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Road Trip: Austin to Colorado (red rocks area) on a budget-- tips?


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We're going during the kid's spring break (so help us). Leaving on March 14th. Lucked into a stay at a friend's house in Morrison, and plan to ski at Loveland. We are beginners (well I haven't skied since I was a kid).

Also, haven't done this road trip since I was a kid. What's a good driving schedule? Places to stay one night each way? Bonus for a place being kind of boutique and/or lgbt-friendly.

Welcome any thoughts on places to stop, eat, etc. Whether along the way or in the Morrison/Evergreen etc. area. Also getting ski clothes on a budget, though I think we have some covered already except for one adult. 

TIA!

Edited by ChuckNorrisActionJeans
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We drove to Colorado last summer in a day and that was stupid.  On the back leg we stayed the night in a historic hotel in Amarillo and that’s the plan the next time we go.  
 

If you’re on a budget (or just like the outdoors), you could spend the night at Palo Duron Canyon state park.  It’s pretty awesome and so remote you’ll likely not have a reason to be nearby otherwise.  

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We've driven from downtown Houston to Leadville in a day. It's a beating but doable. Left about 4 am iirc and were in DFW by sunrise. Reached Leadville after sunset. Austin to Denverish should be easier and you do gain an hour crossing time zones. Coming back you lose that hour, though.

Edited by elfenix
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i've driven austin to santa fe and austin to phoenix in one day, but wouldnt do it with kids.  i make a drive west almost yearly but go farther north than your direction - towards the utah national parks and 4 corners area.  when i have driven to colorado, i went through raton/capucin and stayed in dalhart or dumas. who are you seeing at red rocks?

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I did the Austin to Colorado drive a couple of years ago. Stayed in Amarillo at the hotel affiliated with the Big Texan Steakhouse because it was cheap as shit on priceline. Did not attempt the 72 oz challenge as that seemed a bit risky in the middle of a roadie. food was about as "meh" as you would expect. 

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3 hours ago, ChuckNorrisActionJeans said:

We're going during the kid's spring break (so help us). Leaving on March 14th. Lucked into a stay at a friend's house in Morrison, and plan to ski at Loveland. We are beginners (well I haven't skied since I was a kid).

Also, haven't done this road trip since I was a kid. What's a good driving schedule? Places to stay one night each way? Bonus for a place being kind of boutique and/or lgbt-friendly.

Welcome any thoughts on places to stop, eat, etc. Whether along the way or in the Morrison/Evergreen etc. area. Also getting ski clothes on a budget, though I think we have some covered already except for one adult. 

TIA!

starting from where

depart what day of the week

what day of the week do you have to be home back at the starting place

vehicle make

#pax

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also, you won't be doing much skiiing if you stay in denver and attempt to commute to loveland

morrison is a denver suburb

https://www.summitdaily.com/opinion/letter-to-the-editor-skier-traffic-makes-interstate-70-a-nightmare/

https://www.denverpost.com/2025/01/03/colorado-ski-traffic-i70-avalanche-danger/

https://www.cpr.org/2019/02/25/i-70-mountain-traffic-remains-the-bane-of-weekend-skiers/

also i would recommend a first-time or first-in-forever skiing attempt at a lower altitude than loveland's base elevation of 10800'

altitude sickness is kind of overblown but the symptoms are real above 8000' and effect everyone differently

a cunning plan would be to forget loveland and do echo mountain which doesn't require i70 and is 1800' lower base elevation

it's small, low-key, and less expensive that summit county (or loveland/a-basin) but you are still looking at $150/day/adult and $100/day/kid/senior w/ rentals:

https://echomtn.com/lift-tickets#discounted

image.thumb.jpeg.14b4114a03d2dcef1e5afc2d96560d0d.jpeg

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I've driven from central TX to central CO so many times I could do it in my sleep (and probably have).  Lots of routes, none of which have a super attractive or world-class place to stay.

My current preference if I can do a longer first day drive is to stay in Las Vegas NM at the Plaza Hotel on the downtown square.  It's actually pretty badass, and you'll recognize the staircase from No Country for Old Men.  A ton of films get made in LV, and the rooms that actors/directors and other celebrities have stayed in have their picture outside.  Given the local ties to the film industry, I'd guess the hotel and the adjacent town square would be quite friendly.  It's also cheaper, btw, than your usual chain hotel.  Eat breakfast the next morning at Charlie's Spic and Span (/noracist).

If I don't think we can make it that far the first day, I've taken to stopping in Tucumcari at the Motel Safari.  It's a redone MCM type place that is clean, good, and cheap at about $100 per night.  The owner/operator and his dog are super nice.  They don't advertise it anymore, but you might be able to get the adjoining "family suite" if you call/email and ask really nicely (we've stayed enough that he still does that deal for us).  Despite the preponderance of boomers and foreign tourists on Rte 66, the town is at least a little eclectic and friendly along that stretch, and likely much moreso than the rest of Eastern NM and the panhandle.  There's not much else going on in Tucumcari, but you can get a good dinner with ample green chile dishes at Del's, and Kix on 66 is a good breakfast diner.  The drive in and out of Tucumcari on that route is as desolate as you might imagine, but has some pretty parts if you like the desert southwest.  Just make sure you leave town with a full tank of gas and your playlist downloaded.

Either of those routes will take you probably 30m out of your way from the route through Amarillo/Dalhart/Clayton, but it's not like you're missing much.

Oh, and if you go through Post, stop for lunch at Holly's Drive In.

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I also cannot recommend enough skipping the Raton pass/25 portion of the drive because traffic between CS and Denver can get pretty bad - a single accident can add 60-90 min, and they happen a lot.
 

Last time I took 287 up from Amarillo to Limon and then it’s a straight shot on 70 headed west.  Think the total time on that leg, with no traffic on either, was like an extra 15 minutes. But lower risk than that shit ass stretch of 25 

You can take 70 and go south on 470 to Morrison 

Edited by Js1
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42 minutes ago, LCHorn said:

Is that ice cream and a cupcake with gravy on it?!?

That was peanut butter homemade ice cream, a  chocolate soufflé, and some kind of topping with a very light coffee flavor. I was all proud of myself for ordering the quinoa salad, and then I overheard the next table’s waiter describe the dessert as the best he had ever had in his life. 
I interpreted that as a challenge. 

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