Dallas to denver

[Buckabout]

We are a group of young 60 year old Australians and planning to drive from Dallas to Denver - would appreciate any advice re most scenic route - we have 2 weeks which includes time in the Denver area. Any suggestions would be appreciated.

[AZBuck]

Welcome aboard the RoadTrip America Forums!

If the title of this response troubles you, just know that it's what the original settlers of the area you'd be driving through on the direct route between your two cities called it. Basically, that's because there are almost no forests between the 100º meridian (a north-south line that runs roughly through the center of the Dakotas, Nebraska, Kansas, Oklahoma, and Texas) and the Rocky Mountains. So lots of wide open vistas, but not much in the way of scenery. Personally I like such 'desolate beauty' but it's not for everyone.

I'd actually suggest something a bit different, and that's rather than heading northwest on a more-or-less direct line to head as directly west as you're comfortable with, and then make a big left hook up into Denver. Maybe make your western target the Grand Canyon, come up through some of the great national parks in southern Utah, and then cross the Rockies to enter Denver from the west. You've got the time for such a detour, and if you've not seen this part of the American Southwest you're in for a treat.

But since such a recommendation is well outside any standard routing, I'd like to give you a chance to consider it, and perhaps see what others might recommend, before we get down to details. As a rough guide, just the driving portion of such a route would use up about four or five days, plus time spent out of the car in the parks. You can cut down on that time by not going quite as far west initially, but still going west to the southern Rockies first and working your way north through the mountains rather than just driving all the way on the High Plains. So, you will have to decide on how you want to split your time between Dallas, driving, and Denver as a starting point.

AZBuck

[Buckabout]

Morning everyone - we r a group,of Australians travelling to US, we have 2.5 weeks - starting in Dallas and wanting to drive to memphis, visit gracelands then head to Denver in this time. Any suggestions for routes, things to see, is this trip too big for this route. We r leaving one coil,e in Denver and then we have an extra week after that time to drive back to Denver. Any help would be appreciated

Moderator Note: Please keep all posts about this trip in your original thread.