Road trip through Colorado and SW states

My wife and I just booked flights in and out of Denver, CO for October 10th through the 23rd, so we’ve got almost 2 full weeks. We’re going to rent a car and do a lot of driving around. We have friends in Santa Fe, NM, so we’ll be going there for 2 nights, we’re going to check out the Grand Canyon and Mesa Verde for sure, and we’d like to hit up Zion in Utah as well. We plan to drive a big loop from Denver, south to Santa Fe, up through Durango, over to the Grand Canyon, up through Zion and east back to Denver. We also hope to hit Fort Collins on the last full day if we’re not too squeezed for time.

I am really unfamiliar with the state, so I was hoping I could get some suggestions from folks that know the area better. My wife also likes beer, so we would definitely want to make that a big part of the trip. If anyone has some suggested itineraries, must-do cities/places/hikes/breweries/restaurants/lodging/etc., or any other tips, I would greatly appreciate it.

And if any locals are around when we’re passing through, we would love to get together for a beer. I always bring local stuff with me on trips (and homebrew sours) when we travel.

Cheers!
Levi

Santa Fe Brewing is okay. It’s like a 15 minute drive from the square downtown. But right on the square Marble has a tap room that I loved. Lots of selections, and I’ve found them to be one of the more underrated breweries around. The food in Santa Fe is awesome. I’m a "red" kind of guy, myself.

Durango has like 6 breweries in a small radius.

Grand Canyon Brewing doesn’t make great beer, but they’re available at the lounge in the El Tovar.

In Denver, I really like Falling Rock Tap House and Great Divide. I haven’t been to the new Crooked Stave, but people seem to love it. The old one was a shithole. People also seem to love Euclid Hall and I can’t figure out why. The tap list isn’t better than anywhere else in town, the food is overrated, everything is overpriced, and the entire staff was rude. Wynkoop has super friendly people.

Choice City, New Belgium, Odell, and Funkwerks are all very worthwhile stops in Fort Collins.

Damn. Just saw that the Santa Fe Taproom for Marble is closed. Sorry.

Dont miss Bryce Canyon!

My only advice is to play a bit with driving times on Google Maps before you set your itinerary in stone. Trying to hit brewpubs in the middle of a 10-12 hour driving day makes for a rushed and not very enjoyable visit.

Originally posted by blipp
My only advice is to play a bit with driving times on Google Maps before you set your itinerary in stone. Trying to hit brewpubs in the middle of a 10-12 hour driving day makes for a rushed and not very enjoyable visit.

Originally posted by bytemesis
Dont miss Bryce Canyon!

If you’ve got time for a beer in Denver Levi hit me up!

Southern Utah in general is amazing.
College Liquors in Grand Junction is a must so is Hells Backbone Grill in Boulder Utah.