A scenic 300-mile drive lies between Colorado’s Rocky Mountain National Park and two of Utah’s Mighty 5, Arches and Canyonlands National Park. Visit these three stunning national parks in the American Southwest on a four-day road trip itinerary that starts and ends in Denver.
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Getting There & Around
Denver makes for a great starting point of the trip. The Denver airport serves as the main hub for Frontier Airlines, with low-cost flights arriving from across the country. Renting a car will be essential for this road trip itinerary. From Denver, a scenic one-hour drive leads to the Rocky Mountain National Park entrance in Estes Park.
A free Hiker’s Shuttle runs between Estes Park Visitor Center to the Park & Ride in Rocky Mountain National Park, where you can take another free shuttle bus to most trailheads. There is parking at the start of most popular trails, but it tends to fill up quickly in summer.
The iconic Trail Ridge Road is aptly called Highway to the Sky, reaching up to 12,000 feet of elevation over the course of 48 scenic miles. It crosses Rocky Mountain National Park from east to west, starting in Estes Park and ending in Grand Lake. From Grand Lake, another five hour-drive awaits to reach Moab, Utah. Trail Ridge Road only opens from late May to late October, depending on weather conditions.
Where to Stay
The mountain town of Estes Park is a great base camp to visit Rocky Mountain National Park. It is located less than 10 miles from the two eastern entrances to the park, Fall River and Beaver Meadows. The town has a beautiful mountain backdrop with a river running through it. A lot of scenic lodging options are located along the river, from private cottages to mountain lodges. Many have a hot tub to relax after a day of hiking in the Rocky Mountains.
In Utah, the town of Moab is the perfect gateway to explore Arches and Canyonlands National Park. We stayed one night at the Aarchway Inn, conveniently located on the access road to both parks.
4-Day Itinerary
Day 1 – Arrival in Denver & Rocky Mountain National Park
We flew into Denver on an early morning flight, making it to Estes Park before noon. Fuel up for an afternoon of hiking in Notchtop Bakery & Cafe. Their extensive breakfast and brunch menu is served with amazing views of the Rockies.
The roads in Rocky Mountain National Park can be very crowded in summer, with long lines at the park entrance. As of 2024, the park implemented a Timed Entry System in summer and fall to reduce daily access. You can make reservations for a two-hour entry slot on the NPS website starting May 1st.
Make sure to include the separate access to Bear Lake Road in your entry permit. This area serves as the getaway to many impressive hikes. Warm up with the Bear Lake Trail, an easy 0.7-mile loop around Bear Lake.
After this easy introduction, we embarked on one of the most popular trails in Rocky Mountain National Park. The 3.1-mile Emerald Lake Trail starts from the Bear Lake Trailhead. The trail climbs past several alpine lakes before arriving to the beautiful Emerald Lake.
During Memorial Day weekend, the trail was still partly covered in snow. Despite the lingering snow, wildlife in the Rockies was wide awake.
Unwind from the first day of hiking at The Rock Inn. The cosy interior is perfect for chilly evenings, while patio tables come with sunset views of the Rockies. On the menu are local specialities, including dill-horseradish trout and elk sausage.
Stay: Estes Park, Colorado
Day 2 – Rocky Mountain National Park
The Glacier Gorge Junction is also located along Bear Lake Road. It’s the starting point for several great hikes that sidetrack along the Glacier Gorge Trail. The 8.6-mile Skypond via Glacier Gorge Trail is a challenging day hike. At the end of May, the snow on the last part of this trail still came knee-high. You can opt to only hike the first part along The Lock via Glacier Gorge Trail, which clocks in at 5.4-miles round trip. The trail passes Alberta Falls before climbing to a scenic overlook of the valley.
Mills Lake via Glacier Gorge Trail follows the same trail, only to sidetrack to the left about one mile before reaching Lock Lake. It leads to the scenic Mills Lake for postcard views of the Rockies, adding 1.2-mile round trip.
After a day of hiking, beer garden The Barrel in Estes Park is the place to be. There are over 60 craft beers on tap, offering the best of beer-loving Colorado and beyond. You can build your own taster flight and take home a new favorite craft beer.
Stay: Estes Park, Colorado
Day 3 – Highway to the Sky & Arches National Park
The scenic Trail Ridge Road covers 48 miles between Estes Park on the east and Grand Lake on the west. Nicknamed Highway to the Sky, it travels above the treeline for a large part, bringing you up close with the Rockies’ snow-covered peaks. Rise early to beat the crowds and enjoy sunrise high in the sky.
The beautiful scenery doesn’t end when getting off Trail Ridge Road. The drive from Grand Lake to Moab takes around five hours, during which Colorado’s green mountain valleys turn into Utah’s Red Rock Country.
We headed straight for Arches National Park. The park is home to more than 2000 natural sandstone arches and stunning red rock scenery. We were able to cover most of the popular trails and viewpoints in one busy afternoon. Right after the entering the park, two scenic stops await. The Park Avenue Viewpoint provides a majestic view of the red rocks formations. A little down the road, Balanced Rock is one of the landmarks in the park.
Continue to the Windows Section of the park. There are several short but rewarding trails that lead up to impressive arch formations. The 1.2-mile Windows Loop and Turret Arch Trail connects North Window, South Window and Turret Arch.
Cross the parking lot to access the Double Arch Trailhead. This 0.6-mile trail leads up to two giant arches. In return for a short scramble, you get a beautiful panorama view through the arch.
Leave the Windows Section and continue on the park’s Devil’s Garden area. The most impressive arches and viewpoints in this area are connected by the Devil’s Garden Loop Trail. The trail is 7.9 miles long and includes some fun rock scrambling. The first part of the trail is easy and leads up to Landscape Arch, the longest arch in North America. As of this point, you start making your way up the giant sandstone fins.
After Landscape Arch, the hike gets a little more challenging but the views are well worth it. The trail provides access to four more arches: Navajo Arch, Partition Arch Double O Arch and Private Arch. It then loops around, accompanied by scenic panoramas over Red Rock Country.
We almost reached our arches saturation point, but not without witnessing the crown jewel of the park. Delicate Arch is best left for last, when golden hour lights up the stunning landscape. The Delicate Arch Trail goes uphill for 1.5 mile to reveal the most photographed of all arches.
Stay: Moab, Utah
Day 4 – Canyonlands National Park & Return to Denver
Canyonlands National Park can be divided into four districts: Island in the Sky, The Maze, The Needles and The Rivers. The Island in the Sky Visitor Center is just a 30-minute drive from Moab. This area is by far the most accessible and therefore recommended when you have limited time in the park. With just half a day, we picked three short but rewarding trails in Island of the Sky.
We started with the Mesa Arch Trail, a short 0.6-mile that climbs to a natural frame of the canyon below. The trail is popular at dawn, when you can watch the sunrise through the arch.
The Island in the Sky scenic drive leads to the Grand View Point Trail. This easy 1.8-mile trail is constantly flanked by spectacular views of the canyons. At Grand View Point, you can often catch ranger talks on the geology of the park.
The 1.4-mile Aztec Butte Trail requires some moderate uphill scrambling. Keep left at the fork to climb the Aztec Butte for 360-degree views of Canyonlands.
To visit the more remote areas in Canyonlands National Park, you’ll need at least another full day. We started the drive back to Denver around noon to return home on an evening flight. This marks the end of a packed four-day national park road trip in the American Southwest.
Editor’s Note: This post was originally published in June 2018 and has been updated for accuracy.
Klara the Explorer 
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