I was going to echo was AZBuck said. You are biting off a lot in a short period. The driving in the mountains will tire you especially after constantly checking in and out of hotels. Going from SW Colorado then to the Dunes then CO springs then RMNP then Denver in a few days? If you have the energy to pull all of this off, good luck. I always think I can do it until I hit the wall. In 2019 I did a trip to Nebraska Sand Hills, Colorado (5 days), drove to the Black Hills area (5 more days), up to North Dakota for Teddy Roosevelt NP and after 14 days I was really tired so I decided to drive back home. Your trip is jam packed for sure.

I love the Royal Gorge Scenic Railroad trip (3 hours). If you do it, do the Vista Dome car. The Royal Gorge park up at the top of the Gorge is not bad for the views but not essential. I like the Mollie Katherine Gold Mine tour (did it twice) in Cripple Creek. Pikes Peak is great. I do agree with you to avoid the longer drives and bite off smaller pieces. Unfortunately you have to change hotels to do that.