Start this fly drive tour from the gateway city of Denver, the journey south then runs along the foot of the Rockies to Colorado Springs with its backdrop of Pikes Peak and The Garden of the Gods then west up into the mountains to the old gold mining town of Cripple Creek. Follow part of the Gold Belt Scenic Byway south to Alamosa and the Great Dunes National Park. Head west to the scenic mountain town of Durango with its famous narrow gauge railway. 

Visit nearby Mesa Verde National Park. The route then follows the San Juan Scenic Byway north past towering 14,000ft peaks to Ouray and on to the gateway on the Dolores River. From here turn back east following part of the west Elk Loop to Aspen and then return for some time Denver.