we are going to visit Colorado this summer and need some help with itinerary.
As of now we figured out half of it:
Day 1. Arrival to Denver, Colorado springs, pikes peak
Day 2. Canon City, train ride, bridge hike, hotel in Alamosa
Day 3. Alamosa Sand Dunes, waterfalls, Pagosa Springs resort
Day 4. Mesa Verde, Moab Utah
Day 5 Moab, arches
Day 6 ??
Day 7 ??
Day 8 ??
Day 9 ?? hotel in Denver
Day 10- Denver, departure late afternoon

as you can see we are trying to make a circle, starting and returning to Denver. I cannot make up my mind about where to stay day6- day8. I would like to stay in the same hotel and have a base from where we can take short trips. Vail, Fresco, Glenwood Springs, Boulder??? we like to do different activities, hiking, art, museums, nature, boating, wineries.

Any suggestions?

More anon, but on first blush Day 4 is a killer in terms of the amount of miles combined with really wanting to see something of Mesa Verde.

Who's "we" - wife? Hubby? SO? Any kids?

I'm thinking maybe Vail as a base Days 6-8 if you want to spend days and return to the same place each day. From there, Leadville, Rocky Mountain National Park, Breckenridge, Steamboat Springs and Aspen are all day trips, depending on what you want to see.

We are hubby and 13 yo.

Why is Pagosa Springs to Moab via Mesa Verde is far? The directions show me 4 hr drive. So at 7 we leave, at 9 we are in Mesa Verde, can spend there 5-6 hours and drive to Moab by 6 pm. Is it possible? How big is the Mesa Verde?

Cool - then you may want to swing up to Dinosaur National Monument on Day 6.

Having done sections of both drives, I think that's a massively painful driving day. Beautiful, from Pagosa to Mesa Verde, but painful. I'd be more likely to split it, especially with days 6, 7, and 8 undetermined. Easy enough to spend a night in Durango (or wherever), then drive to Moab from there.

Boulder, for one of the other ??? nights might not be bad with a 13 year old. I always had fun on Pearl Street when I was about that age.

I can't imagine being in the southwest part of the state and not doing the circle drive through the San Juans, Durango, Dolores, Telluride, Ouray, Silverton, and back to Durango. Maybe the best mountain scenery in the state. Bypassing the Million Dollar Highway between Ouray and Silverton would be a mistake.
I see you have a lot of desert and desert-like scenery, Sand dunes, Mesa Verde, Arches, but the mountain touring seems to be just what you pass through going to other sights. Pikes is worth a visit, true, but the view into the Grenadiers from Molas Pass is not to be missed!

Questions about Day 1 -

What time do you arrive in Denver?
By the time you pick up the car and drive to Colo Springs, that is at least 3 hours.
Drive to Pikes Peak - and the drive to the top - what time will you leave for Pikes Peak - how much time have you allowed?
Very thin air at the top - you have not given yourself any time to adapt to the altitude. At 14,000 ft, unless you have some special preparation, you are likely to have trouble. I wouldn't want to be the driver.

Bingo. This would also be my suggestion.


Bobette

Thank you, guys, for all great tips. It is our first trip to Colorado, so I am not sure what to expect.
We arrive to Denver at 8am. Google shows 1H30min to Colorado Spring, so I assume by 11:30 we should be in Co Springs, at 1pm at the Peaks, spend there 3-4 hours and spend evening on Col Springs. Is the air at the top thicknesswise much different from the Grand Canyon?

So if suggestion is to spend more time around Durango, Ouray, Silverton, should we cut shrort our days between Moab and Denver on the way back do in in two days instead of four. For example do night in Vail, night in Boulder and last night in Denver?

You are doing to much too soon.

Day 1-3 fine
Day 4 pagoda springs...two options. First is you drve CO 145 to gunnison, then to montrose, then to oursy, silver ton, to Durango then night n Durango or Cortez. Other option skip 145 and go to Durangoa where you could drive to oursy and back or do Durango-Silverton train. Night in Durango or Cortez
Day 5 Mesa verde
Day 6 Mesa verde then n evening drive to Moab
Day 7-9 in Moab. The night f the 9th you drive to grand junction or glenwood springs or aspen.
Day 10 return to Denver

With Mesa verde....there are two parts of the park. Weatherill is only open memorial day weekend through labor day weekend. You needto get timed tour tickets. One day in westherill and the other day in the other part of the park.

You need to go early too...ticket given out at 8am I think...not sure about per registration on Ickes online.

With Moab you have Canyonlands and arches.

With each their are good am and pm times for pics.

Arches...windows is pm, balance rock is pm, delicate arch is both. There are 3 trails you should do...short ne foe windows, delicate arch takes 2 hrs one way up hill and one hr back downhill. For more experienced hikers is shorter.

Canyonlands there is Mesa arch ( know for sunrise photo) but also good late PM. The park has ne side for AM pics, the other side for PM pics. On the way to Canyonlands is dead horse point state park ...best for PM.

They have tours that take a 4 hr jeep Trip into canyon. They have float trips on the odors do outside of the park.

You could do Moab in just 2 days and add a day either in Aspen, Rocky mountain national park after Moab on the way back to Denver, or in monumentally between Mesa verde and Moab.

In Mesa verde you really can't see nything in a short time. The park is because of the old anazani residences in cliff dwellings. Only one near the visitors center is free to roam on your own. The others are all guided tours because they need to protect it from damage.

Pagosa springs to Cortez is about 3 hrs. Cortez to Moab about 2. Mesa verde visitor center from road pull off is 30-45 min depending on traffic/construction.

You could drive to Cortez by noon, be in Mesa verde till 6, eat in Ortiz, then drive to Moab and be at Hotel by 9.

Pikes pek will give you altitude sickness. Your first day/ two you need to pace yourself with hiking.

The flat valleys are around 6,000 feet. Mesa verde is around 8,000 ft. The Colorado passes n roads are generally 9,000 ft or higher.


You will leave Denver around 10am at best. Colo spr is and hr south.

The issue is latitude adjustment. It does take time.

South rim is around 7500 ft. But it takes time for your body to adjust. You need to limit your walking/hiking. Pikes peak is a 14,000 ft mountain. Big difference from 7,000 feet.

I live around sea level.

For me I'm fine below 8,000 feet. I need to take it slow and take a day to adjust if I'm doing 10,000 ft or more.

My personal suggestion ....

Day 1... Drive from Denver to sand dunes national park. Night in alamosa
Day 2... Am in sand dunes, drive CO 145 to gunnison, black canyon, night in montrose or ouray?

There is a great photo spot near roadside at Dallas divide I know.

Day 3... Drive ouray-Silverton-Durango night in Cortez
Day 4...Mesa verde
Day 5 am Mesa verde, pm Moab..alternate PM in monument valley.alternate day 5 --- after mesa verde night in Chinle, am in canyon de chelley, pm monument valley.night in Monticello or Moab.
Day 6-7 Moab..day 7 evening to grand junction.
Day 8... Grand junction to aspen, independence pass to Estes park.
Day 9... Rickey mountain national park
Day 10. Am Estes park, to airport.

Random thoughts:
Day 1, I concur with others to be aware of altitude sickness, etc.

Day 3, consider continuing onto Durango instead of stopping in Pagosa Springs. Chimney Rock is west of Pagosa and would be a good late afternoon short hike, though it likely will still be hot. Walking around Durango in the evening would probably more interesting than Pagosa.

Day 5-6, going east from Utah, your best bet for a group of wineries on this trip (IMHO) will be in the Grand Junction, Palisade, Delta area. For reds, some of my family are a particularly fond of Reeder Mesa winery, south of Grand Junction.

Last few days, particularly if you are thinking of using Marriott or Starwood points, look into the Flatirons Renaissance or the Westin Westminster, respectively. From either of those it would be easy to cover Boulder, Denver, and Rocky Mountain National Park. The Westin is adjacent to a great restaurant/entertainment complex; the Renaissance in close to a large shopping mall and area. Denver Museum of Science and Nature is excellent. In the same area are the Denver Botanical Gardens, which will likely be hot to walk around in during the day but open into the evening usually.

I would respectively disagree with my fellow Front Ranger on one point: if you want to do Steamboat, then route through Steamboat on US 40 rather than trying to hit it while staying somewhere on I-70. Grand Junction-->Dinosaur NP-->Steamboat-->Granby-->Rocky Mt NP --> Boulder area is certainly a viable route (more than one day). The road across RMNP has some great scenery but also gets into significant elevation.

Durango is a terrible place, don't believe all those top ten publications! H'mmm that probably didn't work... If you have a couple of days in Durango, and don't want to eat great food (Ken and Sues, Seasons, Cyprus Cafe...), or enjoy the many Brew Pubs (Steamworks, Carvers, SKA....), then maybe a ride on the historic Steam Train from Durango to Silverton? Hint, a season pass includes a free buddy pass, and cost less than 2 day passes. There is also rafting down the Animas river, 1000s of miles of hiking trails, and yes, don't miss the million dollar highway.

People don't go to Durango for the food. What season pass are you talking about? Welcome to FT although it's a rather odd first post.

Durango is a great place for foodies, try some of my recommendations next time you visit. The DSNGR sells a season pass that is unlimited rides on the train for the year, and includes a buddy pass your companion may use at anytime, the pass owner doesn't need to ride at the same time. Thanks for the welcome, the Durango thread caught my attention, and I figured FT folks would appreciate a companion pass deal, even if it's on rails.