Must See Colorado
Welcome to our Colorado Camping, Scenic Views, and Fishing List.
I asked for the must see places and experiences CO has to offer on IG yesterday, and received such an awesome response I wanted to share it here so you can easily copy and paste this list.
The list focuses on three main things. Dispersed camping, awesome fishing spots, and beautiful views we can drive through. We also enjoy moderate trails/hiking if we can bring Gunner along.
Please make sure to do your own research before you head to a spot. Things can change quickly. For instance Trail Ridge Road was closed yesterday due to a white out… in August! Most places offer more than one thing. A fishing spot might also offer dispersed camping so then you'll see a little tent emoji behind it.
I recommend checking out the comment section of the IG post. So many rad people, nomads, traveler throughs, and Coloradans, giving excellent advice. Some great people to follow!
The list is somewhat grouped together by location, but it’s certainly not perfect.
Sight-seeing
Rocky Mountain National Park. (Reservations needed)
Alpine Visitor Center. Great sunset spot!
Trail Ridge Road (Open Seasonally) 🚐
Old Falls Road, Estes Park 🚐
Estes Park. Listen to the Elk Bugle. Pull offs to see the Elk. Take binoculars. 🚐
Horse tooth reservoir ⛺️
Indian Peaks wilderness is very dog friendly 🥾 🐶
Boreas Pass: 22 mile mountain road ⛺️
Easy 🥾 Go check out the wooden troll, Breckenridge
Iconic Colorado Springs (Google brings up all sorts of awesome attractions)
Garden of the Gods
Cave of the Winds
Manitou Cliff Dwellings
Manitou Springs. 🐶
The Broadmoor Seven Falls: 🥾
Pikes Peak 2-3 hour drive. 14,115 summit. 🚐
Eldorado Canyon near Boulder (They have a moderate, dog friendly hike that leads to the Continental Divide overlook. There’s one road that goes through the entire canyon and town that does lead to a visitor center a couple miles in. Definitely views that you can get from your car.) 🚐 🥾
San Juan Skyway Scenic Byway 235 Mile loop 7 hours (Durando.org very helpful for routes)
The stretch from Durango to Silverton to Ouray is hard to beat. 🚐
Coal Bank Pass summit of 10,660 🚐
Stop at Molas Pass: 10,910 elevation. 🚐
San Juan National Forest ⛺️
Million Dollar Highway climbs Red Mountain Pass summit of 11,075 🚐
Check out Red Mountain itself.
Ouray (Little Switzerland of America) to Molas Pass Million Dollar Highway. 🚐
🚐 Ft. Lewis College at night to see the lights of Durango 600 ft below.
White River National Forest
Mayflower Gulch!!
Maroon Bells. Iconic mountain peaks over 14,000 feet. 🚐
Flat Top Trail Scenic Byway 🚐
West Elk Scenic Byway 🚐
Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP 🚐
Independence Pass to aspen. Near a ghost town. 🚐 Restrictions apply.
Rifle Falls 🥾 short + very pretty hike
Great Sand Dunes
Mesa Verde NP Top Loop Road 6 miles 🚐
Telluride is very 🐶
Village of SnowMass
Paint Mines 🥾
Mt Evans 🚐
Free Camping
There is no shortage of dispersed camping in CO. Campsites are often marked by a fire ring and located on county and forest service roads. Regulations vary and are sometimes marked. Please camp responsibly so that places aren’t shut down because of litter and driving in areas not allowed.
🔍 iOverlander + Freecampsites.net + Motor Vehicle Use Maps by the US Forest Service.
Here are a few locations our friends have perosnally recommended to us
Rabbits Ear Pass
Sylvan Lake State Park
Crested Butte
San Luis State Wildlife area (free with fishing license)
Royal Gorge
Georgetown
Crested Butte
Fishing
Green River. Legendary fly fishing spot.
Turquoise lake ⛺️
Twin lakes ⛺️
Spinney Mountain SP. Trout fishing/boat ramp
Green Mountain Reservoir. Water was very low.
Jumbo Reservoir. ⛺️
Frying pan river in Basalt
Deckers in Denver
Horsetooth Reservoir
Blue River ⛺️
Beuna Vista 🥾 🚐
As we travel through CO, I will post about our favorite locations and update this list.
Hope you find this helpful! Feel free to comment below what we should add to our Colorado Camping, Scenic Views, and Fishing List.