Day 17 The Ultimate USA Road Trip Telluride Aspen
This route was brought to you by:
RouteXpert René Plücken (MRA Master)
Last edit: 20-04-2022
Route Summary I have further supplemented the Road Trip with even more special points that you can visit in the USA. This 17th route goes from Telluride to Aspen through the beautiful Rocky Mountains.
The route is on beautiful, good roads with beautiful panoramas. There are many opportunities to stop for a photo of the beautiful scenery and many points of interest along the way. I therefore rate this route with 5 stars.
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Animation
Verdict
Duration
12h 2m
Mode of travel
Car or motorcycle
Distance
405.67 km
Countries
RouteXpert Review Until Ridgway is the same route through the Dallas Divide as on day 16, in Ridgway you have the option to visit the two local museums, the Ridgway Railroad Museum or the Ouray County Ranch History Museum.
The Ridgway Railroad Museum is open every day, it is a museum with a collection of train cars and other equipment. The Ridgway Railroad Museum is a non-profit, member-supported organization whose mission is to explain the role and importance of railroads in the history of this region. There are exhibits, a library, educational programs, publications, railroad equipment, artifacts, historical records, books, and photographs of Ouray County and the San Juan Mountains in Colorado. There is no cost to visit the museum, but the museum does accept donations.
The mission of the Ouray County Ranch History Museum is to preserve and share the history and heritage of Ouray County, including stories of the area's early settlers from the mid-19th century through today. Through education, historical exhibits, and ranch-focused events and programs. The museum strives to increase awareness and appreciation for the past and present rural lifestyle and cultural heritage of Ouray County while facilitating the preservation of open land.
From Ridgway we drive north on US 550 past the Ridgway Reservoir to Montrose where we continue on US 50. In Montrose there is the possibility to visit the Museum of the Mountain West, here you will imagine yourself in the Wild West, you can learn about the history and culture of the American West here through the historic buildings and artifact collections.
We drive on the US 50 to the Blue Mesa Reservoir and Dam where we stop briefly for a few photos. We continue on the scenic CO 92 that winds through the Blue Mesa, Uncompahgre and Gunnison Park. One curve after another curve follows each other in quick succession with beautiful panoramas. There are several small parking areas along the route to stop briefly for the view.
We stop at the Crawford State Park Picnic Area, where we enjoy a packed lunch at Crawford State Lake. After lunch we continue to Hotchkiss where we take US 133 and drive through Paonia State Park with the reservoir on your right. This reservoir attracts many water sports enthusiasts, because you can enjoy the water here in a real alpine environment. The park itself is quite primitive and only open in summer. There are no official hiking trails in the park, although the surrounding Ragged Wilderness Area offers maintained trails.
The last part of the route winds over beautiful roads through the Rocky Mountains up to the end of the day in Aspen, the famous Ski Resort of the Rich and Famous.
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Disclaimer
Use of this GPS route is at your own expense and risk. The route has been carefully composed and checked by a MyRoute-app accredited RouteXpert for use on TomTom, Garmin and MyRoute-app Navigation.
Changes may nevertheless have occurred due to changed circumstances, road diversions or seasonal closures. We therefore recommend checking each route before use.
Preferably use the route track in your navigation system. More information about the use of MyRoute-app can be found on the website under 'Community' or 'Academy'.
Changes may nevertheless have occurred due to changed circumstances, road diversions or seasonal closures. We therefore recommend checking each route before use.
Preferably use the route track in your navigation system. More information about the use of MyRoute-app can be found on the website under 'Community' or 'Academy'.
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Colorado
About this region
Colorado is a state in the Mountain West subregion of the Western United States. It encompasses most of the Southern Rocky Mountains as well as the northeastern portion of the Colorado Plateau and the western edge of the Great Plains. Colorado is the eighth most extensive and 21st most populous U.S. state. The 2020 United States Census enumerated the population of Colorado at 5,773,714, an increase of 14.80% since the 2010 United States Census.
The region has been inhabited by Native Americans for more than 13,000 years, with the Lindenmeier Site containing artifacts dating from approximately 9200 BC to 1000 BC; the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains was a major migration route for early peoples who spread throughout the Americas. "Colorado" is the Spanish adjective meaning "ruddy," the color of red sandstone. The Territory of Colorado was organized on February 28, 1861, and on August 1, 1876, U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant signed Proclamation 230 admitting Colorado to the Union as the 38th state. Colorado is nicknamed the "Centennial State" because it became a state one century after the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence.
Colorado is bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas to the east, Oklahoma to the southeast, New Mexico to the south, Utah to the west, and touches Arizona to the southwest at the Four Corners. Colorado is noted for its vivid landscape of mountains, forests, high plains, mesas, canyons, plateaus, rivers, and desert lands. Colorado is one of the Mountain States and is a part of the western and southwestern United States.
Denver is the capital and most populous city in Colorado. Residents of the state are known as Coloradans, although the antiquated "Coloradoan" is occasionally used. Colorado is a comparatively wealthy state, ranking eighth in household income in 2016, and 11th in per capita income in 2010. It also ranks highly in the nation's standard of living index. Major parts of the economy include government and defense, mining, agriculture, tourism, and increasingly other kinds of manufacturing. With increasing temperatures and decreasing water availability, Colorado's agriculture, forestry and tourism economies are expected to be heavily affected by climate change.
Read more on Wikipedia
The region has been inhabited by Native Americans for more than 13,000 years, with the Lindenmeier Site containing artifacts dating from approximately 9200 BC to 1000 BC; the eastern edge of the Rocky Mountains was a major migration route for early peoples who spread throughout the Americas. "Colorado" is the Spanish adjective meaning "ruddy," the color of red sandstone. The Territory of Colorado was organized on February 28, 1861, and on August 1, 1876, U.S. President Ulysses S. Grant signed Proclamation 230 admitting Colorado to the Union as the 38th state. Colorado is nicknamed the "Centennial State" because it became a state one century after the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence.
Colorado is bordered by Wyoming to the north, Nebraska to the northeast, Kansas to the east, Oklahoma to the southeast, New Mexico to the south, Utah to the west, and touches Arizona to the southwest at the Four Corners. Colorado is noted for its vivid landscape of mountains, forests, high plains, mesas, canyons, plateaus, rivers, and desert lands. Colorado is one of the Mountain States and is a part of the western and southwestern United States.
Denver is the capital and most populous city in Colorado. Residents of the state are known as Coloradans, although the antiquated "Coloradoan" is occasionally used. Colorado is a comparatively wealthy state, ranking eighth in household income in 2016, and 11th in per capita income in 2010. It also ranks highly in the nation's standard of living index. Major parts of the economy include government and defense, mining, agriculture, tourism, and increasingly other kinds of manufacturing. With increasing temperatures and decreasing water availability, Colorado's agriculture, forestry and tourism economies are expected to be heavily affected by climate change.
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Statistics 
20Amount of RX reviews (Colorado)
13561Amount of visitors (Colorado)
322Amount of downloads (Colorado)
Route Collections in this region Coast to Coast Across the USA
14 Days across the USA
Start the trip at Daytona Pier on the Atlantic Coast.
Through 14 days you will visit New Orleans, Memphis, Tulsa, Colorado Springs, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. See the sights of Monument and Death Valley, the Hoover Dam. Ride across 12 US States for 4267 miles of adventure before ending the trip on Santa Monica Pier, Los Angeles on the Pacific Coast
Start the trip at Daytona Pier on the Atlantic Coast.
Through 14 days you will visit New Orleans, Memphis, Tulsa, Colorado Springs, Las Vegas and Los Angeles. See the sights of Monument and Death Valley, the Hoover Dam. Ride across 12 US States for 4267 miles of adventure before ending the trip on Santa Monica Pier, Los Angeles on the Pacific Coast
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The 10 most downloaded routes in the USA from RouteXpert Hans van de Ven
Hello and welcome to this collection of the Top 10 MyRoute app downloaded routes in USA.
There will be a great new event to be announced soon, where all these routes can be driven.
Download them all now and place them in a new "Top 10" folder, so that you always have them at hand.
If you are going to drive one of these routes in the meantime, track them with the MRA Mobile App or with MRA Navigation. Take some photos (moments) along the way as these will come in handy.
Create a travelogue of your Top 10 driven routes and add the recorded track to it.
There will also be some great prizes on offer, so keep an eye on the MRA-RouteXperts page and your mail.
The 10 routes are:
1. D13 Estes Park Denver
2. D03 Chadron Custer
3. D01 Pigeon Forge round trip through the Smokey Mountains
4. D08 Kalispell Sandpoint
5. D10 Colville Wenatchee
6. D09 Sandpoint Colville
7. D04 Custer Wall
8. D11 Wenatchee Seattle
9. D08 Cody Yellowstone NP
10.R13 San Francisco Monterey
There will be a great new event to be announced soon, where all these routes can be driven.
Download them all now and place them in a new "Top 10" folder, so that you always have them at hand.
If you are going to drive one of these routes in the meantime, track them with the MRA Mobile App or with MRA Navigation. Take some photos (moments) along the way as these will come in handy.
Create a travelogue of your Top 10 driven routes and add the recorded track to it.
There will also be some great prizes on offer, so keep an eye on the MRA-RouteXperts page and your mail.
The 10 routes are:
1. D13 Estes Park Denver
2. D03 Chadron Custer
3. D01 Pigeon Forge round trip through the Smokey Mountains
4. D08 Kalispell Sandpoint
5. D10 Colville Wenatchee
6. D09 Sandpoint Colville
7. D04 Custer Wall
8. D11 Wenatchee Seattle
9. D08 Cody Yellowstone NP
10.R13 San Francisco Monterey
View Route Collection