinosaurs including Allosaurus, Apatosaurus, Camarasaurus, Diplodicus, and Stegosaurus along with several others. Exhibits, including an 80-foot long mural, reveal the story of these animals and many others that lived in the Morrison environment during the late Jurassic. There are even several places where you can touch real 149 million year old dinosaur fossils!
Canyonlands National Park
The Green and Colorado Rivers separate Canyonlands into three land districts in addition to the Horseshoe Canyon detached unit. Each destination within Canyonlands offers different opportunities for sightseeing and exploration.
The Island in the Sky mesa rests on sheer sandstone cliffs over 1,000 feet above the surrounding terrain. Every overlook offers a different perspective on Canyonlands' spectacular landscape. The Island is the easiest district to visit in a short period of time, offering many pullouts with spectacular views along the paved scenic drive. Hiking trails and four-wheel-drive roads access backcountry areas for day or overnight trips.
Arches National Park, Moab, Utah
Arches National Park contains the world's largest concentration of natural stone arches. This National Park is a red, arid desert, punctuated with oddly eroded sandstone forms such as fins, pinnacles, spires, balanced rocks, and arches. The 73,000-acre region has over 2,000 of these "miracles of nature." 10 miles north of Moab, Utah: 166 miles (3.5 hours).
A popular activity across Colorado is to hike or scramble to the top of many of our peaks, specifically the tallest mountains over 14,000 feet. Find more information at www.14ers.com
