5 Fantastic Road Trip Stops in Southern Colorado
Are you looking for fun road trip stops in Colorado, between Denver and New Mexico? I was, and what I found completely blew me away!
Our family went on a big road trip through the Central United States, from South Dakota (the Mount Rushmore area) all the way down to New Mexico (to fantastic sites like White Sands and Carlsbad Caverns.) So when I was planning and researching, things to see in southern Colorado, I was honestly just hoping to find a few fun sites to break up the drive after leaving Denver. At the time, I had no clue just how amazing and memorable these quick road trip stops would be.
In southern Colorado we ventured 1,000 feet down into the earth on the only vertical shaft mine tour in America to see a historic gold mine. We walked alongside more than 300 actual dinosaur footprints and even placed our hand on one for an incredible comparison. We also visited the highest sand dunes in all of North America and had a blast running down their gigantic slopes. And this was just the beginning of the amazing sites we found!
Southern Colorado is simply bursting with hidden gems and fantastic road trips stops. And here I would love to share with you our 5 favorite sites in case you too would want to add them to your own road trip through this spectacular area!
1. DINOSAUR RIDGE
Dinosaur Ridge is the #1 Track Site in the United States with over 300 well-preserved, Real Dinosaur Tracks!
It was completely amazing to see so many incredible, individual tracks in this one spot, and they were from three distinctly different dinosaurs. And better yet, (in a small roped off section here) you can even touch these dinosaur footprints with your very own hand! (see picture below) This was not only a highlight for my three boys but for me as well. Look how big their footprints were!
MORE DINOSAUR RIDGE HIGHLIGHTS
Another highlight for our family at Dinosaur Ridge was that we were able to touch a real dinosaur bone, still encased in the sandstone rock! I loved this! This bone can be found right along the main trail and it is just sitting in the rock, partially exposed, and exactly how a paleontologist would find it.
Other highlights here include seeing where the world’s first Stegosaurus was discovered, viewing a bulging footprint of a dinosaur, getting a spectacular look at the layers of the earth and even seeing ancient crocodile tracks (yes, crocodile tracks in Colorado!)
Dinosaur Ridge, located only 20 minutes west of Denver, is an absolutely fantastic site to visit and a great addition to any road trip through Colorado.
Read More Here:
POPULAR TOURS NEAR DENVER
2. GARDEN OF THE GODS
Garden of the Gods, located in Colorado Springs, is a spectacular road trip stop that is literally on way, when heading south from Denver to New Mexico. Here dramatic red sandstone formations rise 300 feet in the sky all around you in this free, fantastic park.
At Garden of the Gods, you can simply drive through this picturesque park or you can chose from more than 15 miles of trails to explore and wander among these impressive formations.
GARDEN OF THE GODS HIGHLIGHTS
At Garden of the Gods, the Perkins Central Garden Trail is one of the top spots to visit in the park. Here you can walk on a stroller-friendly path and easily wander among these gorgeous, towering red rock formations.
If you are looking for an impressive formation that can be viewed right from your car, then check out Balanced Rock. (see picture above) I absolutely loved the vibrant colors on this formation and I couldn’t believe how the road literally goes right next to it!
Garden of the Gods also has a few trails that really get away from the crowds, like Ridge Trail. Although you won’t be walking among the towering sandstone formations, the scenery is spectacular here and this fun dirt trail was actually our boys’ favorite!
Read More Here:
POPULAR TOURS NEAR GARDEN OF THE GODS
3. PIKES PEAK
Pikes Peak is the most visited mountain summit in North America and it makes for a fantastic road trip stop between Denver and New Mexico. Here at Pikes Peak, you can drive 19 miles to the 14,115 foot summit on the Pikes Peak Highway, you can ride up to the top on the Pikes Peak Cog Railway or you can even hike up this beautiful mountain on Barr Trail.
Where is Pikes Peak Located?
The bottom of Pikes Peak is located only 15 minutes from Colorado Springs and I-25. It is literally on the way when traveling south between Denver and New Mexico.
This is one road trip stop that our family had planned on doing but unfortunately we were unable to at the last minute. We had driven up Mount Evans, just west of Denver, the previous day and sadly myself and two of our children did not do well with the altitude there at all. (Its summit is 14,130 feet.) We’re from Florida and I don’t think we gave ourselves enough time to adjust. After that experience we had to change our plans and we did not get to enjoy Pikes Peak. But I wanted to include it here because it is such a highly rated site and I didn’t want you to not know about it. I am hoping that our family will get the chance to visit this top site the next time we are in southern Colorado. It looks amazing!
4. MOLLIE KATHLEEN GOLD MINE
Descend 1,000 feet into the earth on the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine Tour in Cripple Creek, CO. This is the only vertical shaft mine tour in America and we thought it was fantastic!
On this Amazing 1 Hour Tour You Will:
- Descend 1,000 feet into the earth on a two minute vertical shaft elevator ride. (This is equivalent to 100 stories down!)
- Take a short ride on the underground tram air locomotive. (We felt like we were at Disney World on this fun tram ride!)
- See a demonstration of real mining equipment. (Don’t forget to plug your ears, it’s really loud.)
- View actual Gold Veins still in the walls of the mine! (So cool!)
- We even were allowed to try and operate/peddle the rail bike down in the mine! (This was a definite highlight for our family!) (See picture below)
- And to top it off, we each received a free sample of gold ore at the end of the tour! (Our kids were absolutely ecstatic to get this! And it was a perfect ending to our fantastic tour.)
Where is the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine Located?
The Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine is located about 1 hour west of Colorado Springs.
The Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine Tour is extremely well done and it is very informative. There are a lot of hands-on interactions and we think this would be fantastic addition to any road trip going from Denver to New Mexico.
5. GREAT SAND DUNES NATIONAL PARK
When thinking about visiting giant sand dunes, like the ones above, Colorado was probably the last place that would have come to my mind. And yet here in this state, known for its mountains and snow skiing, sits the largest dunes in all of North America!
I was completely dumb-founded when I first discovered this amazing national park in Colorado. But once I saw pictures of it, I knew we had to go.
At Great Sand Dunes National Park, giant sand dunes rise over 750 feet into the air! Beautifully wind sculpted, and spanning over 30 miles, this breathtaking sea of sand, is just begging to be played on. And that’s exactly what we did!
Great Sand Dunes Highlights
Our family spent several hours running up and down these enormous, sandy slopes. I couldn’t believe that this incredible dessert landscape was actually in the United States. It was amazing! We even chose to stay the night near here (with my original thought being to have an easy place to get the kids all cleaned up after playing in the sand,) but even the hotel itself turned out to be an amazing hidden gem with a gorgeous sunset view!
Where is Great Sand Dunes National Park Located?
Great Sand Dunes National Park is located 1 hour north of the New Mexico Boarder and just over an hour west of I-25. If you are heading to Taos, NM to see one of the oldest continuously inhabited communities in the United States, then Great Sand Dunes National Park may only be 30 minutes from your path.
Great Sand Dunes National Park and staying at the Great Sand Dunes Lodge was an absolute blast for our family and a definite highlight on our road trip through Colorado!
Now you’re all set with some fantastic road trip stops to check out while traveling through southern Colorado. Let me know in the comment box below if you have any questions, comments or other great road trip stops that you’d like to share. I’d love to hear about them!
Have a Great Road Trip in Colorado with Your Traveling Feet!
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