There’s a lot of hype about RVing in Colorado…for good reason! There are so many great towns, attractions, and amazing campgrounds that we couldn’t even fit it all in to one episode, so we are bringing you a two-part series packed full of recommendations. Last week, we told you all about the RVing highlights in Eastern Colorado, and this week we are continuing on to Western Colorado with information from our friend Kerri Cox from Travels with Birdy.

Last week, we talked about Denver, Colorado Springs, Rocky Mountain National Park, but we aren’t quite done! This week, we will head west in the mountains of central Colorado west of the national park, learn about several more NPS sights, and hear about how the landscape changes near the Utah border.

Here is a guest post from Kerri complete with all the information and links you’ll need as you begin thinking about RVing in Colorado:

Last week, we talked about how the Colorado Tourism Office has divided the state into 8 regions, which we are using as our road map to journey through the state from east to west, starting in central Colorado.

While towns like Aspen, Breckenridge, Vail, and Winter Park are usually associated with winter fun in Colorado, this region should not be overlooked in the summer. The cute mountain towns have pleasant summer weather and are super stroll-able, with lots of local shops, galleries, breweries, and restaurants. Plus, the views never end when you’re surrounded by this many peaks!

Press play on the media player above to hear a lot more details about RVing in Colorado.

Photo by Shellie Bailey-Shah

Surrounded by the San Juan and Sangre de Cristo mountains, this region is home to the world’s largest high-altitude desert valley, with the Great Sand Dunes being the top draw. You can find quirky spots around every bend. 

The lush greenery of the Rocky Mountains eventually give way to scrubrush-covered mesas in Colorado’s southwestern corner, which borders southern Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. In addition to cool mountain towns, this region has several National Park Service sites to explore.

Photo courtesy of the National Park Service

Located in the northwest corner of the state, this region runs from the Utah border to the western edge of Rocky Mountain National Park. It offers a mixture of open frontiers, grand rivers, and charming mountain towns, with the most open, sparsely populated areas to the west and the mountainous region to the east.

Side note: If you’re trying to decide whether to stay on the eastern side or western side of Rocky Mountain National Park, check out my post. There are true advantages to picking a basecamp on each side of the park.

As you can tell, RVing in Colorado is simply sublime! Though I’ve visited Colorado many, many times since our first trip back in 2011, I still haven’t come close to seeing the majority of the highlights! In fact, putting these posts together helped me find even more I want to see. For me, Colorado is more of a feeling than a vacation, and that’s what makes me go back again and again.

Don’t forget to check out Part 1: Eastern Highlights to hear more recommendations for RVing in Colorado. And, if you haven’t already and make sure to click on the campground reviews linked above to find full descriptions of many of these awesome RV parks.

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