El paso TX to Calgary Alberta in 5 days. How to make it Epic?!

[Walter89]

I'm planning to drive from El Paso Texas to Calgary Alberta in mid summer.

I have 5 days to get there i could make it in 2 but i want to make it a fun trip.
What could be the absolute best roads to go there to have some awesome views and places i should not miss out.

I was thinking hwy 1 but then i see all the parks like Yosemite or Yellowstone
and i just get more and more confused on how to make it a epic road trip.

[Lifemagician]

Hi, and Welcome to the Great American Roadtrip Forum.

By the most direct route, this is not a two day drive. This is a minimum of three days, spending 11-12 hours on the road, without any sightseeing. The thought of doing it in two days is irresponsible and extremely dangerous. The law limits professional drivers to 600 miles for safety reasons. After that you are at danger of fatigue, which sets in without you being aware of it until it is too late. Fatigue is every bit as dangerous as drunk driving.

Taking that on board, Yosemite and Yellowstone are pretty well out of the question. Each requiring more than a day to make your visit worthwhile. But look at Colorado. There are so many national parks and exciting drives in CO. You could drive Pikes Peak. There is the Million Dollar Highway, an interesting and challenging drive, and then there is the highest continuously paved road in the US - Trail Ridge Road, to mention just a few. Now for all these you need to check if they are open, a day or so before, as at those altitudes blizzards can blow in any day, even in the middle of summer. Keeping your eye on the CODOT site will probably give you the details you need.

Lifey

[Southwest Dave]

You have many great options so it's really a case of going over the maps and doing a little research until you find a place or 2 that grabs your attention and see what you can create around them. I would be tempted with getting on US550 just north of Albuquerque and drive the 'Million dollar highway' section found between Durango and Ouray CO. Then US50 to Grand Junction and I70 to CO 139 to Vernal and then US191 north through the Tetons and into Yellowstone before continuing north to your destination. You won't have a lot of spare time to enjoy your surroundings from out of the car but you will have a lovely drive. As I mentioned, you have lots of options, so I would recommend you do your research and when you have decided on your route we can offer you some meaningful suggestions.

[Walter89]

i made route on Roadtrippers.com

Let me know what you think about it. Link below

As i see it my attractions would be
1 - Millon Dollar road
2 - Tetons
3 - Yellowstone

Or am i missing something?

It also shows it would be a 30 hr drive i guess it would be 3 day drive right?

(https://roadtrippers.com/map?a2=p%21...ource=copy&z=5)

[Walter89]

Dont worry im not planing on makeing my trip short with driving all day.
and thanks for the info never knew 600 miles is the law limit.

how does this sound?

from el paso to
1. Million Dollar dr
2. Pike Peak CO
3. Trail Ridge Rd (if open)
4. Grand Teton National Park
5. Yellow Stone
and now to Canada.

Link to see trip
https://roadtrippers.com/map?a2=p%21...ource=copy&z=5

[Southwest Dave]

You are not limited by law as to how far you can drive per day but trying to attempt more than a professional driver is allowed has safety issues as fatigue sets in and it's a killer, second on the roads only to drink driving I believe.

I would recommend you to choose one route or another and not detour to much as above as you would end up with no time to see any of the places you list, which is already limited. On either route you will find lots more attractions if you look at the maps but as I mentioned you have other possibilities.