Download PDFs of the above sample travel routes and itineraries as well as an official National Park Service Map for Rocky Mountain National Park
Regardless of where you start your Rocky Mountain National Park vacation, you'll find an exciting scenic route to the park when you follow one of these sample Rocky Mountain maps and itineraries. In fact, we recommend that, when possible, choose different routes for your travel to and from Rocky Mountain National Park. Each of these travel routes has its own unique combination of stunning scenery, unique attractions and history to keep you entertained, and to make your trip more memorable.
Official NPS map of Rocky Mountain National Park
This is a very specific, and useful, map of Rocky Mountain National Park.
ORANGE - Omaha, NE to Rocky Mountain Park (677 miles)
This route starts in one of the premier cities and destinations in the Midwest, Omaha, NE. From Omaha, travel west on Interstate 80 through several Nebraska towns including Kearney and Sidney, before arriving to Cheyenne, WY, a truly Western destination that is home to the largest outdoor rodeo in the world (Cheyenne Frontier Days), before turning south and making your way to Ft. Collins, Denver, Boulder and Estes Park to Rocky Mountain National Park.
RED - Rapid City, SD, to Rocky Mountain National Park
Route A: Most direct: 485 miles
Route B: More scenic: 600 miles
Route A: This travel route originates in Rapid City, SD, and the Mt. Rushmore/Badlands region before traveling west to Spearfish, SD, to Sundance, Gillette, Buffalo, Casper, Wheatland and Cheyenne, WY, before heading west at Loveland, CO to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park.
Route B: This route is a more direct route that travels south from Rapid City, SD, and Mt. Rushmore, eventually linking up with the scenic route at Cheyenne, WY, which continues south to Loveland and Estes Park, CO, before arriving at Rocky Mountain National Park.
GREEN - Yellowstone National Park to Rocky Mountain National Park (625 miles)
This route is exciting because it originates in Yellowstone, the world's first national park and then travels through Buffalo Bill's original hunting/stomping grounds in Cody, WY, before continuing south through Meeteetse, Riverton, Lander and Rawlins, WY, then through Craig, Steamboat Springs, and Granby, CO, before arriving at Grand Lake and the West Entrance of Rocky Mountain National Park.
PURPLE - Salt Lake City, UT, to Rocky Mountain National Park (via Grand Lake)
Route A: Most direct: 432 miles
Route B: More scenic: 713 miles
Route A: Route A originates in Salt Lake City, UT, before travels through Vernal, UT, Dinosaur National Monument, Craig, Steamboat Springs and Granby, CO, to the Grand Lake entrance of Rocky Mountain NP.
Route B: Route B originates in Salt Lake City, UT, but provides a longer, more scenic route, southwest Wyoming much of Flaming Gorge Recreation Area, home to the 91-mile-long Lake Flaming Gorge, before joining the aforementioned Route A to Rocky Mountain National Park.
YELLOW - Las Vegas to Rocky Mountain National Park (via Utah's national parks, central Colorado) (1,150 miles)
Your Rocky Mountain National Park Trip originates in Las Vegas, NV, a famous destination in its own right and an exceptional city at which to start and end your Rocky Mountain vacation. From Las Vegas, travel to St. George, to Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Capitol Reef National Park, Escalante, Green River and Moab, UT, before continuing to Grand Junction, Montrose, Gunnison, Pueblo, Colorado Springs, Denver, and Boulder, CO, before arriving tat Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park.
BLUE - Phoenix, to Rocky Mountain National Park (via New Mexico) (1,242 miles)
Start your trip in Arizona's great destination city, Phoenix, and continue north to Flagstaff and Grand Canyon National Park via its South Rim, before continuing east to Albuquerque and Santa Fe, NM, then north into Pueblo, Colorado Springs to Denver and Boulder, CO, before arriving to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park.
CYAN - Dallas, TX through Oklahoma and Kansas to Rocky Mountain National Park (970 miles)
This is a straightforward travel route originating in a major city of the South, Dallas, TX, which travels primarily interstate highways north into Oklahoma and Kansas before turning westward into Colorado and eventually, Rocky Mountain National Park.