Hi,
I'm doing a 3 week solo road trip this September (7th -> 28th) starting from Denver. Emphasis on hiking, wildlife viewing, and photography. Meaning I'll get up early and go to bed right after sunset or so. My question is what to do besides Colorado and Yellowstone/Grand Teton. Inside Colorado, I'll do Rocky Mountains NP, Great Sand Dunes NP, Colorado NM, Mesa Verde, and I'm hesitating on Black Canyon of the Gunison as there's not much hiking there, and photography is limited with such a narrow canyon that almost never sees sunlight.
My first choice was to add a bit of New Mexico, with Bandelier NM, and the mountains of the Northern part of New Mexico (nothing South of Albuquerque, I don't have time in 3 weeks). My second choice was to remove New Mexico and do a detour to Badlands National Park in South Dakota. Which of the two would you choose for a September road trip ?
I'm also looking for hidden gems. Inside Colorado, I was advised to do stuff like Maroons Bells, Hanging lake or Crystal Mills but they seem like very famous spots. Any stuff that's off the beaten track ? I'm an experienced hiker, but will only do day hikes. I don't mind 4000 ft elevation gain in a day hike, that's what I did on a regular basis in the Alps. But I prefer varied terrain to the very rocky hikes you sometimes see in Colorado (6 hours in a scree slope or boulder field isn't fun).
Also I'm looking for great campgrounds inside parks (whether it's state, national parks or national monuments). I've been disappointed a few times, like Mather Campground in Grand Canyon, where it was very noisy and not scenic at all. I love campgrounds like Squaw Flats in Canyonlands. Any advice for Colorado and Yellowstone/Grand Teton ? Timewise I'll probably do a whole week in Yellowstone/Grand Teton, 8-9 days in Colorado, and the rest as a bonus in either the Badlands or New Mexico depending on your advice (I've already seen the parks of Utah on a previous trip, and don't want to drive as far North as Glacier NP).
Thanks in advance for your help.
Edited: 5 years ago