Most of the time when someone travels the American west, they either do a road trip or they fly into a place, rent a car or RV and then travel all around before flying back home. This out west itinerary is different in the fact that my wife and I flew into three different locations, rented a car and explored before heading home.
You may or may not want to fly to different destinations. So, you could drive to the different locations instead of flying or you could pick one or two of the areas to go to and explore there.
No matter what you choose to do, I hope this itinerary gives you some direction and inspiration on what is possible when you go to these different destinations out west.
When Should You Go on this Trip
My wife, Tonya, and I did this trip in the summer. We started the trip at the end of July and finished it towards the middle of August.
You could do this trip in the late spring or early fall. The crowds will be smaller but places in Glacier National Park may not be open if going at those times.
Places We Visited
These are the places that we visited on this trip.
- Montana- Glacier National Park
- Wyoming- Yellowstone National Park
- New Mexico- Albuquerque and Santa Fe
- Colorado- Denver, Colorado Springs, and Alamosa
Why We Took this Trip
The main reason that we did a trip like this is the fact that we had the Southwest Companion Pass. The Companion Pass is one of the best things in the world of travel.
It allows you to bring a person with you on any flight as long as there is a seat available. You just have to pay taxes and fees, which is $5.60 one way when flying domestically.
Thanks to the Companion Pass and the points we had, we were able to book four one-way flights each, eight flights in total, while paying just $44.80 in taxes and fees. Having the pass gave us the flexibility to choose destinations freely, knowing that airfare wouldn’t be a major expense. It truly opened up more travel opportunities for us.
If you want to learn more about the Southwest Companion Pass, I wrote a post about how to earn and use it.
Using Credit Card Points and Miles
Beyond using the Southwest Companion Pass and Southwest Rapid Reward Miles, we also used Hilton Honors points, IHG points and Chase Ultimate Rewards points to book 15 nights in hotels.
The nice thing about credit card points and miles is the savings that you get from hotels and flights. This allows you to book experiences that you wouldn’t do otherwise because of money.
On this trip, we saved over $7,000 using credit card points and miles.. You can read a blog post about the different savings we were able to do because of points and miles.
Trip Overview
Day 1: Fly into Bozeman, MT – Drive to Kalispell, MT
Days 2-4 Glacier National Park
Day 5: Drive to Belgrade, MT – Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park
Days 6-7: Yellowstone National Park
Days 8-11: Albuquerque, NM
Day 12: Colorado Springs
Days 13-15: Alamosa, CO
Day 16: Denver
Day 17: Fly Home
Trip Highlights
Here are some of the highlights that we experienced on the trip
- Glacier National Park (Montana)
- Red Bus Tour (Montana)
- Two Medicine/Many Glacier Boat Rides (Montana)
- Yellowstone National Park (Wyoming)
- Trolley Tour of Albuquerque (New Mexico)
- Petroglyph National Monument (New Mexico)
- Sandia Peak Tramway (New Mexico)
- Rainbow Ryders Balloon Ride (New Mexico)
- Anderson Abruzzo International Balloon Museum (New Mexico)
- Albuquerque Isotopes Baseball Game (New Mexico)
- Garden of the Gods (Colorado)
- Pikes Peak Cog Railway (Colorado)
- Concert at Red Rocks (Colorado)
- Great Sand Dunes National Park (Colorado)
- Zapata Falls (Colorado)
- Chimney Rock National Monument (Colorado)
Day 1: Flew into Bozeman – Drove to Kalispell
Bozeman is a great airport to fly into if you plan on doing both Glacier National Park and Yellowstone National Park in the same trip. You can also fly into other airports like Kalispell, Missoula, and Spokane. If you are flying Southwest Airlines, then Bozeman is going to be your best option.
Montana is known as Big Sky country and the drive from Bozeman to Kalispell reflects that title. You will find some pretty scenery as you drive and I know for us the time went by quickly.
Drive Time
It’s around a 5 hour drive from the Bozeman airport to Kalispell.
Where to Stay
The Holiday Inn Express & Suites Kalispell is a nice hotel with high ratings. It has a nice location with many stores and restaurants right around it. It can be even a better place to stay if you use points or IHG free night certificates.
Place to Eat
Pho 888 is a Vietnamese restaurant that offers great food, reasonable prices and large portions. It’s located a few minutes drive from the hotel.
Helpful Tip
If you stay in a hotel near the airport the night before you fly, make sure to check to see if they will allow you to keep your car at the hotel for free. This can save you a lot of money versus paying for parking at the airport. Plus, most hotels near airports have free shuttles to and from the airport.
Days 2-4: Glacier National Park
Glacier National Park
Glacier National Park is called the Jewel of the Continent. It truly is a beautiful park. There is much to see and do while you enjoy the beauty that it has to offer. I’m not going to go into detail about Glacier here since I have a detailed 3 day itinerary of Glacier National Park that you can see by clicking the link.
In the itinerary, you will find places to fly into, regions of the park, renting a car, where to stay, ways to get around in the park, details about the reservation system to get into Glacier, and what we did in the park.
On my blog, you will also find a blog post about the 10 hikes that you can do while in Glacier and a post on 22 great stops to make on Going-to-the-Sun Road.
Day 5: Drove to Belgrade – Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park
There are a number of different routes that you can take to drive from Kalispell to Belgrade. No matter what route you choose to drive there are numerous places that you can stop at to enjoy along the way.
A few of the places you could stop at to enjoy include: CSKT Bison Range, Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, and the Lee Metcalf National Wildlife Refuge.
Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park
Personally, the first four days of the trip were pretty action packed so the only place we stopped at was the Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park. Unfortunately, all the tours were full that went down into the caverns. It’s a beautiful area and the visitor center has fantastic views of the surrounding area. The caves look pretty cool and I believe it’s definitely a place worth stopping at.
Drive Time
The drive from Kalispell to Lewis and Clark Caverns State Park is around 4 hours. It’s around a 5 hour drive from Kalispell to Belgrade.
Where to Stay
The Belgrade Holiday Inn & Express is a nice hotel. Belgrade and Bozeman have many hotel options to choose from.
Where to Eat
If you like Neopolitian style pizza, you will like Pizza Campania. Their pizzas are made in a wood fired oven and taste great. The restaurant has a nice outside seating area. It’s located in Bozeman.
Days 6-7 Yellowstone National Park
Yellowstone National Park
The first national park in the world was Yellowstone. The park is huge and has so many different areas that make it truly unique. There are open plains, rolling hills, canyons, waterfalls, geysers, bison, bears, elk and more.
As with Glacier National Park, I won’t go into detail here about Yellowstone since I have a detailed 2-day itinerary on my blog showing what you can do in the park. In the itinerary, you will see the route we took, places to stay, places to fly into, what we did, and helpful tips that will make your visit more enjoyable.
Day 8: Albuquerque Trolley Company – Old Town
Albuquerque is the largest city in New Mexico and it’s a city that has much to offer. The city has a vibrant art scene, world class museums, outdoor activities, excellent restaurants, a diverse culture, and you can’t forget about route 66.
Albuquerque Trolley Company
A wonderful activity to do is to go on a ride with the Albuquerque Trolley Company. The ride is a fully narrated, multimedia, guided tour in an open air trolley. Along the hour and forty-five route, you will learn all kinds of facts about the city, as well as see different movie and TV show filming sites. If you are a Breaking Bad fan, then this ride is for you.
It’s a great way to get a lay of the land and you may find some things that you may want to do that weren’t on your agenda. Plus, the price of the trolley is very reasonable. You can also buy tickets online to guarantee yourself a seat.
Old Town
After you ride the Albuquerque Trolley ride, you can stay in that area and enjoy the Old Town section of the city. Old Town as you guessed it is the oldest section of the city of Albuquerque. Old Town was established in 1706. Today, you will find all kinds of shops, museums, boutiques, historic lodging, and restaurants.
In the center of Old Town, is located a nice park with benches to relax in. There is also a nice gazebo in the middle of the park, where you can enjoy local musicians and singers playing.
Flight
A one stop flight from Bozeman to Albuquerque can take around 4 hours to complete.
Rental Car
All of the major rental car companies can be found at the airport, as well as Sixt and Ace. Shuttles run every 10 minutes 24 hours a day 7 days a week to and from the rental car center.
Where to Stay
It may sound strange but one of the reasons that we went to Albuquerque was to stay at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa. It’s a beautiful resort with restaurants, horseback riding, a spa, shops, three pools and much more.
The resort is located a 20 minute drive north of downtown Albuquerque. The resort is away from all of the action of the city. Standard room rates are very reasonable for a resort. You can also get great value if you book rooms with Hyatt points. Chase Ultimate Rewards and Bilt points can be transferred to Hyatt.
Places to Eat
The Central Grill and Coffee House is a nice spot to get a bite to eat. The diner has standard diner fare with very reasonable prices. You won’t go wrong if you get the french toast or BLT sandwich.
The diner is located across the street from the Old Town section of the city. The restaurant has a covered patio as well as seating inside the restaurant. We ate here before the trolley tour.
The Turtle Mountain and Brewing Company North is located in Rio Rancho. It is a 5 minute drive from the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort and Spa. The inside of the restaurant has a very industrial vibe to it. They offer pizza, calzones, salads, burgers, sandwiches, gluten free dishes and more. They have very good pizza. The prices were also very reasonable.
Day 9 Highlights: Rainbow Ryders Balloon Ride – Albuquerque International Balloon Museum – Petroglyph National Monument – Sandia Peak Tramway
Rainbow Ryders Balloon Ride
Albuquerque is known for its hot air balloons. Every year there is a nine day balloon festival the first week in October. You don’t have to wait for the festival to enjoy a hot air balloon ride. With Rainbow Ryders, you can take sunrise or sunset rides. It’s truly magical seeing the city from above.
Once you check in and everyone is there, you’ll load up in vans and drive to a spot to take off. As they prepare the balloons to take off, you may even be asked to help with the process of getting the balloon ready to fly, which is kind of cool.
The basket for the balloon holds about a dozen people. Depending on who your captain is on the balloon, you may go down to the local river and touch the water before going back up. The captain of our balloon was Troy Bradley. He once held 64 world records pertaining to ballooning. With a guy like that, you can feel like you are in good hands.
The ride itself was an hour long. Once the ride is over, you can enjoy complimentary beverages. You can expect the whole experience to take between 3.5 to 4 hours.
Albuquerque International Balloon Museum
The Albuquerque International Balloon Museum is a 5 minute drive from Rainbow Ryders. The museum chronicles the history of ballooning from all around the world. There are many different exhibits in the museum with some of them being interactive. A few of the exhibits include: early ballooning, balloons in war, sport ballooning and a ballooning hall of fame.
There are numerous gondolas from famous balloon rides that have crossed the Atlantic Ocean, Pacific Ocean and even around the world. The museum is a great place for families. It was a pleasant surprise with how well it was done and laid out.
There is free admission on Sundays from 9 am to 1 pm. You can also get in free to the museum on the first Friday of every month.
Petroglyph National Monument
The Petroglyph National Monument is a 20 minute drive from the balloon museum. You’ll find 100s of petroglyphs in this area making it one of the largest concentrations of petroglyphs in North America.
If you want to know more about the monument, make sure to stop by the information center. They are more than happy to answer any questions, plus you can get a map of the area. You can also buy a souvenir at the gift shop in the visitor center.
The park has 3 areas where you can hike and look at the different petroglyphs that are carved on the volcanic rock. If you are short on time or just don’t want to do a bunch of hiking, the Boca Negra Canyon area has 3 short hikes where you can see over 100 different petroglyphs.
Sandia Peak Tramway
The Sandia Peak Tramway is a great place to get some great views of the Albuquerque area. Once you are on top of the 10,378 foot peak, you can see 11,000 square miles of the surrounding area.
There are two trams that run every 15-30 minutes throughout the day. It takes 15 minutes to climb the mountain or go down the mountain in the tram. You get some great views as you climb or descend down the mountain.
Once you reach the peak you can hike, eat at the TEN 3 restaurant, see the visitors center, buy something at the gift shop, or ski during the winter. You can take all the time that you want at the peak since it’s up to you how long you want to be there.
Helpful Tips
If you like to hike, you can hike up or down the mountain. You can also drive to the top if you like. It will generally be 20 to 30 degrees cooler on top of the mountain, so you want to be prepared. It was 90 at the base of the mountain when we went and 70 at the top of Sandia Peak.
Tickets for the tramway need to be purchased online. It’s really an easy process. They don’t sell tickets at the tram and wifi is a little spotty there.
Places to Eat
Continuing with the diner theme, another spot you should checkout is located on Route 66 and it’s called the 66 Diner. The diner has been around for years and has a real 50s vibe to it. Make sure to try the burger and fries, they were both very good.
The only complaint that I have is the fact that they didn’t have french toast. What diner doesn’t have french toast? I know first world problems.
If you’ve watched Breaking Bad, you’re probably familiar with the Dog House Drive-In. This iconic spot offers a nostalgic dining experience where you can either enjoy your meal from the comfort of your car or step inside the cozy restaurant. Inside, you’ll find a bar area and six or seven booths for seating.
The menu features a variety of hot dogs, each packed with flavor. The sauce and the dogs themselves are excellent, and the onion rings are lightly battered, perfectly crispy, and delicious. My only complaint? I wish the hot dogs were a bit bigger but overall, it was a fantastic experience.
Day 10: Drive Scenic Route 14 – Santa Fe
Drive Scenic Route 14
Route 14, also known as the Turquoise Trail National Scenic Highway, is an over 50 mile stretch of road that connects Albuquerque with Santa Fe. On this stretch of road, you can enjoy the views on top of Sandia Crest.
You can also stop at the historic mining towns of Golden, Madrid, and Cerrillos. Each one of these towns has shops, restaurants, and museums to enjoy. While in Cerrillos, you can also explore Cerrillos Hills State Park.
Helpful Tip
We drove this route earlier in the morning. Traffic overall was very light and there were many places that you could pull off the road to take pictures along the way. It wasn’t as pretty as some other scenic drives that I have been on but it was still worth the trip.
Santa Fe
Santa Fe is a little over an hour drive from Albuquerque. Just like in Albuquerque, you can enjoy great food, culture, history, museums, a great art scene, unique hotels, and wonderful experiences.
The Railyard District is a great place to visit to browse in shops and galleries, get a bite to eat, enjoy live entertainment, markets, and see free community events. This area has a cool industrial look to it and a big water tower in the center of it.
The San Miguel Church is the oldest church in the continental United States. It was built in 1610. Right beside the church, you will also find the De Vargas Street House. It’s considered to be the oldest house in Santa Fe and the oldest home in the states.
Some other things that you can enjoy in Santa Fe include: the Albuquerque state capitol building, Cathedral Basilica of Saint Francis of Assisi, IAIA Museum of Contemporary Native Arts, Meow Wolf, the Cross of the Martyrs, the Palace of the Governors, Santa Fe Plaza, and the Georgia O’Keeffe Museum.
Place to Eat
The Pantry Restaurant is a highly rated diner that is right in Santa Fe. Yes, I love my diners. The food and service were both terrific. They also have very reasonable prices. You can sit inside or outside to eat. They also have benches outside to sit on if you have to wait for a table.
Day 11: Relax at Resort – Albuquerque Isotopes Baseball Game
When you have a lot of different activities and sites to visit, it can really help to take a day or part of a day to relax. As I mentioned before, we stayed at the Hyatt Regency Tamaya Resort & Spa.
We took part of the day and relaxed around the adult’s pool at the resort. If you are staying with a family, they have two other pools to choose from with one of them having a water slide.
At the resort, you can also bike, get a spa treatment, ride horses, pet one of their rescue horses, play pickleball, or play golf.
Albuquerque Isotopes Baseball Game
If you like baseball or just want something fun and entertaining to do in the evening, then going to an Albuquerque Isotopes baseball game is for you. The Albuquerque Isotopes are the AAA minor league team of the Colorado Rockies.
You can find great seats no matter where you sit in the 13,500 seat stadium.The seats have backs, arm rests and a place to put your cup. The right field side of the park has a grassy area to sit. It also has games and rides for kids to enjoy. We were there in early August and most of the stadium was in the shade after the first few innings.
You can purchase tickets online or at the stadium. Ticket prices are reasonable but the concession stand prices are quite high. They do have a good selection of things to eat and drink. You can find plenty of parking just across the street from the stadium.
Day 12: Garden of the Gods – Pikes Peak Cog Railway – Red Rocks Concert
Garden of the Gods
The Garden of the Gods is one of the most beautiful state parks that you will come across. The park is easy to drive through and since we had some time to kill before our next activity. We took a few minutes to drive through the park.
Pikes Peak Cog Railway
Probably the most famous peak in Colorado is Pikes Peak. It’s one of the many 14,000 foot peaks in the state of Colorado. When you’re at the peak of the mountain, you are at 14,107 feet. There are a number of different ways that you can get to the summit. You can hike, drive, take a tour, or take the Pikes Peak Cog Railway.
I’m not going to go into detail here about the experience since I have a whole blog post about riding the Pikes Peak Cog Railway.
Concert at Red Rocks
Red Rocks is a 9,000 seat outdoor amphitheater that is situated between two soaring red stone cliffs. The amphitheater is one of the most unique and beautiful music venues that you will ever see. It’s located in the city of Morrison which is a suburb of Denver. Some of the biggest names in music have concerts at Red Rocks.
K-Love is a Christian radio station that is broadcast all over the United States. The radio station had a bunch of popular Christian artists coming in for two days of concerts at Red Rocks.
We happened to be flying into Denver the second day of the concert. The artists that were there for the concert included: Patrick Mayberry, Blanca, Katy Nichole, We Are Messengers, Big Daddy Weave and Crowder.
Helpful Red Rocks Tips
If you go to a concert at Red Rocks, you can access the five parking lots via four entrances. Two of the entrances are off West Highway 93 and there are two entrances off South Highway 74.
There will be people who direct you to the correct parking area and where to park. The parking is free and the lots open up two hours before the start of the concert or event. You can also park along the side of the road.
Depending on where you park, it’s going to be about a 15-20 minute uphill walk to the entrance of the amphitheater. You definitely will want to wear comfortable clothes and shoes.
I wrote a post about bucket list places that I wanted to visit with my wife and seeing a concert at Red Rocks was on the list.
Flight
The nonstop flight from Albuquerque to Denver was around an hour and twenty minutes.
Rental Car
You will find all of the major rental car companies, as well as some smaller companies to rent a car from at the airport. Shuttles to the rental car companies run every 5-10 minutes.
Place to Stay
The Hyatt Place Colorado Springs/Garden of the Gods is a nice hotel but if you are paying the cash rate it is a little expensive. If you use points to book a night during the summer, you will only need to use 9,500 points.
Day 13: Focus on the Family – Garden of the Gods – The Secret Garden and Grotto – Amelia Earhart Field Landing Site- 1968 Olympic Marathon Trials Historical Marker
Focus on the Family
One of the most influential organizations in the first 15 years of our marriage was Focus on the Family. It’s a christian organization that helps families raise kids from a christian perspective and to strengthen marriages. They have a daily radio show, as well as kid’s programming, magazines, books, videos and audio recordings.
The organization’s headquarters is located in Colorado Springs. We wanted to visit the campus since they were such a big part of our lives when our kids were younger.
In the Welcome Center, you can see the history of the organization through the years and there is a bookstore. The basement area is great for kids. They have rooms pertaining to the popular kids show Adventures in Odyssey as well as a play area.
Garden of the Gods
The Garden of the Gods is a public park that is 1,367 acres in size. It is truly one of the most beautiful parks in the US. Before entering the park, you will want to stop by the Visitor Center. In the center, there is a theater, souvenir and gift shop, exhibits and galleries, and a cafe. You can also get a map of the park and get any questions answered that you may have.
Once in the park, you can hike on any of the 21 miles of trails. You will find some of the trails are wide and paved while others are more challenging. There are plenty of places where you can climb onto rocks and into crevasses to explore.
Another stop to make in the park includes the Garden of the Gods Trading Post. In the trading post, you can find a general store (which is huge), a restaurant, coffee shop, art gallery, panning for gemstones, and a history walk.
Some other things that you can do in the park include: taking a Segway tour, Jeep and trolley tours, bike and e-bike tours, guided nature walks, rock climbing and commercial group tours.
Place to Eat
Inside the Garden of the Gods Trading Post is the Balanced Rock Cafe. The cafe offers seating inside, as well as a nice seating area outside. They have your typical cafe offerings, as well as buffalo burgers.
Alamosa
After going through Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, we travelled 2.5 hours southeast and went to Alamosa, CO. We stayed with my college roommate and his wife who live in Alamosa.
The Secret Garden and Grotto
If you want to visit a unique spot then the Secret Garden and Grotto is for you. It’s located at 6820 Redwing Lane, Alamosa, CO. The grotto is located in the backyard of someone’s house.
Over the years, the guy has built different buildings, added unique and eclectic things that he has found or people have brought to him. There’s even a small pond in the backyard. You will find a small parking lot right beside the house to park.
Amelia Earhart Landing Site
If you are into history, there is a plaque just outside of Alamosa that commemorates the fact that Amelia Earhart landed in the meadow back in 1932 while she was training for her around the world trip. The plaque is located at 9399-335 County Road 6 S, Alamosa, CO.
1968 Olympic Marathon Trials Historical Marker
If you like Olympic history, you can visit the campus of Adam’s State. On the campus, you will find a marker commemorating the finish line of the first Olympic Trials Marathon that took place in the United States in 1968. The marker also gives you a little background about the marathon.
Drive Time
It takes 2.5 hours to drive from Colorado Springs to Alamosa.
Places to Stay
Alamosa has various chain hotels that you can stay at. There are also local mom and pop establishments that you can choose from.
Place to Eat
The Friar’s Fork serves authentic Italian and Mediterranean dishes in a renovated Episcopalian church. All of the dishes that you get taste wonderful and they are large servings. Right beside the restaurant they have a cocktail lounge called the Sanctuary that serves drinks and all kinds of coffee drinks.
Day 14: Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve – Zapata Falls – Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge – Old Spanish Trail Landmark
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
The Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is located a half hour northeast of Alamosa. The park contains the highest sand mounds in the United States. I’m not going to get into the details about the park here, since I have a post that you can read about spending a day in the park.
Zapata Falls
The road to Zapata Falls is located 6 miles before the entrance of Great Sand Dunes National Park. Once you turn on the road, it’s another 3.5 miles to the parking area to get to the falls. I have more details about visiting the falls in the post about the Great Sand Dunes National Park.
Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge
The Alamosa National Wildlife Refuge is located less than 10 minutes east of Alamosa. The refuge is over 12,000 acres. In the refuge there are wetlands, riparian corridors, river oxbows, and wet meadows.
There are numerous places to pull off of the road to view different parts of the refuge. You’ll want to have a pair of binoculars with you to see the different wildlife that can be found throughout the refuge.
Old Spanish Trail Landmark
The Old Spanish Trail Landmark is located on CO 160 between Monte Vista and Del Norte. The landmark commemorates the historical trail that was used as a trading route from New Mexico to California.
At the site, there are numerous sculptures and a little history about the trail. You can walk back in or drive back in a little bit off the road. There you can still see the grooves that the wagons made over the rocks.
Place to Eat
The Campus Cafe, located near Adams State, is a highly rated spot with a cozy, homey atmosphere. The walls are filled with memorabilia celebrating the school’s renowned running program. Both the food and service are excellent, and the prices are very budget-friendly, which is perfect for college students or people on vacation. Be sure to try the sweet roll! It’s large enough to share.
Day 15: Wolf Creek Valley Overlook – Treasure Falls – Chimney Rock National Monument
Wolf Creek Valley Overlook
From Alamosa to Chimney Rock National Monument, you will travel through the Wolf Creek Pass. The pass is on the Continental Divide and goes through the San Juan Mountains.
Just after you get to the top of the pass and start going down the other side of the mountain, there is the Wolf Creek Pass Overlook. At the overlook, there is a small parking lot. You will have fantastic views of the valley and surrounding mountains from the overlook.
Treasure Falls
You can find Treasure Falls 10 minutes from the Wolf Creek Valley Overlook near Pagosa Springs. The parking area is just off highway 160. It’s a quarter of a mile hike from the parking lot to get to either of the two different observation decks to enjoy the 105 foot falls. The hike to both observation decks is classified as easy.
If you want to enjoy the falls from a little further back, you’ll want to go to the Blowout Overlook. The Misty Deck is a short walk uphill from the Blowout Overlook. The deck is located at the base of the falls. As the name of the deck implies, you will get a little misty at this overlook.
Chimney Rock National Monument
The Chimney Rock National Monument is a 4,627 acre national monument that is located between Durango and Pagosa Springs. There is also an archaeological site at the monument. The Pueblo Indians settled in the area around 1,000 years ago.
Once at the monument, you’ll want to make sure to check out the Visitor Center. There is a room that shares all about the history of Chimney Rock. Across the hall, you’ll find a gift shop and bookstore.
From the parking lot at the Visitor Center, it’s a 3 mile drive up a windy road to the parking lot to hike to Chimney Rock. It’s about a 5-10 minute hike from the parking lot to get a nice view of Chimney Rock and its sister Companion Rock. Near the viewing area is an archaeological site that you can view and learn more about from a park ranger.
Helpful Tips
It cost $20 to enter the monument. If you have an America the Beautiful National Park Pass or other similar passes, you can enter the monument for free.
At the monument, you can take tours, pottery workshops, night sky special events, bird watch, wildlife watch and hike.
Having a pair of binoculars can help with viewing Chimney Rock and other activities in the monument.
Day 16: Colorado Springs and Denver
My wife and I both have family in Colorado. We visited my cousin in Colorado Springs and then we visited my wife’s aunt in Denver. That was the extent of our day.
Here are some other things that you could do in the Colorado Springs and Denver areas if visiting family is not an option for you.
- National Museum of World War II Aviation
- Denver Zoo
- United States Air Force Academy
- Denver Museum of Nature & Science
- Red Rock Canyon
- Seven Falls
- Olympic Training Center
- Cave of the Winds Mountain Park
- Royal Gorge
- Denver Botanic Gardens
- Rocky Mountain National Park
- Denver Art Museum
- Molly Brown House Museum
- Union Station
Place to Stay
The Hyatt Place Pena Station Denver Airport is located 10 minutes from the Denver Airport. The hotel has nice rooms and is located near many different restaurants. Paid prices are reasonable and point prices are even better.
Place to Eat
If you are looking for some good pizza at a reasonable price, then you’ll want to eat at Mod Pizza. The unique thing about them is that you get unlimited toppings for one price. It is located just a few minutes from the hotel.
Day 17: Fly Home
All good things must come to an end. We took an early morning flight out of Denver back to Columbus.
Final Thoughts
Hopefully, this travel itinerary has given you some inspiration and direction of things that you can do when traveling to any of the areas that are in this itinerary.
If you have any questions or would like to leave a comment, please do so in the comment section. I would love to answer any questions or hear any suggestions from everyone.
You can go to my blog Travelwidstom to find more travel itineraries, ways to save on travel, and how to earn and maximize credit card points and travel.
