I25 Fort Collins south to

Thom02099 wrote:

fanrgs wrote:

john&bet wrote:
Fanrgs, I have question for you. Since we are tourist from out of state that must travel from Ft. Collins south to New Mexico in mid Sept. what route would you suggest? Thanks

My first question for you is: where in New Mexico? Second is: do you have a time constraint or several days for the route? Third is: do want to see Colorado scenery or just Colorado cities?

If I were from Indiana and had not spent much time exploring Colorado, I would want to see some mountain scenery. If you have already been to Rocky Mountain NP, I would suggest taking US 287 to Longmont, CO 119 to Boulder, CO 93 to Golden, and US 6/C-470 to US 285 (just south of Morrison). Then I would take US 285 all the way to I-25 at Santa Fe, New Mexico.

That route takes you into the mountains, but keeps you on some of the easiest mountain passes--Kenosha, Trout Creek, and Poncha--in Colorado because it never crosses the Continental Divide. It also takes you directly to the spectacularly photogenic Collegiate Range, Browns Canyon NM, the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad, and all the tourist attractions in Santa Fe. It is also just a short detour from US 285 to Great Sand Dunes NP, the Rio Grande Gorge Bridge and Taos, Los Alamos and Bandelier NM, and several Indian pueblos (Pueblo pottery!).

If you would like more detailed info on that route, take a look at the "US 285" post on my blog HERE.

I am even looking at going 80 miles east then south on route 71 to US 350 to Trinidad.

This...only if you have a significant time constraint and just want to get south. Otherwise....what fanrgs and busskipper said. US 285 in particular is a magnificent drive; the top of Kenosha Pass is a must stop photo op for the beauty of South Park.

That is the idea. We have planned about two days to travel to Hobbs,N. M. for a family visit for birthdays,especially a 3 year old great grand daughters. Some day we may get the chance for a more extensive visit in Colorado. But this trip is about family from Great Falls,Mt.thru the Black Hills to New Mexico. Thanks for your ideas.