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Want to head out of town but tired of burning through road games crawling up I-70? That interstate isn’t the only gateway to grand adventures in Colorado. Turn south instead, heading off U.S. 285 or I-25 where solitude and open roads are all but guaranteed—along with new options for glamping, mountain and gravel biking, entertainment, and learning more state history.
Read More: 11 Weird and Wonderful Colorado Roadside Attractions
1. Stay overnight at not one, but two drive-in movie theaters in the San Luis Valley.
The Frontier Drive-Inn reopened in 2022 under new ownership, with a restored neon sign, the original 80-by-40-foot screen, and state-of-the-art film equipment. Park a lawn chair (instead of your car) on the grass and bundle up for an evening under a star-filled sky, then tuck into either a yurt heated by pellet stoves or an en-suite Steelmaster shed, complete with Pendleton blankets, blonde wood-paneled walls, and private decks with movie screen views. (Popcorn is free; the Frontier Drive-Inn is open Thursday to Saturday, Memorial Day weekend to October.)
The Star Drive-In, in Monte Vista (not to be confused with another historic drive-in of the same name in Montrose, three hours to the northwest), situates the fittingly retro Best Western Movie Manor alongside the two screens, one of which can be watched from most rooms, either lounging in bed or at two-top tables and with sound broadcast from in-room speakers. The decor preserves much midcentury charm, paired with flourishes from celebrities and icons of that era, and the venue also hosts popular car shows that recall the 1950s heyday of American romance with the automobile. Call or check the website for movie schedules. (Tickets for the drive-in are just $9, and kids 11 and under are free.)
Read More: The Last 7 Drive-In Theaters in Colorado
2. Take an architectural tour of the National Historic District in downtown Trinidad.
Trinidad was Colorado’s coal-country capital at the end of the 1800s, and its downtown historic district preserves that boomtown era in one of the best collections of Victorian-era civic and commercial architecture in the state, much of it intricately adorned.
“Trinidad is one of those places where it helps to get out of your car and walk,” says Patrick Eidman, chief preservation officer and deputy state historic preservation officer with History Colorado. “The ornamentation on the buildings sometimes really gets lost unless you get out and study it.”
Standout structures include the First National Bank, with its stone Roman arches over its windows and a rooftop gable. Look four directions at its intersection, and every building is a standout in some way, whether with a wealth of bay windows or intricately carved sandstone. These structures now tell the history of the United States, remnants of or testaments to small but sturdy communities, like the Jewish immigrants who built Temple Aaron, a Moorish-influenced brick synagogue now considered one of the longest in continuous use in the American West and the state’s newest National Historic Landmark.
Refresh with a cuppa and a baked sweet at the Trinidad Tea Company in the Fox Theater, where work is underway to restore the original building’s beauty and, eventually, revive the venue. Sleep on theme in the Well Hotel, built in 1888, and raise a toast to Trinidad’s storied past in the self-pour taproom, where you can choose from 18 varieties of beer, wine, sake, coffee, and kombucha. Stretch your legs on more than 16 miles of trails in one of the newest state parks, Fishers Peak, named for an iconic high point on the east side of I-25. That includes a majestic summit trail, which climbs to the 9,633-foot eponymous peak (note that this route closes seasonally for several months in the spring to provide nesting habitat for falcons—check the park website before you go).
3. Pedal mountains and canyons near Del Norte.
Which rig should you take if you’re traveling to the Del Norte area? Well, take two, says Mick Daniel, executive director of San Luis Valley Great Outdoors (SLV GO). Mountain biking trails in the area offer—yes, he hates to say it—Moab-esque slickrock and technical stretches for a fraction of the drive time. But the area’s bountiful dirt roads are also getting a reframe for gravel riding, with a recent Gravel Adventure Field Guide for navigating nearly 8,000 square miles of farms, wetlands, dunes, and high deserts through the San Luis Valley. (The company has also produced similar guides for Ridgway and Southwestern Colorado, the Spanish Peaks, Pueblo, and the Grand Valley.)
A summer favorite for gravel grinders, the Rio Grande Traverse travels 66 miles along the Rio Grande and climbs 4,700 feet into the San Juan Mountains along old mining and timber roads. Expect little traffic, big views, and to share a little ground with the iconic Continental Divide bike route.
The SLV GO also operates Tin Can Camp, a group of small sheds that climbers and cyclists can use for cooking and sleeping along the trail. Proceeds benefit the organization’s trail-building and maintenance crew.
Read More: How Tin Can Camp Is Giving Back to the San Luis Valley
4. Explore ancient dwellings outside Durango (but, no, not those dwellings).
Villages, great kivas, cliff dwellings, shrines, and petroglyphs—the list sounds sure to steer a traveler to Mesa Verde National Park. But at least 8,300 archaeological sites lie within Canyons of the Ancients National Monument—with a fraction of the hassles and crowds. Ancestral Puebloans thrived there 700 years ago, building these structures as part of a network of communities laced together by ancient road systems. Stone-walled dwellings tuck into rose-colored sandstone nooks, towers step up to views of distant peaks, and deep kivas, the subterranean circular chambers once covered, are now open to the sky. Hike Sand Canyon, which meanders through yucca, juniper, and sage, to skirt an ancient pueblo girded by lookout towers.
A nearby visitor center and museum hosts exhibits on archaeology, local history, and indigenous cultures. Spice up your stopover by catching a star party on September 19. (Still itching to see Cliff Palace? It’s just 12 miles away, so you can double up.)
5. Take in a story on a scenic route near Cañon City.
Highway 50 meanders along the Arkansas River, passing tawny and tangerine bluffs, pink-striped canyon walls, and scattered pinyon and juniper trees through Bighorn Sheep Canyon. The kaleidoscope of colors prompted drivers on the canyon’s first one-lane dirt road to dub it the “Rainbow Route.”
That’s just part of the history packed into the Royal Gorge Region and Tourism Colorado’s audio tour, released through the TravelStorysGPS app. Drive to one of its GPS coordinates, and the app starts retelling tales of coal miners, Jewish immigrants drawn to establish the community of Cotopaxi, and a railroad war that saw rail companies competing to be the first to lay track through Bighorn Canyon, with a shoutout for spots to stop and scan hillsides for the gorge’s namesake wildlife.
“People want to know, why is Cañon City here, why did that happen, was it mining, was it the railroad?” says Lynda Larsen, who works with the local chamber of commerce. “A lot of people are really interested to hear, actually, Cañon City was a prison community first.”
The historic tidbits might spark interest in learning—and exploring—more, like the Royal Gorge Bridge or the Tunnel Drive Hike, where hikers and bikers traverse the Royal Gorge’s walls and tunnels carved into the cliffs. Don’t miss the chance to dip into downtown Cañon City to visit the speakeasy-style cocktail lounge, the War Room, or sip a craft cocktail at Fremont Public House, the original bar in the historic, newly renovated Hotel St. Cloud.
6. Just rough it.
The state’s already abundant glamping options just keep growing. Pitch your own tent at Ramble, in Mosca, near Great Sand Dunes National Park, where sites politely spaced from one another are outfitted with smokeless fire pits ringed by Adirondack chairs, outdoor kitchens with a two-burner stove and sink, and solar-powered outlets. (A Ramble location has recently opened near Mesa Verde too.)
Also in the San Luis Valley, the existing glamping tents at Rustic Rook Resort are joined by BYO tent sites and the Grain Bin Villas, which are, as the name suggests, climate-controlled grain bins with a sleeping loft.
The state’s first geodesic domes opened last year at the Pagosa River Domes, with 14 of the shelters situated so guests wake to sunrise on the banks of the San Juan River, insulated for any season, and just off the eastern edge of Pagosa Springs.
More of a four walls kind of sleeper? The new (as of 2023) LOGE Wolf Creek in South Fork begs to be an adventure base camp, with RV hook-ups near the hot tub and fast access to places for fishing, SUPing, and hiking in the San Juan Mountains.
Read More: 7 Western Destinations Where You Can Glamp This Summer
7. Dig into Pueblo’s farm scene.
Pueblo might be better-known for its rail hub and a steel mill, but the county is also a haven for multigenerational, family-owned farms, which means roadside stands dole out freshly picked corn, beans, squash, pumpkins, beets, watermelons, cantaloupes, and the now-famous chiles. Keep an eye out for stops that include lunch delis or on-site grills for firing bratwursts and squashes to enjoy with other fresh goodies like jams, jellies, and salsas.
Time this one for August or September to catch chile roasters up and running and produce like the famed Rocky Ford cantaloupe while harvest is in full swing. The Palmer Land Conservancy hosts an interactive map and published a guide that includes a calendar for what’s in season when and a map for biking a loop among some of the smaller communities in eastern Pueblo County onto the Saint Charles River mesa. It’s all an easily overlooked gem, says Wesley Trimble, communications manager for the Conservancy: “People could just pass on I-25 and not even know that there’s this incredible farming community out there that produces some of the best produce in the state.”
8. Watch hot air balloons lift off over Pagosa Springs (and maybe take a soak, too).
More than 40 brightly colored hot air balloons will take flight early in the morning on September 13 and 14 as part of the annual Colorfest Weekend in Pagosa Springs. Arrive early to sample small bites from local chefs at the Friday night Passport to Pagosa Wine and Food Festival, and return Saturday afternoon for the Bands & Brews Craft Beer Fest, followed by a Night Glow balloon flight. Both events will take place at Yamaguchi Park; refer to the Pagosa Chamber of Commerce website for more details.
Even if you can’t make Colorfest weekend, consider a day pass or a weekend getaway at Pagosa’s recently renovated, upscale Springs Resort, where guests can dip in more than 50 soaking pools. The sprawling property includes the world’s deepest geothermal hot spring. It extends for at least 1,002 feet underground, as verified by Guinness World Records. Sign up for an aqua sound bathing class, take the cold-water warrior plunge (during which guests are encouraged to yelp as loud as they can), or simply lounge with a cocktail on the Relaxation Terrace.
Read More: How to Make the Most of Your Stay at the Newly Expanded Springs Resort
9. Sip acclaimed wines in unlikely Cortez.
Southern Colorado isn’t well-known as a wine destination, but perhaps it should be. Sutcliffe Vineyards, nestled in ruggedly beautiful McElmo Canyon, has received top ratings from Wine Enthusiast for its Merlot, Syrah, and Cabernet Franc. The high-desert environment here isn’t well-suited to growing grapes—one writer called McElmo Canyon “the most unlikely place in America to grow grapes for fine wine”—but founder John Sutcliffe, who grew up in Wales, considered that an intriguing opportunity, and he experimented until he found hardy varietals that thrive in the desert soil.
Make a weekend of it and book the winery’s on-site Tower Suite, overlooking the vineyard, for an overnight stay, or head five miles southwest to stay at the Canyon of the Ancients Guest Ranch, where you can stay in a Sky Kiva or Star Tower, both built in the traditional pueblo style. Both offer excellent stargazing. On your way home, stop by the tasting room of Yellow Car Country Wines and Meads, where owners Jean and Jim Wooten specialize in fruit wines. Adventurous palates will enjoy the Wicked Peach, spiked with jalapeño, or the delicate, floral Lavender Mead.
10. Go horseback riding and camp out in Mancos.
Wild horses sometimes stroll alongside the bridled ones carrying visitors on the half-day Tribal Park Ride offered by the cowboys at Mesa Verde Stables in Mancos. Wending its way through Ute territory, the guided route includes lunch inside a traditional cliff dwelling. Families with small kids or first-time riders might be better off sticking to the shorter, tamer one-hour Ranch Ride, which rambles across the sprawling, 520-acre Rustlers Roost Ranch.
After your ride, head nine miles north to Mancos State Park, whose Jackson Gulch Reservoir is a peaceful spot for fishing and paddling (note that swimming is not permitted). Visitors can choose from 32 scenic campsites, or spring for one of two yurts, each of which can accommodate up to six guests. The yurts are on the spartan side—you’ll need to bring your own bedding and use a nearby vault toilet—but at just $90 a night, they’re a steal, and grilling dinner outside under a cathedral of tall pine trees promises to be a core memory.
