We had been looking forward to our road trip through the legendary state of Colorado… but it didn’t quite go as planned! The reason? Freezing temperatures, day and night, made our Jeep and rooftop tent adventure seriously uncomfortable. We ended up only crossing through the southwestern part of the state — a lesser-known, off the beaten path Colorado that many travelers never get to see. Because Colorado isn’t just the famous Rockies and the ever-crowded Rocky Mountain National Park. It’s also home to underrated national parks that are every bit as stunning: Colorado National Monument, Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park, and Mesa Verde National Park. Here’s our guide to a Colorado road trip in winter.
From red to white: snow in Utah
Monday, October 24, 2022
After 3 days of exploring the legendary off-road trails in Utah with our expedition Jeep under bright sunshine, who would have guessed we’d be leaving Moab in a snowstorm? A blizzard and overnight freeze warnings forced us to break out the heater for the first time in a long while. It blew on and off all night, and we managed to keep the inside of the vehicle at a cozy 13°C. But by morning, the sun is back — and honestly, there’s nothing better to start the day, no matter the temperature! 😊
Since we had driven through the storm the day before with zero visibility, we decide to backtrack a little to admire Utah’s iconic rock formations under snow. It’s a whole different experience seeing those usually rust-red cliffs dressed in white!
Visiting Colorado National Monument in winter
We cross into Colorado under a gorgeous blue sky, but the cold is brutal! We quickly reach Grand Junction, the gateway to one of Colorado’s most underrated gems: Colorado National Monument. To explore it, we drive the scenic Rimrock Drive. It winds high up into the mountains — where it had clearly snowed heavily. The views are simply stunning. We stop at several overlooks above the valley and canyon, though we don’t linger long outside since it was only 2°C! At this time of year, you barely see another soul, which is exactly the kind of experience we are after.
Once back in town, the temperature climbs up to 8°C—much more comfortable already! We spend the afternoon in Grand Junction, enjoying a hearty meal at Five Guys, running a few errands at Walmart, grabbing some Wi-Fi in a hardware store parking lot, and filling up the tank. By late afternoon, we hit the road again in search of a quiet nature spot to bivouac. The sun has already set, and temperatures drop quickly. Just like the night before, we turn on the heater, as freezing temperatures are expected again overnight. A quick soup warmed up in the back of the Jeep, feet in the snow, followed by tea and coffee to get through the evening—and then we retreat inside the car for a warm night.
The jaw-dropping Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park
Tuesday, October 25
Our wild campsite is still in the shade this morning, and it’s freezing cold. We give up on making breakfast and head to the nearest town for a warm meal at McDonald’s. We end up staying there for a few hours to take advantage of the Wi-Fi. Later, we set off to explore one of Colorado’s hidden gems: Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park. The South Rim scenic drive offers breathtaking views down into the dramatic canyon, where the Gunnison River flows far below.
Unlike Utah’s iron-rich canyons with their reddish tones, Black Canyon gets its dark hue from granite and schist. The canyon walls are streaked with lighter veins of pegmatite, giving the rock an almost nerve-like appearance. It’s absolutely breathtaking! We feel incredibly grateful that our Jeep road trip through Colorado gives us the freedom and independence to explore such remote and lesser-known places in this iconic part of the United States.
We learn that the sun also plays a role in shaping the canyon. The north-facing side, which remains in the shade for most of the year, features steep, sheer cliffs. In contrast, the south-facing side, more exposed to sunlight, has gentler slopes. This difference is due to the sun melting snow and ice during winter. The constant freeze-thaw cycle gradually erodes the rock, creating this striking contrast between the two sides of the canyon.
The evening is still very cold! We cook in a crisp 0°C, which means waiting patiently for the water to finally reach a boil… As soon as the meal is ready, we jump into the Jeep to eat in the warmth. The heater runs on and off to keep the inside at around 13°C. It may not sound like much, but coming in from the cold, it feels like stepping into a sauna 😅
Driving the Million Dollar Highway in winter
Wednesday, October 26
That night, our heater let us down. For a reason we didn’t bother figuring out in the middle of the night and freezing cold, it suddenly stopped and refused to restart. So we spent the night… pretty chilled. By morning, we wake up in the middle of a snowstorm! A thin layer of snow covers the Jeep. After a quick breakfast inside the car, we hit the road without delay. The car heater is blasting at full power!
Snow is beautiful — it always reminds us of our beloved Quebec. But we definitely weren’t expecting to see this much snow! As we keep driving, it starts snowing harder and harder. We arrive in the small town of Ouray in the middle of a real snowstorm.. There’s no denying it — watching it from the warmth of the car, it looks absolutely stunning 😁 I still braved the storm to grab a few photos while Rémi checked the weather forecast.
We’re about to continue our Colorado road trip winter adventure along the legendary Million Dollar Highway. This famous mountain road in Colorado is usually packed in summer, but at this time of year, we don’t expect to see many other vehicles. It winds through the southern part of the Rocky Mountains, offering spectacular views all along the way. Built in the 1880s, it stretches for about 40 kilometers. The origin of its name remains a mystery—some say it cost a million dollars per mile to build! Its reputation is well known: no guardrails, no shoulders, and sheer drop-offs right next to the road. With the snowstorm still raging, we briefly wonder if we should turn back and take another route. In the end, we decide to proceed carefully… and see how far we can go.
We can’t see much of the landscape, but what little we catch glimpses of is already spectacular. We cross several passes above 3,000 meters in altitude. It’s so cold that the windshield wipers keep freezing solid. We end up having to step out of the Jeep again and again, braving the snowstorm just to clear them and keep going.
After two hours of driving through the snow, we finally emerge from the mountains. We’re greeted by bright sunshine and a deep blue sky with not a single cloud in sight—no trace of snow at all. The contrast is absolutely striking. And we’re not complaining. On the contrary, it feels great to be back in the sun, bringing a bit of the warmth we’ve been craving for the past few days. To continue our off-the-beaten-path exploration of Colorado, we head toward Mesa Verde National Park. From there, the view over the valley and the distant mountains we crossed earlier is simply stunning.
Visiting Mesa Verde National Park: off the beaten path Colorado at its best
Mesa Verde National Park is famous for its ancient archaeological sites — cliff dwellings tucked into the alcoves of canyon walls. These are pueblos, built between 1150 and 1300 by the Ancestral Pueblo people. They lived here in community, relying on hunting and agriculture for survival. The homes were constructed from rectangular sandstone blocks, held together with a mud-and-water mortar. Some pueblos contain just one or two rooms, while others are the remains of much larger, densely populated villages.
In the mid-1200s, the population began migrating south, eventually settling in what is now New Mexico and Arizona. The villages were completely abandoned by the late 1200s. Today, we stick to the viewpoints along the road. Visiting the cliff dwellings themselves is only possible with a guided tour, as access is restricted for safety reasons. Unfortunately, at this time of year, no tours are available. So, what can you do in Mesa Verde National Park?
Spruce Tree House
We start with Spruce Tree House. It is the third largest pueblo in the park, built between 1211 and 1278. It contains around 130 rooms and 8 kivas—circular rooms used for political and religious gatherings—and is built within an alcove measuring 66 meters wide and 27 meters deep. Between 60 and 80 people once lived here.
Cliff Palace
We then head to Cliff Palace, the most impressive site in the park. At its peak, this pueblo had around 150 rooms and 23 kivas, housing approximately 100 people. Cliff Palace was an important administrative, social, and religious center.
We leave Mesa Verde National Park after a very insightful visit that allowed us to discover a lesser-known side of Colorado. We spend the night not far from the park in a “dispersed campground,” a regulated but free camping spot in the middle of nature. We’re quite picky when choosing our site, looking for one that stays in the sun as long as possible in the evening but also catches the first rays of sunrise the next morning—easier said than done! It’s close to 0°C. We quickly cook a carrot soup before heading into the warmth of the Jeep. Tonight, we skip the heater as the night should be less cold than the previous ones, and we snuggle up under the duvet and a blanket.
Wild camping in Colorado in winter
Thursday, October 27
Once again (do I even need to say it 😅), the night was cold. We wake up at 7 a.m. shivering from the cold. We turn the Jeep heater up full blast to warm ourselves. Throughout our entire road trip across the Americas, we’ve rarely been this cold. — not in Alaska, not in the Andes, not even in Patagonia! That tells you everything about how challenging a winter Jeep road trip through Colorado can be. A quick look out the window: it’s snowing! So much for picking the sunniest spot… It’s so cold that we don’t even bother with breakfast. We head straight into town for a warm tea, coffee, and breakfast at the nearest McDonald’s. Then we make our way to the library for a productive morning of work.
At 2 p.m., after a few grocery runs where we stock up on soups and vegetables (the forecast for the next few days still looks freezing, and we have no desire to cook anything elaborate at 0°C), we head south. We’re hoping to find some warmth again, and it doesn’t take long. As we drive further down and approach the warmer southern regions of the United States, the weather gradually improves.
We made a stop at Four Corners Monument, the only place in the United States where four states meet: Colorado, Utah, Arizona, and New Mexico. We wanted THE photo straddling all four states at once. Unfortunately, it’s located on Navajo Nation land, and the photo op costs $8 per person. That felt like a stretch for a single snapshot! So we skip it and continue on our way to New Mexico. An American state with “Mexico” in its name has to bring some warmth… right? While we wait for the real Mexico! 😌
And so ends our off the beaten path Colorado road trip in winter. We’re a little disappointed to have had to “escape” this iconic state we were so eager to explore—its Rocky Mountains, Denver, Aspen—but we had to face reality: winter here is harsh, and camping in such conditions was far from comfortable. Not only were our gear and systems not designed for extreme cold (our water even froze in the tanks…), but living outdoors full-time makes everything more complicated: waiting for water to boil, heating soup, chopping vegetables, brushing our teeth, getting dressed, or even simple daily routines quickly become a real challenge when everything is done at 0°C and below.
So we made the call to cut our Colorado adventure short and chase better weather further south, heading into Arizona for an off the beaten path road trip through Petrified Forest National Park. As for Colorado — it’s not over between us! On our way back to Montreal from Ushuaia (yes, we actually did it!!), we’re planning to pass through again — this time in the height of summer to finally explore the breathtaking American Rockies!
