ROSE FAMILY JOURNAL

Before moving from Indianapolis to Las Vegas, we took a road trip for a five week trip out to Las Vegas and back to Indianapolis on a different route. This google maps link (+screenshot below) includes all of our stops to and from Indianapolis. This trip has been one of the greatest memories and we now HIGHLY recommend everyone try doing a big road trip like this in your lifetime. This post includes stops from Indianapolis to Las Vegas. To read about our time on the historic Route 66, read about those from Las Vegas back to Indianapolis here.

Stops on route from Indy to Las Vegas

Day One: Boonville, Missouri: This is a town I have been to previously for a work trip, and was looking forward to seeing again on this trip. The stretch on the road between Indianapolis to Denver is rather monotonous, however, Boonville is a cute town and it was the perfect stop for a beautiful walk along the Katy trail. The Katy trail is a bike trail that spans the entire length of the state of Missouri, and the section near Boonville is wonderfully shaded and full of beauty. We packed a picnic prior to leaving Indianapolis, and went for a walk near the old railroad station and had lunch.

First night -Denver, Colorado: Now, we were running on excitement/adrenaline, because we actually drove from Indianapolis to Denver, Colorado. If you decide to stop for the night somewhere before Denver, you could easily make the drive to our next stop, Breckenridge. However, we drove to Denver in one day, and we enjoyed an amazing breakfast and coffee at one of the many vegan options in Denver.

Day Two:
-Breakfast in Denver, Colorado
-Hike the Herman Gulch Trail (7.2 miles out and back, 1,772′ elevation)
-Set up camp at Heaton Bay near Frisco, Colorado via site reserved at recreation.gov and head to bed early for hiking a 14er in the morning!

Day Three:
-Wake up super early, pack up camp
-Hike to the top of Quandary Peak! We chose this 14er due to it’s proximity to I-70 West and the well-maintained parking lot/drive up to the trailhead.
-Drive to Colorado National Monument and set up camp for the next night! The most beautiful campsite — with amazing views of the sunset right next to the campground. We ended up with a first-come, first-served camp site. We were nervous about this plan, because of past experiences with not getting a spot like this, however, we called the park rangers and they felt very confident we would have no issue getting a spot. One of our biggest tips is to call/speak with park rangers any where you go, because they have a wealth of knowledge!

Day Four:
-Wow, Colorado National Monument truly was the unforeseen gem we needed in our lives. The place has Grand Canyon type views with a lot less visitors. We did a few hikes here in the morning after packing up our tent, then we headed out to Dinosaur Hill — which was the very site where the fossils of Sue, the dinosaur in the Chicago Museum of Natural History was found!
-Back in the car and drive to the Watchmen Campground of Zion National Park (reserved through Recreation.gov). We were itching for a shower at this point, so we paid for showers at Zion Outfitter.

Day Five:
-We failed to plan ahead for our time in Zion National Park, and during the time we visited the shuttle required daily passes that must be booked in advanced. Instead, we did the Watchman trail, which was a beautiful trail that does not require the shuttle. For more ideas on what to do in Zion though, check out our St. George guide!
-Stop to eat and have coffee at FeelLove Coffee just outside of the park.
-Finish the drive to Las Vegas!

Stay tuned for the rest of the road trip back to Indianapolis from Las Vegas.

During your stay in Las Vegas, check out our ideas for getting outside and eating out in Las Vegas. Also check out our weekend trip ideas from Las Vegas to:
St. George, Utah
Death Valley, California
Great Basin National Park, Nevada
Joshua Tree, California
Palm Springs, California