Indianapolis to Colorado

I've traveled them and it's pretty much 6 of one and half-dozen of the other. They're all 3 boring, mostly 4 lane except for Hiway 36 across Kansas.

If it were me, I'd hustle to Colorado and then spend any extra time there. There's just not much to see between here and there.

However I do hate I-70, so I travel Hiway 36 if I'm not in a huge rush. Not that it's much better, but it doesn't get the gawdawful traffic that I-70 does.

36 from Indianapolis to the Illinois border is a very nice road once you get out of the Indianapolis - Avon area. I travel that road quite often going out to Rockville, Indiana. (Park County ... covered bridge capital of the world... coveredbridges.com). After you leave Indiana, I don't know what becomes of the road. It eventually turns into interstate farther West. Never been that far on it. But Indiana is good. You'll enjoy the ride.

No question, 36. Done the trip a few times. Done 50 as well but that is a bit south. 36 is mostly a nice road with nowhere near the I70 traffic.

Route 36 across Missouri is a divided highway with 2 lanes in each direction. A nice drive with Hannibal (think Mark Twain) at the east end. Route 36 across Kansas is 2 lane with little traffic. There's a Pony Express staion in Marysville. We did an overnight at Prairie Dog State Park near Norton. IIRC some sites with electric.

Thank you all for the replies.I was leaning toward 36 and it looks like the route I will take. As far as rushing to Colorado, I'll be spending the Summer camphosting at two State Parks on the Western slope and will be doing a lot of exploring while there. Looking forward to seeing areas of the country that in the past I've only seen from the air.

Take my word for it, they look better from the air. :)

They don't call this part of the country the fly-over zone for nothing. Central Missouri, Kansas, Indiana just don't have a lot to offer, scenery-wise. Move a little south into the Ozarks and that's another story.

Agree with the others, about US 36, particularly across Missouri and Kansas. It's a pleasant drive, not difficult at all. While Kansas is not exactly the most exciting state to drive through, there are some incredible vistas to enjoy. For a leg-stretching session, you can stop at the "Geographical Center of the US" near Lebanon KS, just north off of US 36. Old abandoned motel there (someone had a vision at some point in time) and a quaint little park with signs marking the location. Good place to stop and get out for a bit.

When you get to St Francis KS, you could turn north on KS 27 and take that up to US 34, then take US 34 into Colorado, all the way through to Greeley and on to Loveland.

When you get to Loveland, you won't be able to continue on US 34 (nor would you want to) as Trail Ridge Rd through RMNP won't be open until late May at the earliest. You can take US 34 (E And W Eisenhower Blvd) west to Wilson Ave, and take that north into the west side of Fort Collins, where it becomes Taft Hill Rd.

You'll bypass a lot of the traffic in and around Fort Collins, and Taft Hill Rd will take you to the US 287 bypass around Laporte, which in turn will take you to CO 14 which runs west through Poudre Canyon, up and over Cameron Pass, and drops down in to North Park, the area around Gould and Walden. There's tremendous opportunities in Poudre Canyon (many USFS campgrounds open around May 15).

Continue on CO 14 through North Park and you'll meet up with US 40 at Muddy Pass and then take US 40 over Rabbit Ears Pass and then drop down into Steamboat.

None of the passes on this route are overly difficult. Cameron tops out at about 10,400 and is a somewhat gradual climb on the east side. Muddy and Rabbit Ears aren't difficult at all coming from CO 14; the drop down US 40 from Rabbit Ears to Steamboat is somewhat long, but it's a good road.

Forgot to mention, once you get to Denver, there is no real way of avoiding it, you will get on 70 for abit but take the exit to Golden & take the Clear Creek Canyon up to where it joins I70 a little east of Idaho Springs.

A really spectacular ride & quite a shock for any flatlander.

Golden is worth a stop if for nothing else the Coors plant. There is a mountain ovberlooking the town that can be driven up to. Stunning view on a clear day. Fillup before you leave Golden. The altitude & price of fuel do nothing but go up from there.

Thom02099 wrote:
When you get to St Francis KS, you could turn north on KS 27 and take that up to US 34, then take US 34 into Colorado, . . . to CO 14 which runs west through Poudre Canyon, up and over Cameron Pass, and drops down in to North Park, the area around Gould and Walden. . . . Continue on CO 14 through North Park and you'll meet up with US 40 at Muddy Pass and then take US 40 over Rabbit Ears Pass and then drop down into Steamboat.

Highly recommend this route as well. Avoids Denver completely, more scenic than most other routes, and shorter than going all the way down to I-70 and the Eisenhower Tunnel. Then, after spending all summer in Steamboat, you can return on a very scenic route via US 40 to CO 9 to US 24 to US 50. Lots of historic sites to visit along US 50 because it follows the Mountain Branch of the Santa Fe Trail across eastern Colorado and Kansas.

CloudDriver is correct, Prairie Dog State Park just west of Norton has several sites with electric and water. FWIW I live in Norton so I know a little something about 36 across Kansas. Low traffic is the truth but for RV'ing I view that as a very good thing. Once you get past Oberlin and on toward St. Francis the scenery changes a bit and you go from high prairie to almost-desert in some places. If you wish to stay on 36 once you cross the Colorado line be aware that there is almost nothing until you get to Byers and I-70. I remember driving that route once a few years ago (first time I had gone that way) and truly wondered if the world ended and no one bothered to tell me. Thank heaven for satellite radio!!

I think I'd do what some others have suggested: Turn north at St. Francis and get to US 34, then go west again into Colorado. More towns and some nice scenery around Wray.