Road Trip From Austin, TX to Denver, CO
8 National Parks in Two Weeks!?
My friend Julia and I just dropped off our rental car from our 14 day road trip from Austin, TX to Denver, CO. It was an amazing 2,700 mile trip through 3 states and 8 national parks and this is our itinerary:
Day One: Austin, TX
After flying in a picking up the absolute worst car on the rental lot, a 2020 Mitsubishi Outlander that was modeled after 2008 and still had an iPod setting, we got lunch at a Mexican restaurant downtown. Our Airbnb was this studio that was walking distance from the popular Rainey Street. We dropped off our things and went bar hopping.
Day Two: Austin, TX
We started our day with Black Swan hot yoga and went to spend the day on Lake Austin. We went to Motzarts Coffee Shop, Abel’s and Hula Hut throughout the course of the day. Dinner was Terry Black’s BBQ, which was delicious and I highly recommend.
Day Three: Austin, TX
Our morning started with an OrangeTheory class, my latest addiction. We then had brunch at Snooze AM Eatery and found ourselves back on Rainey Street to see how many bachelorette parties we could spot. We made the last minute decision to join an evening kayak and bat tour. The bats are a famous part of Austin and a must-see when visiting. We kayaked down the river with our bat expert and kayak guide, Aaron, and watched the sunset before night fell and the bats came out. This is the tour we did and it was well worth the money.
Day Four: Big Bend National Park
An early wake up call, Whataburger for breakfast and a 7 hour drive got us to Big Bend National Park Boquillas Crossing Station by 2 pm. The park ranger at the border warned us we would have to be back to the crossing station by 4 pm or we would be stuck in Mexico overnight, but we took our chances and went anyway.
We crossed the Rio Grande on foot and took a truck ride from one of the guys the park recommends taking into the city of Boquillas for lunch. We came prepared with our passports and cash, both are mandatory for this experience. Lunch was great and we had “the best margaritas in town.” We walked around a bit and then headed back to the river with more than enough time to make it across the border by 4 pm.
It was 112 degrees the day we were in Big Bend, so we had to forgo the Lost Mine Trail hike we had planned. Instead we did a short walk on the Hot Spring Trail and then drove out to see the massive canyons surrounding the Rio Grande. Our Airbnb was this Red Buffalo Tent, about an hour outside the park in Terulinga Ghost Town. The sunset and sunrise were well worth the rough road it look to get there.
Day Five: Guadalupe Mountains National Park & Carlsbad Caverns National Park
Another big driving day - the next park was 4 hours away, Carlsbad Caverns National Park in New Mexico. We stopped halfway in Marfa, TX to see the art installations and got horchata lattes. Prada Marfa is located outside the town in the middle of no where and is hard to miss.
We made it to the Carlsbad Caverns Visitor Center around 1 pm. Timed reservations are mandatory and easy to make in advance on reservation.gov. They have options to take the elevator down or hike the 1.2 miles and see more of the cave. We opted to hike down the massive cave and really enjoyed how unique this national park is. It actually ended up being one of our favorites on the trip.
Our next stop was back in Texas at Guadalupe Mountains National Park. It’s only 30 minutes away from Carlsbad Caverns and is one of the smallest parks I’ve been to. There is no pay station, it’s all honor policy. All four of the available hikes have the same trailhead and share a parking lot. We chose to do the Devil’s Hall Trail, a 3.6 mile moderate hike. I loved how low-key and underrated this park was.
Next, we drove 2 hours to El Paso, checked into our Guesthouse Airbnb and ate Mexican food for dinner yet again.
Day Six: White Sands National Park
A short 1 ½ hr drive north brought us to the glorious White Sands National Park. We opted to walk around aimlessly instead of trying to stick to a trail in the sand. A woman let us borrow her sleds and we had fun goofing around in the park for a few hours. They don’t rent out sleds at the visitor center anymore and only have them available for purchase. Definitely wear sandals and bring sunscreen to enjoy the park to it’s fullest potential.
Down the road was the World’s Largest Pistachio. I was so excited for this stop and it did not disappoint. The pistachio is a 35-foot structure on a pistachio farm. We tried a large variety of pistachios and even pistachio wine! It is a cheesy tourist stop and I loved it.
Next, we drove 4 hours to Albuquerque, NM. We chose to stay at the cheap and dumpy Old Town Econo Lodge so we could be central to all the happenings.
Mexican food for dinner round 3 was at Monroe’s Restaurant downtown. We then walked to Marble Brewery and called it an early night.
Day Seven: Albuquerque, NM
Our morning started off with the best breakfast tacos of our lives at Central Grill and Coffee House. In Albuquerque they have their own chili, which is like a hot salsa, and they believe it belongs on everything. The chilis in that state are next level and I agree, we should put chili on everything. The owner was a nice man who gave us a map of the city with things to do. With that, we decided to drive 12 minutes out of town to see the Petroglyph National Monument. It was one of my favorite experiences on the trip because the walk the park ranger had suggested to us featured so many petroglyphs and we learned a great deal about the ancient cultures that once resided there.
Next, we went to the quirky Hot Air Balloon Museum to learn a bit more about this large part of Albuquerque and it’s history. I would love to go back and see the hot air balloon festival one day! Our next stop was Santa Fe Brewing Company at the Tin Can. It’s a large building made of train cars with multiple food stands and a multilevel brewery.
We ditched the Mitsubishi at the motel and took a $4 Uber to Tractor Brewing and eventually ended up back at Marble. The bartender at Tractor had recommended Sister Bar and their amazing tacos. We walked there with the intention of having Mexican food for dinner yet again, only to find the street was closed for filming. If you get the chance to watch Wiley Coyote vs Acme in 2023, look for me and Julia inhaling bao buns at a ramen restaurant called Oni.
Day Eight: Mesa Verde National Park
Another early morning and a 4 hour drive brought us to Mesa Verde National Park in southern Colorado. Exploring these lesser-traveled parts of Colorado made me love this state even more. Mesa Verde has so much to offer in terms of history, culture and outdoor experiences. The Pueblo people were an ancient culture that once resided in this part of America. They created homes and structures out of the rocks that are still around for viewing today.
We hiked the gorgeous Petroglyph Point Trail, a 2.4 mile moderate-rated trail to see more petroglyphs. The Cliff Palace Loop Trail is closed until July, but even seeing the Cliff Palace from afar was amazing. Our Airbnb was this Shanti Peace Studio and we once again had Mexican food for dinner.
Day Nine: Great Sand Dunes National Park
We woke up early yet again and drove 4 hours to Great Sand Dunes National Park. The High Dunes Trail was a 3 mile, challenging hike due to the sand and elevation. We wore sandals because there is a small stream to cross and we didn’t want our boots covered in sand. However, the sand can get extremely hot in the summer so be cautious.
Next stop was the Valley View Hot Spring, which was along the way to Gunnison. We made a reservation in advance and paid $15/person to enter. We did not know prior to making this reservation that clothing was optional, so that was a small surprise. We managed to find a pool without nude people in it and spent some time lounging before continuing on our way to Gunnison. We stayed at The Wanderlust Hostel and yes, had Mexican food for dinner again.
Day Ten: Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
The national park was only an hour drive from Gunnison, so we slept in a bit and got to the park late after hitting road closures. The Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park has a trail called the Gunnison Route, which we opted to take on the challenge and do. It was 1.8 miles and difficult. Permits are mandatory and the permit has to be returned upon completion of the trail so the park rangers know to not send help out after you.
We encountered rock slides, steep declines and 5 foot tall poison ivy on our journey into the canyon. After a snack and enjoying the views of the Gunnison River, we began our ascent. The route took us about 4 hours in total, which is what the park ranger told us to plan for.
On our way out of the park, we encountered two more road closures and had to change our route to Denver. We eventually made it to I70 and the weather changed drastically to rain and snow as we passed the mountain villages and made it closer to Denver. It became Denver or bust at that point. We tried to improve the situation of all the mishaps and got Cheba Hut subs for dinner. The veggie sub was one of the best sandwiches I’ve ever had. Finally, we arrived in Denver and stayed at Julia’s friend’s house.
Day Eleven: Denver
Paul was in town, so we got brunch with him and our friend Fernando before spending the day at his apartment pool. From there, we all went to Red Rocks for a Sublime concert. Finally seeing a concert at Red Rocks was exhilarating and I can’t wait to go back.
Day Twelve: Denver
After a lazy start to the day, we got sushi at Blue in LoDo. We then explored the area and met up with Paul and Fernando again for dinner at a contemporary Mexican restaurant.
Day Thirteen: Rocky Mountain National Park
We started our day with hot yoga at CorePower and made our way to Rocky Mountain National Park. Even though it was May, it was still snowing there and since we didn’t have spikes, we couldn’t hike it. Instead, we drove around, counted the elk with their fuzzy antlers and stopped at various outlooks. We stopped off in Boulder for lunch at a popular Argentinian restaurant before driving back to Denver. We packed our things up and flew out the following morning.
This trip allowed me to experience so many different land formations, terrain and weather within the span of 14 days. Checking off 8 national parks in one trip made for a lot of driving, but the beauty and variety of this country made it well worth the trip.
