Colorado
Colorado RV Travel Destinations
Colorado was named for the Colorado River and is also called The Centennial State. Colorado is one of our favorite states to visit while we travel in our RV. Colorado is rich in pre-historic and early American history. Even though our travels include more than our national parks, they are a popular RV travel destination for us. We are providing a list of Colorado’s 13 national parks below.
- Bent’s Old Fort National Historic Site, La Junta, CO
- Black Canyon Of The Gunnison National Park, Montrose, CO
- Cache La Poudre River Corridor, CO
- California National Historic Trail, Various States, CA, CO, ID, KS, MO, NE, NV, OR, UT, WY
- Colorado National Monument, Fruita, CO
- Curecanti National Recreation Area, Gunnison, CO
- Dinosaur National Monument, Vernal, Utah & Dinosaur, Colorado, CO,UT
- Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument, Florissant, CO
- Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve, Mosca, CO
- Hovenweep National Monument, Blanding, Utah & Cortez, Colorado, CO, UT
- Mesa Verde National Park, Cortez and Mancos, CO
- Old Spanish National Historic Trail, AZ, CA, CO, NV, NM, UT
- Pony Express National Historic Trail, Various States, CA ,CO, KS MO, NE, NV, UT, WY
- Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park and Grand Lake, CO
- Sand Creek Massacre National Historic Site, Kiowa County, CO
- Santa Fe National Historic Trail, CO, KS, MO, NM, OK
- Yucca House National Monument, Cortez, CO
In our RV travels, we like to support local businesses, especially restaurants as we like to try the local cuisine vs the chain restaurants. We have included, if applicable, our recommended RV parks and any restaurants we particularly liked in these areas. As RV parks, attractions and restaurants can change owners and/or management, we cannot guarantee the same level of food/service/accommodations as we experienced so please check current reviews and recommendations. Reviews of businesses can usually easily be found on the internet by searching for the business name.
Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad & Museum, Durango, CO – This is a fabulous train ride from Durango, CO to Silverton, CO with beautiful views. You will be going into higher elevation so Silverton can be cooler. We stayed in Towaoc, CO and it is quite a drive from Towaoc to Durango so if you are planning to do more sightseeing in the Durango area, I would recommend staying closer to the town.
Anasazi Heritage Center, Dolores, CO – The center is a museum of the Ancestral Puebloan (or Anasazi) culture and other Native cultures in the Four Corners region.
Four Corners, CO, NM, AZ, UT – The Four Corners is the only place in the United States that four states (Colorado, New Mexico, Arizona and Utah) touch at a single point. This is a remote area with no electricity, running water or telephones. There is the Four Corners Monument, some vendors and porta potties.
Hovenweep Blanding, Utah & Cortez, Colorado, CO,UT – Hovenweep contains six prehistoric, Puebloan-era villages spread over a twenty-mile expanse of mesa tops and canyons along the Utah-Colorado border.
Mesa Verde, Cortez and Mancos, CO – This park protects over 4,000 known archeological sites, including 600 cliff dwellings and offers a look into Ancestral Pueblo people lives.
Lowry Pueblo 27 miles northwest of Cortez, Colorado – Part of the Canyons Of The Ancient National Monument, Lowry is an ancient pueblo constructed approximately AD 1060. You can walk around and inside the pueblo.
Towaoc, CO – Towaoc was our base camp while touring the areas of Mesa Verde; Four Corners; Hovenweep; Aztec Ruins; Durango, CO; Anasazi Heritage Center and Lowry Pueblo.
√ Recommended RV Park: We liked the Ute Mountain Casino and RV Park with a view of the Sleeping Ute Mountain. We have read some complaints about the sites not being level but we did not have a problem as our leveling jacks did just fine. You may want to request a site close to the office for strong WiFi. The weekly rate was very reasonable if you can do better than I did in staying out of the casino!! The casino and RV park are on the Ute Indian reservation and alcohol is strictly prohibited anywhere on the reservation. However, we kept ours inside and did not have a problem. The Ute Indians have Pow Wows in June and August and we were honored to be able to attend one.
√ Recommended Restaurants: Tequila’s Mexican Restaurant in Cortez, CO is excellent. I especially liked the option of ordering your meal “American Style” with a salad and french fries instead of beans and rice (though I always told them to hold the fries). We also enjoyed the menu items at the casino.
Check love-to-rv.com often as we will be adding other destinations as I research back into my journals from previous RV trips and as we continue to travel and find new and interesting places to go.
