Best Day Trips From Buena Vista, Colorado, in the Summer.

Last summer, we visited Buena Vista, Colorado, spending three days there and taking day trips to nearby cities. 

We drove through two mountain passes, visited the highest incorporated city in North America, rode a scenic train, visited two ghost towns, and many more.

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If you are not a Coloradan and plan a trip to Buena Vista this summer, take note or save this Best Day Trips From Buena Vista Colorado article for reference.

I understand how daunting it can be to create an itinerary for a new destination. There’s plenty of information, and it can be challenging to know where to start. I hope this article will help you in planning your itinerary.

We traveled with our dog Snoopy and stayed at an RV campground in our teardrop, the small travel trailer. I also like to have short hikes during our travels and eat at a local restaurant.

Best 3-Day Trips From Buena Vista Colorado

Day 0 – arrive in Buena Vista.

We drove from Dallas to Buena Vista through the Highway of Legends Scenic Byway. That’s after spending the night in Raton, New Mexico.

When we arrived in Buena Vista, it was around 4.30 p.m. We drove to the city after setting up our travel trailer and having a light supper.

Buena Vista (or BV) is a small town. Have dessert at Louie’s Ice Cream Shop (you must stop here), then walk to the river. The Arkansas River Walk is beautiful, easy, and dog-friendly. You will see people doing river surfing.

Buena Vista is in Chaffee County, with the highest concentration of mountains over 14,000 feet. Half of the peaks are called the Collegiate Peaks, named after Ivy League colleges. The other half had Native Indian and Spanish influences.

Day 1 – Buena Vista to Leadville, Vail, Red Cliff, Camp Hale, and back to Leadville again.

Leadville, CO.

Leadville is the highest incorporated city in North America. It is about 34.5 miles north. Leave your accommodation no longer than 8.30 a.m. 

It’s a beautiful drive with the Arkansas River on the right and mountain ranges on both sides, including the Collegiate Peaks.

You will go for a train ride, and it is dog-friendly.

The Leadville Railroad is 2.5 hours and departs daily at 10 a.m. and 2 p.m. It’s a beautiful ride. You and your dog will enjoy this train ride.

After the train ride, walk along the main street and have lunch. We ate at the Silver Llama Market & Eatery because they had a patio where we could sit with our dog.

Then head to Vail, about 45 miles north through CO-91 N and I-70 W.

Vail, CO.

The first stop is Betty Ford Alpine Gardens. Then, walk to town for shopping, coffee, or window shopping.

An hour and thirty minutes later, drive back to Leadville through a different route. This time, take US-24 E. It’s 15 minutes longer, but why take the same direction if you can see another part of the area?

You will drive past Minturn and see Red Cliff Bridge in the distance about twenty minutes later.

Red Cliff, CO.

Right before the bridge, there’s a sign to the left pointing to Red Cliff. Turn left down a narrow, windy road to Red Cliff.

You will end up driving under the bridge, not on the bridge.

Camp Hale, CO.

Your next stop is Camp Hale-Continental Divide National Monument. It is a training facility for the elite soldiers of the famed 10th Mountain Division – the Army’s first and only mountain infantry division – which helped free Europe from the grip of Nazi control in World War II.

Leadville, CO.

From Camp Hale, return to Leadville for supper at Quincy’s. Our friends who did work camping for several months in Buena Vista recommended this place for cheap, good prime rib.

But they only served prime rib on Fridays and Saturdays. We were there on Tuesday, so we ordered the other steak on the menu, a filet mignon. And we were not disappointed. 

There is another Quincy in Buena Vista. It also opens daily from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m.

DAY TRIPS FROM BUENA VISTA COLORADO

Day 2 – Buena Vista to Aspen and Snowmass through Independence Pass, and Salida.

Independence Pass, CO.

Today, you will travel to Aspen via the back route of Independence Pass. It is one of the most scenic drives in Colorado.

This pass connects the town of Twin Lakes to Aspen and spans approximately 32 miles of winding roads. Along the way, you’ll find numerous trailheads, historic sites, and opportunities to see wildlife.

From Buena Vista, take US-24 W towards Leadville and turn onto CO-82 W to Independence Pass.

You will make a lot of stops here.

The first one is the Mountain View Overlook on the left near Twin Lakes. Then, Twin Lakes Village on the right of CO-82 W.

Twin Lakes is a semi-ghost town. There are several original buildings from the late 1800s.

There’s a coffee shop inside a vintage yellow Volkswagen bus by the highway. It looked like a good breakfast place, but my stomach was still full from breakfast.  

From here, stop at Willis Gulch Trailhead on the left. I found it hard to resist stopping at the creek along the highway.

The road starts to ascend, and the scenery looks even more beautiful. You may make more stops before you get to the summit.

We saw a herd of mountain goats along the way and stopped to let them cross the road. You must expect to see them, too.

There’s a spacious pull-off area at the summit. Go hike to the overlook with your dog. It’s roughly half a mile round trip.

The elevation at the summit of Independence Pass is 12,095 feet.

From the summit, the road descends to Aspen. It’s not too far from the summit, where you will see a cascade on the right. Take a quick stop.

The next stop is Independence Ghost Town, at 10,830 feet elevation. Hike down to the gold-mining town for about one hour.

Aspen & Snowmass, CO.

Then, arrive in Aspen. It’s a busy mountain town in the summer as it is the gateway to the Maroon Bells.

(Known for its world-class skiing in the winter, Aspen is also one of the best places to enjoy fall colors in Colorado.)

Maroon Bells was the reason we went to Aspen. Unfortunately, I missed the information about the timed entry to Maroon Bells during the summer. So, we will go back another time.

After a delicious lunch at Bangkok Happy Bowl, we drove to Snowmass.

Snowmass was not on our itinerary until I picked up a travel brochure about things to do around Aspen.

The distance between the two towns is around 8 miles, but traffic could be heavy.

We parked at the Snowmass Mall and looked around. There weren’t too many people that afternoon.

Then, take the Sky Cab Gondola (Skittles) that connects the Snowmass Mall and the Base Village. It’s free and dog-friendly. Snoopy enjoyed his second gondola ride after the dog-friendly gondola ride in Telluride.

Before leaving Snowmass, take a hike on the easy Nature Trail.

Independence Pass, CO.

On returning to BV, make two stops along Independence Pass.

The first stop is Devil’s Punchbowl, about 9 miles from Aspen. It is a natural swimming hole that is fed by snow melt. The swimming hole looks cool and dangerous at the same time. It is a swim-at-your-own-risk place.

The Roaring Fork Braille Trail is your second stop. It is very special as it is designed to give blind children an educational outdoor experience.

Salida, CO.

Your last stop for the day is Salida. Drive around, and if you are lucky, you may get a parking spot around the river.

We found Salida is not a dog-friendly city in terms of places to eat. Restaurants with patios didn’t allow your dog to sit by your feet. They must stay on the walkway per the city ordinance.

Finally, we found Moonlight Pizza & Brewpub which let our dog Snoopy sit on the floor by our table.

If you travel sans dog, there are plenty of restaurants in Salida.

DAY TRIPS FROM BUENA VISTA COLORADO IN THE SUMMER

Day 3 – Buena Vista to Cottonwood Pass, St. Elmo, Fairplay, and Hartsel.

Cottonwood Pass, CO.

Today, you will drive another mountain pass, Cottonwood Pass. Take W Main St. which became CO-306 W.

The drive to the summit at 12,126 feet is about 30 minutes without stops (about 20 miles.)  

You will drive past Comanche Drive-In Theater, Cottonwood Hot Springs, and Mt Yale (14,199 ft), towering over the sky on the right. 

The road to the summit is full of switchbacks, but the drop is not as steep as Independence Pass.

At the summit, walk to the Viewpoint. The view from there is stunning!

Then, continue to the other side of Cottonwood Pass. The CO-306 W becomes CO-209 W.

After driving about 13 miles, you will arrive at Taylor Park Reservoir. It’s where you turn around and continue to your next stop, St Elmo Ghost Town.

Google Maps showed a driving direction to St Elmo through Tincup Pass. It’s an unpaved, rugged road from end to end. Don’t take that road if you don’t drive an off-road vehicle.

Cottonwood Pass is the highest paved mountain pass over the Continental Divide. Another paved route that crosses the divide is Trail Ridge Road in the Rocky Mountain National Park.

St Elmo, CO.

Before you hit downtown Bueva Vista, turn right onto Co Rd 321/Rodeo Rd. About 8 miles later, turn right onto Co Rd 162. You will see Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort.

After a few miles, our GPS suggested we turn to Co Rd 292b/292. If your GPS does the same, don’t follow it. Stay on Co Rd 162. St Elmo Ghost Town is at the end of 162.

Co Rd 292 is unpaved and rugged. We didn’t see anybody on the road and made me worried if something happened to our car. And our GPS tried to take us the same way we came.

From St Elmo, head to Fairplay, the real South Park of Colorado.

But first, stop at Cascade Falls, around 6.5 miles from St Elmo.

Fairplay, CO.

In Fairplay, visit the dog-friendly South Park City Museum. It is a 19th-century mining town in 21st-century Colorado. The museum consists of original buildings and thousands of artifacts that depict boom town life.   

Although the town bears little resemblance to South Park, the Comedy Central TV show, you still can see some things that remind you of the TV show. For instance, the cutout of Cartman and friends. That’s what made us go to Fairplay. Haha.

Hartsel, CO.

From Fairplay, drive to Hartsel, “The Heart of Colorado.” We’ve been to Lebanon, the geographic center of the lower 48 states, during our road trip from Dallas to Mount Rushmore. I thought the heart of Colorado was not too far from Buena Vista, so why not go there, too?

Unfortunately, there’s no monument or something like that in Hartsel. It’s only a town sign inside a fenced private property. You can skip this if you want to.

Then go back to Buena Vista. After supper, go to town and hike the Bridge to Bridge Trail. You can always have supper in the city.

Day 4 – Driving home to Texas.

It’s time to leave Buena Vista. As for us, we drove through Salida, Cotopaxi, and Westcliffe on CO-69 S before turning to I-25 S on the way to Canyon, Texas. It was a beautiful drive, and we stopped at a Farmer’s Market in Westcliffe.

We stayed at The Silos at Canyon RV Park. It is about 21 miles from Palo Duro Canyon State Park.

If you want to visit the park and don’t get a space for your RV, stay at The Silos. The campsite is extra long to accommodate your RV and toy hauler. They have clean and spacious modern restrooms, too.

I hope you enjoyed reading my guide. Check my list of adventure destinations in Colorado for more information.