Moving from GA to CO

Hey guys!

So I'm moving to Boulder, CO soon and my brother's gonna come along with me for the ride and fly back here to GA after the trip. We'll be hitting the road Feb 15 and don't have too many time constraints. I've got friends along the way in various cities who I'd like to visit and I'd like some suggestions on scenic routes to take, things to see, places to avoid, and so on.

For the first leg of the trip I'd like to do Atlanta to New Orleans to Dallas. New Orleans sounds like a great spot to spend a day or so and then Dallas I have an event I need to be at anyways so that's a definite part of the trip.

After Dallas we're gonna head west towards CO, visiting a few locations along the way including Phoenix, AZ, Grand Canyon NP, Four Corners, Canyonlands NP, Arches NP, and eventually heading east into Denver/Boulder by way of Grand Junction. I'm hoping the weather is nice and clear for us to make the trek east across the Colorado mountains. I would greatly prefer doing this versus coming up north by way of Colorado Springs.

I'm into photography and hiking so I'm planning on visiting some scenic areas to shoot photos and I'm certainly open to some nice hikes, both to rest and stretch our legs, as well as for the pure enjoyment of the hike.

I've heard Taos, NM has some scenic roads so we could consider taking a detour to cut up there when heading west from TX to AZ.

We will be driving a 97 Toyota Camry and just had it taken to the shop and it's good to go for the trip. I'm up for staying in hotels and hostels when need be and I also like the idea of pulling out my tent and sleeping bag and setting up camp in various locations.

Here is the tentative route I've mapped out via Google Maps.

Any suggestions on locations to visit, places to stay, things to see, things to do, and so on is very much welcomed. Thanks for reading and I look forward to hearing what you have to say! :)

Ariel

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

Many scenic highways and byways hav3 names and booster clubs such as the Creole Nature Trail in southwestern Louisiana, the Turquoise Trail between Santa Fe and Albuquerque, the Coronado Trail in southeastern Arizona, and the Million Dollar Highway in southwestern Colorado. All of those are within your reach on this drive and are worth looking into before you take off. Others have no catchy name but are worth driving nonetheless. Examples include NM-518/NM-76 the 'back way' down from Taos to Santa Fe, AZ-89A through Oak Creek Canyon from Sedona to Flagstaff, and CO-82 over Independence Pass.

For both hiking and camping, check with the National Forests as well as the National Parks along your route. Especially in the forests be sure to ask about distributed or dispersed camping which can often put you in the back woods far from the crowds - for free!

AZBuck

February/March in Colorado-

Nice looking suggestions by AZ Buck. While I was completely blown away with the scenery the one and only time I traversed the Million Dollar Highway, I'd probably want to do it only with an eye peeled on the weather in Feb/March. It's traveled daily, of course, and is tended to by the "Best in the West", but would likely not be very scenic or much fun in a heavy snowstorm.

Oh, and Independence Pass near Aspen is closed all winter.

Foy