7 Scenic Road Trip Routes Connecting Colorado, New York, and Utah
7 Scenic Road Trip Routes Connecting Colorado, New York, and Utah - Rocky Mountain to Adirondack Adventure Route
The Rocky Mountain to Adirondack Adventure Route, also known as Route 7, offers a scenic and diverse road trip experience for adventurous travelers.
This 2,500-mile route takes visitors through the majestic landscapes of Colorado, New York, and Utah, showcasing the natural beauty and cultural heritage of the regions.
Along the way, travelers can explore historic towns, national parks, and a variety of outdoor recreational activities, from hiking and fishing to wildlife viewing.
The route passes through the world's largest volcanic field, the San Francisco Volcanic Field in northern Arizona, which contains over 600 individual volcanoes.
Travelers can visit the world's largest known meteorite impact crater, the Barringer Crater in Arizona, which was formed by a massive meteorite impact around 50,000 years ago.
The route offers the opportunity to observe the annual migration of pronghorn antelope, the fastest land mammal in North America, which can reach speeds of up to 55 mph.
The Adirondack region is home to over 3,000 black bears, making it one of the densest black bear populations in the United States.
The route passes through the highest incorporated town in the United States, Alma, Colorado, which sits at an elevation of 10,578 feet above sea level.
Drivers on the route can experience a unique geological phenomenon known as the "Reverse Fault" in eastern Utah, where older rock layers have been thrust up and over younger ones, creating a stunning visual effect.
What else is in this post?
- 7 Scenic Road Trip Routes Connecting Colorado, New York, and Utah - Rocky Mountain to Adirondack Adventure Route
- 7 Scenic Road Trip Routes Connecting Colorado, New York, and Utah - Four Corners to Finger Lakes Scenic Drive
- 7 Scenic Road Trip Routes Connecting Colorado, New York, and Utah - Dinosaur Diamond Prehistoric Byway Extended
- 7 Scenic Road Trip Routes Connecting Colorado, New York, and Utah - Great Salt Lake to Great Lakes Journey
- 7 Scenic Road Trip Routes Connecting Colorado, New York, and Utah - Colorado Plateau to Hudson Valley Highway
- 7 Scenic Road Trip Routes Connecting Colorado, New York, and Utah - Arches to Catskills Mountain Passage
7 Scenic Road Trip Routes Connecting Colorado, New York, and Utah - Four Corners to Finger Lakes Scenic Drive
The Four Corners region, where the states of Colorado, Utah, New Mexico, and Arizona meet, is the only place in the United States where four states come together at a single point.
This unique geographic feature attracts many tourists each year.
The Finger Lakes region of New York is home to over 100 waterfalls, including the impressive Taughannock Falls, which plunges 215 feet, making it three times taller than Niagara Falls.
The road trip route passes through the Uinta-Wasatch-Cache National Forest in Utah, which contains the highest peak in the Wasatch Range, Kings Peak, standing at 13,534 feet above sea level.
Seneca Lake, one of the Finger Lakes, is the deepest of the group at 618 feet, and is known for its crystal-clear waters and thriving wine industry.
The route crosses the Continental Divide at Hoosier Pass in Colorado, which is the highest paved crossing of the Continental Divide in the United States at an elevation of 11,541 feet.
7 Scenic Road Trip Routes Connecting Colorado, New York, and Utah - Dinosaur Diamond Prehistoric Byway Extended
The Dinosaur Diamond Prehistoric Byway is a scenic 512-mile route that connects Colorado, New York, and Utah, offering travelers the chance to explore the region's rich paleontological heritage.
Along the way, visitors can visit active dig sites, dinosaur museums, and discover ancient rock art, providing a unique "Jurassic Park" experience.
While the byway is designated as a National Scenic Byway, some have criticized the route for being too focused on dinosaurs, neglecting the area's other natural and cultural attractions.
The Dinosaur Diamond Prehistoric Byway Extended is home to the largest concentration of Jurassic-era dinosaur fossils in the world, with over 1,500 individual specimens discovered along the route.
The byway features the iconic Gunnison River Gorge, a dramatic canyon carved out over millions of years by the powerful Gunnison River, exposing ancient rock layers and fossil-rich sediments.
Visitors can explore the remarkable Camarasaurus dinosaur quarry, where the remains of this 60-foot-long sauropod were discovered in the 1990s, offering a rare glimpse into the life of these massive herbivores.
The byway passes through the Rabbit Valley Scientific and Natural Area, home to the famous Mygatt-Moore Quarry, where paleontologists have uncovered over 20,000 individual dinosaur bones and teeth, including those of the fearsome Allosaurus.
Dinosaur National Monument in Colorado, Arches National Park in Utah, and Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico.
Visitors can explore the remarkable Fremont rock art panels, some of the best-preserved examples of ancient Native American petroglyphs and pictographs along the byway, offering a unique glimpse into the region's rich cultural heritage.
The byway features the Dinosaur Diamond Scenic Byway Visitor Center, a state-of-the-art facility that showcases the region's paleontological wonders through interactive exhibits, educational programs, and fossil preparation demonstrations.
Geologists consider the Dinosaur Diamond Prehistoric Byway Extended to be a geological treasure trove, with the exposure of ancient sedimentary rock layers providing valuable insights into the formation of the Colorado Plateau and the evolution of life on Earth.
7 Scenic Road Trip Routes Connecting Colorado, New York, and Utah - Great Salt Lake to Great Lakes Journey
The Great Salt Lake to Great Lakes Journey offers a unique road trip experience connecting the diverse landscapes of Utah and the Midwest.
This route spans approximately 2,100 miles, taking travelers from the otherworldly salt flats of Utah through the rolling prairies of the Midwest to the picturesque shores of the Great Lakes.
Along the way, road trippers can explore hidden gems like the Badlands of South Dakota and the charming lakeside towns of Michigan's Upper Peninsula.
The Great Salt Lake is approximately 75 miles long and 35 miles wide, making it the largest saltwater lake in the Western Hemisphere.
Lake Michigan, one of the Great Lakes along this journey, contains a quadrillion gallons of water - enough to cover the entire United States with about 5 feet of water.
The salinity of the Great Salt Lake can reach up to 27%, making it much saltier than the ocean, which typically has a salinity of about 5%.
The Great Lakes contain 21% of the world's surface fresh water by volume, with Lake Superior alone holding 10% of the world's fresh surface water.
The route passes through Bonneville Salt Flats in Utah, where numerous land speed records have been set due to its pancake-flat surface extending for more than 30,000 acres.
Lake Erie, the shallowest of the Great Lakes, is home to more fish than all the other Great Lakes combined, with over 130 species of fish documented.
The Great Salt Lake's high salinity allows humans to float effortlessly, similar to the Dead Sea, due to the increased density of the water.
The journey traverses the world's largest freshwater sand dunes at Sleeping Bear Dunes National Lakeshore, with some dunes rising over 450 feet above Lake Michigan.
Along this route, travelers can witness the unique phenomenon of lake effect snow, which occurs when cold air moves across the warmer waters of the Great Lakes, potentially dropping several feet of snow in a single event.
7 Scenic Road Trip Routes Connecting Colorado, New York, and Utah - Colorado Plateau to Hudson Valley Highway
The Colorado Plateau to Hudson Valley Highway offers a breathtaking journey across diverse American landscapes.
This epic road trip connects the dramatic red rock formations and canyons of the Colorado Plateau with the lush, rolling hills of New York's Hudson Valley.
Along the way, travelers can explore hidden gems like the scenic byways of Utah, the rugged beauty of the Rocky Mountains, and the charming small towns of the Midwest, creating a truly unforgettable cross-country adventure.
The Colorado Plateau spans an area of approximately 130,000 square miles, making it one of the largest physiographic provinces in North America.
The Hudson Valley region is home to the oldest wine-producing area in the United States, with vineyards dating back to the 17th century.
Along the route, travelers can visit the world's largest collection of visible petrified wood at Petrified Forest National Park in Arizona.
The Hudson River, which flows through the Hudson Valley, is one of the few rivers in North America that flows both north and south due to tidal influences.
The route passes through the Catskill Mountains, which are not actually mountains but a dissected plateau, formed by erosion rather than tectonic activity.
The Colorado Plateau is home to the Grand Staircase, a series of colorful cliffs and plateaus that step up from the Grand Canyon to Bryce Canyon, spanning 150 miles.
The Hudson Valley's Storm King Art Center features over 100 large-scale sculptures spread across 500 acres, making it one of the world's leading sculpture parks.
The Colorado Plateau contains some of the darkest night skies in the contiguous United States, with several certified International Dark Sky Parks along the route.
The route passes through the Adirondack Park, which at 6 million acres is larger than Yellowstone, Yosemite, Grand Canyon, Glacier, and Great Smoky Mountains National Parks combined.
7 Scenic Road Trip Routes Connecting Colorado, New York, and Utah - Arches to Catskills Mountain Passage
The Arches to Catskills Mountain Passage is a scenic road trip route that connects the iconic arches of Arches National Park in Utah to the rolling hills and forests of the Catskill Mountains in New York.
This diverse route covers a range of landscapes, allowing travelers to experience the rugged beauty of the Rocky Mountains, explore historic towns, and enjoy outdoor activities such as hiking and wildlife viewing.
The passage includes seven scenic road trip routes, each offering unique experiences and highlighting the natural wonders and attractions along the way.
The Catskills Mountain Passage is part of the Arches to Catskills Mountain Passage, a scenic road trip route that connects Colorado, New York, and Utah, showcasing diverse landscapes from iconic arches to rolling hills and forests.
The Catskills Scenic Byway, a 52-mile drive along New York State Route 28, is a quintessential way to experience the Catskills, taking travelers through cozy hamlets, past babbling brooks, and over mountain passes.
The Durham Valley Scenic Byway, the Devils Tombstone Campground area, and the route from Route 23A at Stoney Clove to Route 214 towards Phoenicia are other notable scenic road trip routes within the Arches to Catskills Mountain Passage.
The Catskill Mountains are not actually mountains, but rather a dissected plateau formed by erosion over millions of years, providing a unique geological feature along the Arches to Catskills Mountain Passage.
The Catskill Mountains are home to over 3,000 black bears, one of the densest black bear populations in the United States, offering wildlife viewing opportunities for travelers.
The Arches to Catskills Mountain Passage includes several national parks and monuments, such as Arches National Park in Utah and Chaco Culture National Historical Park in New Mexico, providing a diverse range of natural and cultural attractions.
The Dinosaur Diamond Prehistoric Byway, a 512-mile route within the Arches to Catskills Mountain Passage, is known for its rich paleontological heritage, with the largest concentration of Jurassic-era dinosaur fossils in the world.
The Arches to Catskills Mountain Passage traverses the world's largest volcanic field, the San Francisco Volcanic Field in northern Arizona, which contains over 600 individual volcanoes.
Travelers on the Arches to Catskills Mountain Passage can experience the unique geological phenomenon of the "Reverse Fault" in eastern Utah, where older rock layers have been thrust up and over younger ones, creating a stunning visual effect.
The Arches to Catskills Mountain Passage offers the opportunity to observe the annual migration of pronghorn antelope, the fastest land mammal in North America, which can reach speeds of up to 55 mph.
The route passes through the highest incorporated town in the United States, Alma, Colorado, which sits at an elevation of 10,578 feet above sea level, providing a unique high-altitude experience for travelers.