I traveled to Colorado in 2019 with four friends to road trip through part of the state. Below is an in-depth breakdown of the adventure as well as some things I learned along the way.

Trip Details

Trip Dates: August 21-25, 2019

Main Places Visited:

• Garden of the Gods
• Mesa Verde National Park
• Sand Dunes National Park
• Mt. Elbert

Total Cost: approx. $775

Cost Breakdown:

• Flight: approx. $300 roundtrip to Denver.
• Two Airbnbs for a total of four nights came out to be $177/person split between five people.
• Car rental: $73/person split between five people.
• Groceries/Food/Tickets/Gas: $125/person split between five people.
• Miscellaneous: $100

Itinerary

August 21

• 8:50 a.m. arrive in Denver
• Drive 7 hours to Pagosa Springs
  • Tip: About 1.5 hours from Denver, stop to see Garden of the Gods. We spent a few hours here hiking and exploring.
  • Tip: Del Taco is a cheap and delicious fast food option that I always get in Denver.
• Night in Pagosa Springs Airbnb
  • Tip: Since we stayed at Airbnbs we saved money by buying two meals a day in groceries. I signed up for a Safeway card (a grocery store more popular in the Western U.S.) to get access to the discounts and now use it anytime I go to Colorado, Arizona, etc.

August 22

• 8:30 a.m. depart Airbnb
• Drive 2 hours to Sand Dunes National Park
  • Tip: Go sand boarding. Four miles from the park entrance is the sand boarding rental which is first come first served. Sandboarding, sledding and skiing are permitted anywhere on the dunefield away from vegetated areas. From the main Dunes Parking Area, it’s a minimum 0.7 mile hike to get to the small or medium-sized slopes; the top of the first high ridge is 1.25 miles.
  • Tip: Bring thin water shoes as the sand is HOT. Or, plan to sandboard in your socks. I bought a pair of Fitkicks from the gift shop. However, they ripped during the riding but the people at the store gave me a new pair as we left. I have used them since as water shoes and love them. I also wish I had brought a beach blanket and an umbrella to block the sun in between runs.
• Drive 2 hours to Pagosa Springs
• Night in Pagosa Springs Airbnb

August 23

• 6 a.m. depart and and drive 2 hours to Mesa Verde National Park
• Arrive 9 a.m. (stop for breakfast on the way)
  • Tip: We did the Balcony House tour which was the most adventurous. It’s a little over an hour drive to the tour’s starting point so plan accordingly. There were some fun ladders to climb and we learned a ton. Everything you need to know can be found here.
• 3 p.m. depart Mesa Verde and drive 7.5 hours to Leadville
• Night in Leadville Airbnb

August 24

• 5:30 a.m. arrive at the trailhead for Mt. Elbert
  • Tip: We did the Northeast Ridge route which is about 9-10 miles and takes 5-7 hours. This is the tallest mountain in Colorado and was less challenging than Long’s Peak.
• Night in Leadville Airbnb

August 25 

• 10 a.m. depart and drive two hours Denver
• Fly out at 2:20 p.m.