VAN-COMPARATOR Guide
The Colorado Rockies by RV from Denver
An RV road trip through the Rockies from Denver: Rocky Mountain National Park, Trail Ridge Road, the Million Dollar Highway, altitude effects and campground bookings.
Denver, sitting at 5,280 ft against the Rockies, is Colorado's great RV base: an international airport, plenty of rental companies — Indie Campers runs a depot here — and Rocky Mountain National Park just 65 miles away. Van-Comparator compares offers out of Denver to find you the true total price.
The classic 8-to-10-day loop
Days 1–3: Rocky Mountain National Park via Estes Park, crossing Trail Ridge Road. Days 4–5: down to Buena Vista and Salida along the Arkansas River, hot springs and 14,000-ft peaks all around. Days 6–7: Ouray and Silverton via the Million Dollar Highway, one of the country's most spectacular mountain roads — narrow but perfectly drivable in a careful Class C. Days 8–9: Mesa Verde and its cliff dwellings, then back via Durango and US-285. Around 950 miles in total.
Altitude: what it changes in an RV
Trail Ridge Road tops out at 12,183 ft — the highest continuous paved road in the United States, open only from late May to mid-October. At that altitude, a gasoline engine loses power, the heater runs even in August (frost is routine above 9,000 ft) and some gas stoves struggle. Downshift on the descents to spare the brakes: 6–7% grades over 10 miles are the norm here.
Bookings and boondocking
Rocky Mountain National Park requires a timed entry reservation in summer on top of the entrance fee, and its campgrounds (about $30–35) book out months ahead on recreation.gov. Elsewhere, Colorado is a paradise for free dispersed camping in the national forests (San Isabel, Uncompahgre): established sites, 14-night limit, zero services — bring water and battery capacity.
Budget and season
Class C RV: $160 to $330 per day in summer, mileage on top. The ideal window runs mid-June to late September; late September adds golden aspens around Aspen and Kebler Pass as a bonus. For the big picture across the Western parks, pair this with our American West RV road trip guide.