Welcome! This website is dedicated to providing inspiration for your family road trips from Dallas. In this post, I highlight our southwest road trip that took us to Dolores, Colorado; Moab, Utah; Durango, Co; and then back home to Dallas. Firstly, I cover the best way to get there and road stops along the way. Secondly, I share about the places we stayed, The Dolores River Campground and The Oasis. Lastly, I outline a Colorado itinerary of excursions for an unforgettable vacation. Composing this comprehensive post of information on the ultimate southwest Colorado road trip itinerary resulted in a long read, so I have provided a table of contents below to help you quickly navigate to the parts that you would like to read first.

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Pre-Trip Colorado Itinerary Planning

As with all of my road trips from Dallas, I used the Roadtrippers app to start planning. I am not normally a paid app kind of girl, but I loved this one so much and it was only $30 for the entire year! What makes the app unique is all the different points of interest that can be turn on along a route. For example, users can toggle on and off the following categories: hotels, things to do, camping and RV, outdoors, points of interest, and amusement and nightlife. Each one of those categories also contains several sub categories. Additionally, the app calculates the trip’s estimated gas expense and has some built in tours for road trip inspiration. If you would like to check out the Roadtrippers app at a discount, use this link and plugin this coupon code: BTR5QTP to get $5 off!

Roadtrippers estimated the one-way road trip from Dallas to Delores, Colorado to be 888 miles, cost $122 in gas (for an average car not pulling a camper), and take 14.09 hours to get there. Check out our Colorado road trip map below.

Southwest Colorado Itinerary Day 1 and 2: Getting There

The route from Dallas to Dolores, Colorado is relatively simple. Basically, just take U.S. Hwy 287 to Interstate 40. In Albuquerque, exit Interstate 40 onto Interstate 25. From here you can stay on 25 and go through Santa Fe or your can turn off to the West onto Interstate 550.

After much anticipation, we finally headed out about 4:00 pm on day one and made it to Amarillo for the night. We boondocked at the Walmart off I-40 in Amarillo. This was our first time boondocking in a Walmart parking lot and I must say it was quite convenient. I was able to get a morning walk in around the parking lot while waiting for the store to open at 7:00 am. Before leaving, we stocked up on essentials and headed out by 8:30 for the second leg of our trip, pointing west towards the Rocky mountains.

On the map I-40 looks long and straight. However, the north to south cross winds can be killer when pulling a travel trailer. Be careful, slow down, and take your time traveling your road trip from Dallas to Colorado. Enjoy some of the natural phenomenons we don’t see in DFW like tumble weed and dirt devils (or “Dust Naders” as my brother-in-law likes to call them).

Points of Interest Along the Route

The road trip from Dallas to Delores, Colorado is a long one and you are going to want to stop and stretch your legs a few times. In this next section, I have listed a few stops along the way for your consideration.

Texas Best Smokehouse/ Steak and Shake

Located at 101 US HWY 287 S Access Rd Wichita Falls, Texas this makes a great place to stop. Choose one of their many tasty shake varieties to satisfy your sweet tooth. The movie size transformer statues inside and the dinosaur park outside make for fun photo shoots. It was also interesting to see that they have about a dozen Tesla charging stations.

Childress, Texas

If you are feeling antsy around Childress, Texas, consider filling up your tank. Gas was .20 cents a gallon cheaper here than neighboring towns. They also have a Justin Boot Factory and a “old school” Pizza Hut. I call it “old school” because we do not have Pizza Huts around us anymore with indoor dining. Funny fact, it was at about this point where my ears starting popping. I guess elevation levels were already rising.

Safety Rest Area

This Donley County rest stop is a pretty cool place to stop. Not only does it have a playground, but also a collection of old west memorabilia to peruse.

Overnight Stop – Amarillo, Texas

This was our first trip to find a place to boondock along our route. I used the RV Parky app to find locations around me that offer overnight RV parking. We found a Walmart on I-40 (Exit 72B) with good reviews from RVers. Overnight parking is available on the northeast side of the parking lot. There were several other campers sharing the parking lot and it turned out to be a safe and convenient overnight stop for us. Gas here was about .30 cents cheaper than surrounding towns. Beware, the entrance has a 12′ clearance.

The Big TexaN Steak Ranch

If you arrive in Amarillo around dinner time, The Big Texan Steak Ranch steak house boasts a, 72 oz. steak hall of fame, creepy face changing portraits, and live music. Kids plates that double as cowboy hat souvenirs are also a nice touch.

Muffler Man and Cadillac Ranch

Just another 10-15 minutes down I-40, stands the quirky Muffler Man Second Amendment Cowboy statue (exit 63) and the Cadillac Ranch (exit 60), a row of Cadillacs buried hood down in the dirt. Feel free to bring spray paint to contribute to the Cadillac’s graffiti paint jobs.

Dinosaur Museum

Dinosaur enthusiast must stop in Tumcumcari, New Mexico. The Mesalands Dinosaur Museum and Natural Science Lab is a small, easy, inexpensive stop.

Breaking Bad Car Wash

By taking a short detour off the main route in Albuquerque, New Mexico, fans of the TV series Breaking Bad can clean up their ride at the car wash used as a drug laundering front in the show. It is actually called Mister Carwash. Take exit 166 to visit.

Sinclair Red Mesa Express

Our next stop was at this gas station in Cuba, New Mexico. This one you can take it or leave it. The kids were able to burn some energy playing on the Sinclair staple dinosaur statue, but the place seemed a bit seedy.

Alternate Route Options

Santa Fe, New Mexico

If you are interested in going through Santa Fe on this road trip, it is just a small detour. A visit to the Meow Wolf interactive art museum is sure to be worth it.

Roswell, New Mexico

For an extra-terrestrial experience, re-route your trip to take you through Roswell, New Mexico. Several of our family members chose this route and had a blast at the International UFO Museum and Research Center. This route will take you through Lubbock, TX instead of Amarillo, TX.

Ft. Sumner, New Mexico

Also, along the Lubbock, Texas route visit the resting place of the infamous outlaw William H. Bonney, a.k.a. “Billy the Kid”.

Arriving at The Dolores River Campground

We elected to stay at the beautiful Dolores River Campground situated along the tranquil Dolores River. We could not have been happier with our choice. The owners were extremely friendly and accommodating. They are very visible and accessible to guests. It is obvious that the entire family takes great pride in the campground. You can find them all maintaining the grounds throughout the day. The grounds are immaculate! Owner, Lainey Beyhan wants “every guest to feel like they are the first guests there.” With a 360-degree view of the San Juan mountains, I dare to say, this kind of campground is the reason people purchase RVs. Remember the camping dreams you had when you purchased your new RV? Delores River Campground easily meets those expectations. 2024 Update: Since my original post, this campground has changed names and owners. They are now The Delores River RV Resort. With the new ownership, some of the details below may have changed.

The Facilities and Amenities at The Dolores River Campground

Site Location Tips

In addition to RV camping, The Dolores River Campground has tents, cabins, and yurts. You can even stay in an old timey covered wagon or vintage Airstream!

Recreation

The is no shortage of camper entertainment here. The Delores River Campground has a floating fishing pier over a pond, a river walk, a short bike trail, pet trail, frisbee golf, a river beach, playground equipment, horseshoes, foosball, corn hole, and peddle cars for rent.

My favorite spot in the campground was the river beach. Multiple chairs are available for kicking back and listening to the river flow by. This is a great spot to relax by the beach. For instance, you can grab a book from the longe to read riverside or just enjoy watching your little ones have fun stacking and skipping rocks in the river.

Amenities

Visit the lodge for games, puzzles, books, a big screen TV with a DVD player or for an “Oh so fancy” breakfast by Pudda’s Café. In the courtyard you will find a community fire pit and some children’s play structures. Several evenings throughout the week, campers can also enjoy food trucks or ice cream socials in the courtyard. While you are up front, don’t miss the gift store. It is full of adorable camping and Colorado themed souvenirs and clothing.

There is a nice size laundry room on site and the spotless restrooms have large showers both indoor and out. Outside the restrooms there are large sinks for washing dishes. These sinks were a game changer for our meal clean up endeavors.

Southwest Colorado Itinerary Day 3: The Town of Dolores

Day 3 was spent enjoying the campground and all of the amenities it had to offer. My son needed a haircut, so we drive a few minutes into town to Terry’s Hair and Nails. If you find yourself in Dolores needing a haircut, go to Terry’s and ask for Angie!

Southwest Colorado Itinerary Day 4: Horseback Riding

Circle K Ranch

After a late night at the wedding rehearsal dinner and bonfire, we chose to sleep in a bit and then caught Circle K Ranch’s 10:30 horseback trail ride. We opted for the one-hour ride, which was plenty for our novice group. Alternatively, they offer rides that range from 2-5 hours. When planning a Colorado itinerary, consider adding a guided horseback tour. There are some truly beautiful places that can only be seen by horseback.

Montezuma Mexican Restaurant

We don’t eat out much when we travel, but we had worked up an appetite after horseback riding and the opportunity to eat on the patio by the river was too alluring to pass up.

Southwest Colorado Itinerary Day 5: Mesa Verde

We spent Day 5 at Mesa Verde National Park and gained amazing insight into how Native Americans lived in the area over 1,000 years ago. Here, visitors observe magnificent ruins of ancient cliff dwellings and pit houses throughout the rugged terrain. Be sure to wear good walking shoes or hiking boots and it’s also a good idea to bring water and binoculars. We skipped the long line at the visitor center and went straight to the entrance. Cost to enter national parks is $30/vehicle.

Southwest Colorado Itinerary Day 6: Rest (or not)

After a long day of hiking the Mesa Verde National Park, we were due for a chill day at our beautiful campground. We were able to catch up on laundry and camper cleaning and set out that evening for our hotel in Moab, UT.

If resting on vacation is not your style, take a day trip to Telluride for the Mountain Village Gondola, shopping, or class 3 rapids on the San Miguel River. Or, do as our 22-year-old son and his bride did, drive to Delta, Colorado for some heart-pumping Sky Diving!

Southwest Colorado Itinerary Day 7: A Day in Moab, UT

ATV Adventures

On day seven we woke up in Moab, UT, an adrenaline junkies paradise. This was by far, my husband’s favorite part of the vacation. Our family spent about six hours riding ATVs. In the morning we got our feet wet with the scenic route, the Chicken Run trail. It is a great novice course known for its scenic drive. The rock formations are unbelievable.

For lunch, we rode our street legal ATVs into town and fuel our bodies at Moab Diner. They did not even seem to mind that we were covered in red dirt from head to toe.

Breakfast your jam? Check out 13 Mouth Watering Spots for Breakfast in Moab.

Only because of my husband’s coaxing, we braved a level 5 trail in the afternoon. He wanted to do the level 6 “Hell’s Revenge” trail, but we compromised on the level 5 “Fins and Things”. I’m glad he talked me into it. All four of us had a blast, despite the fact that I have never gripped a handle bar so hard in my life. I do suggest wearing googles and a light weight neck gator to keep the dust out of your eyes and mouth.

An ice chest and tie downs were provided by the company we rented from, so be sure to pack plenty of water to keep yourself hydrated in this dusty desert climate. It costs $5/vehicle to access these trails.

Arches National Park

Knowing we only had one day in Moab, we forced ourself to power through one more adventure, The Arches National Park. This place was like no other landscape I had seen before. If I had not known better, I would have thought that I wondered onto the set of a Star Wars movie. We were completely beat from the ATV riding and could only muster the energy to walk out to the arches that were very close to the road.

If you have extra time, Arches National Park could be a day trip in itself! There are so many arches to see. Some can be viewed from the overlooks or a short hike, but to access others one must hike through miles of unpaved terrain. The structures created by wind and water over 300 million years are mind blowing. Cost to enter the park is $30/vehicle.

Other Moab Attractions

Although we ran out of time in Moab, some of our other family members tackled two popular hikes in the area, Grandstaff Canyon and Mill Creek.

Meanwhile, our other relatives stopped to observe the petroglyphs. Petroglyphs are ancient rock art engravings. They are quite impressive. Experiencing the petroglyphic art has a unique way of connecting humanities present to our past. In other words, you could say it’s our ancestors’ way of sending us text emojis.

Southwest Colorado Itinerary Day 8: Campsite Fun

Playing at the Dolores River Campground

Honestly, I would not have complained if our entire week would have been spent solely at the Dolores River Campground. We spent the day playing board games, completing puzzles, playing in the river, and hiking the campground.

Kiwi Crate Activity

The resort amenities kept us busy the entire day, but if you follow my blog, you know that I always try to do some sort of new game or activity with my children during our camping trips. To accomplish this, I have recently started bringing along outdoor Kiwi kits on our trips. Kiwi is a subscription service that mails STEM kits to your home and my kids get so excited when that green box arrives in the mail. Sometimes, I have to hide it until we have time to build, because I know they will want me to drop everything and do it with them the moment it arrives. Shortly before our trip, we received the “Fun with Flight” kit. It walked my kids through building their own rocket launcher! The kit also came with a kite making activity, but we are saving that one for another day.

Get a Discounted Kit

Want to try Kiwi? Use this link to get 50% off your first month or $10 off your Kiwi store purchase.

Campfire Foil Packet S’mores

We ended our day by chatting with our camping neighbors and making s’mores over the Solo Stove fire pit. My daughter tried a new method of cooking s’mores by wrapping all the ingredients in foil and placing the packet in the fire. This method does a better job of melting the chocolate, but it did make the graham crackers a bit soggy.

Southwest Colorado Itinerary Day 9: Durango, CO

The Oasis RV Resort and Cottages in Durango, CO

On day 9, we checked out of the Dolores River Campground and made the short drive to The Oasis RV Resort in Durango, Colorado for a two-night stay. It ended up being the perfect place for this short stay. In addition, making this move put us approximately one hour closer to home.

This campground was quite the change of pace from our previous stay in Dolores, since it has more of an RV park feel verses a nestled in nature camping vibe. We spent the afternoon enjoying the pool and getting familiar with all of the outdoor activities resort had to offer.

Bar D Chuckwagon Supper Show

For dinner, we visited a popular attraction, the Bar D Chuckwagon Supper show. Thankfully, we got there early to visit the shops, take a ride on the train, and play in the kid’s area. The over-sized Lincoln Logs were a major hit for my family.

The dinner bell rang at 6:30 sharp, just as it has done for over 50 years. Dinner is served chuckwagon style on tin plates. Guests are given a choice of beef, chicken, or steak. Sides are baked potato, beans, applesauce, and spice cake. After dinner, guests are treated to a show of old west country classics performed by the talented and entertaining Bar D Wranglers band.

Southwest Colorado Itinerary Day 10: Exploring Durango by Land and Water

Pancake Breakfast

On our second day in Durango, we woke excited to try out the resort’s pancakes cooked up by the friendly campsite cooks, Mark and Laura. The pancakes are huge, so three orders fed my family of four for two breakfasts. I highly recommend the chocolate chip pancakes.

Souvenir Shopping

Next, the kids and I headed out for some souvenir shopping. First, we hit up the Durango Harley Davidson. Collecting Harley shirts from the different locations we visit, has become a bit of a habit for us. Then, we headed to the historic district downtown area of Durango for more souvenir shopping and cute boutiques. We found the best things at Moose on the Loose. If you are hungry for lunch at this point, there is a plethora of restaurant choices and coffee shops.

Santa Rita Park

After shopping, we headed to the Santa Rita Park for the kids to burn a little bit of energy. This city park is worth visiting with its elaborate play structures, a musical play area, flower garden, and access to the river walk/bike trail.

Mild to Wild Rafting Adventures

Next, we grabbed a quick lunch at the camper and headed to Mild to Wild for a river rafting adventure. We chose, this company because they offer rafting trips in which small children can participate. Wet suits and shoes are strongly encouraged because the water is cold and getting wet is unavoidable. If it is at all possible to bring your own wet suit, because, it’s pretty icky squeezing into a rented suit. You will also be more comfortable if you wear a swim suit underneath and a long sleeve swim shirt.

We were lucky to catch the river at the best time. During our trip, the water level happened to be at its peak due to high temperatures quickly melting the mountain snow. At one point in the float, our children had to get out and walk around while we rafted through a class 3 rapid! Even though, it broke my nine-year old’s heart, I am so glad they got out of the raft, because my husband, Stephen, became a part of the prestigious “Animas River Swim Team” by falling overboard into the 47-degree water. Thanks to our awesome guide, Emma, Stephen was well prepared for the fall. He knew exactly how to position himself in the powerful rapids and how to cooperate with the other boat’s guide, Sam, as he pulled Stephen back in the boat.

I can’t say enough about how friendly all of the guides were. They were all positive, encouraging, funny, and upbeat throughout the trip, all while keeping safety as an upmost priority. Don’t forget to tip your guides, your life is in their hands for about three and a half hours.

Pizza and a Movie

Starving upon our return to camp, we order pizza from the Oasis RV resort and they delivered it directly to our camper door. To close out our evening, we participated in the RV park’s nightly outdoor movie night. My kids loved wrapping up in a blanket and kicking back in a lawn chair with snacks to enjoy a movie after such an eventful day.

Southwest Colorado Itinerary Day 11 and 12: Heading Home

Sadly, it was time to head back home on day 11. We followed the same route home as the one we took to get to Colorado. Once again, we spent the night at the Walmart in Amarillo and had another great experience. On this route home, we were able to hit up some of the stops I mentioned at the beginning of this post, including the Cadillac Ranch!

Southwest Colorado Itinerary Conclusion

In conclusion, this Utah and Colorado itinerary was one of the best road trips our family has experienced. We had been to Colorado many times before, but never during the summer months. Colorado scenery is always beautiful, but the summer colors had me in awe of God’s beautiful master piece. Bright blue sky fades into white capped mountain peaks, that fade into shades of red and brown, and finally into shades of green trees and grasses resulting in the most brilliant colors for your travel photos.

This twelve day adventure was our longest trip so far. Next month, we will head out for a three week, mid-west road trip. Be sure to subscribe to our blog, so that you don’t miss my upcoming tips for traveling from Dallas to South Dakota, Iowa, and Missouri.

Travel Insurance

Travel insurance can be beneficial on any trip 100 miles or more from home – even on road trips. If you have to cut your trip short, travel insurance can help you receive reimbursement for non-refundable prepaid trip expenses, like campground reservations, for example. Some plans even cover RV rental expenses or closed attractions. With plans from 10 different providers, Travel Insurance Masters can help you find the right coverage you are looking for!

Other Road Trips from Dallas

Before you go, I invite you to check out some of my other road trips from Dallas posts, including a winter trip to Breckinridge, CO!

Beach Road Trips from Dallas

Read about the Texas Coast’s Port O’Conner and Matagorda Bay, one of the best places to catch a glimpse of dolphins.

Travel a little farther to one of my favorite RV camping experience, Gulf State Park in Gulf Shores, AL.

Short Road Trips from Dallas

Even though, Austin, Texas is only a little over 200 miles from DFW, there are many stops along the way to check out. Read about the road trip and things to do in Austin here.

North Texas Jellystone Park in Burleson is only 45 minutes away from DFW. Read about this location that will have your kids begging to go back.

Lake Lewisville is also about 45 minutes from Dallas. Read about two different campgrounds on Lake Lewisville.

Joe Pool Lake is just a half hour from Dallas. Learn more about Loyd Park on Joe Pool Lake below.

Let’s Connect

Follow my Facebook Page, “Champagne On Deck Finds It” where I post camper related deals and join our Facebook group to connect with other outdoorsy families.

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I’m happy to answer any questions in the comments related to this trip or any of our road trips from Dallas. We would love to hear from you!