Denver to Flagstaff road trip: Best stops, distance & drive time
The best road trip stops on the Denver to Flagstaff drive are Glenwood Springs, Moab and Monument Valley. The distance from Denver to Flagstaff by car is 678 miles, with an 11 hour driving time.
Planning a Denver to Flagstaff road trip itinerary
The Denver to Flagstaff drive connects Colorado and Arizona, heading through the Rocky Mountains and Utah desert along the way.
Top Denver experiences include Rocky Mountain National Park day tours, downtown Denver food tours and chilling guided ghost walks around the Cheeseman Park cemetery.
Also worth considering are whiskey and history tours, guided mountain hikes and craft beer tours.
Memorable Denver accommodation options include the charming Queen Anne Bed and Breakfast and the strikingly stylish Ramble.
Flagstaff AZ is largely known as a gateway to the Grand Canyon. You can take a Grand Canyon day tour from here, but you can also do a day trip to Antelope Canyon and Horseshoe Bend.
Other Flagstaff experiences include haunted pub crawls, e-bike tours and an adventure course of wobbly bridges, ropes and ziplines. Stargazing enthusiasts can also take a tour of the Lowell Observatory and the Walnut Canyon National Monument is just to the east of the city. The latter is home to several ancient cliff dwellings.
Good Flagstaff accommodation options include the utterly charming Little America, and the great value Elev8.
Denver to Flagstaff AZ distance and driving time
By car, the distance from Denver to Flagstaff AZ is 678 miles. That makes for a driving time of around 11 hours. There are several possible routes from Denver to Flagstaff. The route via the I-70, US-191, US-160 and US-189 is usually quickest, however.
The best stops to add to a Denver to Flagstaff road trip itinerary are Glenwood Springs, Moab and Monument Valley.
Denver to Flagstaff road trip attractions: Glenwood Springs, Colorado
Glenwood Springs CO is a mountain resort town, famous for its hot springs. For a soak, try the Iron Mountain Hot Springs or Glenwood Hot Springs Resort.
Walkers can take on the hikes to Doc Holliday’s Grave or the photogenic Hanging Lake, while the Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park offers cave tours and thrill rides.
It’s also a great spot for rafting on the Colorado River. Choose between a gentle half day float through the canyon or tackling the rapids on a whitewater adventure.
Due to the massive hot springs pool, the Glenwood Hot Springs Resort is the best place to stay in Glenwood Springs. But you may be able to get better deals on alternative accommodation in the town.
- For more suggestions of stops in the Rocky Mountains, see the guide to the Denver to Glenwood Springs drive.
Best stops between Denver and Flagstaff: Moab, Utah
All-action Moab offers 4×4 adventures in Arches National Park, rafting on the Colorado River, half day trips into the rugged ranges of Canyonlands National Park and e-bike petroglyph tours. For other Moab experiences, try drive-your-own-Jeep tours, canyoneering adventures and paddleboarding on the Colorado.
Of the Moab accommodation options, the Moab Resort offers style and panache and the Inca Inn is a solid, affordable motel.
Denver to Flagstaff drive: Monument Valley
You’ll recognise Monument Valley from countless movies, including Easy Rider and Forrest Gump. It’s a genuinely spectacular collection of buttes that rise steeply out of the desert.
Monument Valley spreads across the Utah-Arizona border, and is part of Navajo Nation land. The 17-mile Valley Drive shows off the best spots, but it is on a rough dirt road. It is just about manageable in a conventional vehicle, but a high clearance SUV or 4×4 is strongly recommended.
If not wanting to risk the wrath of the hire car company, Monument Valley tours are available. You can go in an open-air vehicle with a Navajo guide, on a two hour horseback tour or on a photography-friendly sunset tour.
More Denver road trips
Denver to Albuquerque | Amarillo to Denver | Denver to Arches National Park | Denver to Aspen | Atlanta to Denver | Denver to Beaver Creek | Denver to Breckenridge | Denver to Cedar Rapids | Denver to Cheyenne | Denver to Chicago | Cincinnati to Denver | Denver to Colorado Springs | Denver to Copper Mountain | Dallas to Denver | Denver to Des Moines | Denver to El Paso | Denver to Estes Park | Denver to Fort Collins | Denver to Frisco CO | Denver to Garden of the Gods | Denver to Glenwood Springs | Denver to Granby CO | Grand Junction to Denver | Houston to Denver | Denver to Idaho Springs | Indianapolis to Denver | Kansas City to Denver | Denver to Keystone | Denver to Laramie.
Denver to Madison WI | Denver to Moab | Nashville to Denver | Oklahoma City to Denver | Denver to Omaha | Philadelphia to Denver | Denver to Phoenix | Denver to Pikes Peak | Denver to Pittsburgh | Pueblo CO to Denver | Denver to Salt Lake City | Denver to San Antonio | Denver to Santa Fe | Denver to Scottsdale | Denver to Sedona | Denver to Silverthorne | Denver to Springfield MO | Denver to St Louis | Denver to Topeka | Tucson to Denver | Tulsa to Denver | Denver to Vail | Denver to Wichita | Denver to Winter Park CO.
More Flagstaff road trips
Albuquerque to Flagstaff | Amarillo to Flagstaff | Gallup to Flagstaff | Flagstaff to Grand Canyon (South Rim) | Flagstaff to Kingman | Mesa to Flagstaff | Phoenix to Flagstaff | Prescott to Flagstaff | Flagstaff to Santa Fe | Scottsdale to Flagstaff | Tucson to Flagstaff | Flagstaff to Williams.