Denver to San Antonio drive: Best stops, distance & time

Planning a Denver to San Antonio road trip itinerary

The Denver to San Antonio drive takes you from the capital of Colorado to arguably the most historic city in Texas.

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.

San Antonio’s most famous site is the Alamo, a fortified Spanish mission that played host to a critical battle in the Texas Revolution. It’s far from the only historic building in the city, though – the San Fernando Cathedral and San Antonio Missions National Historical Park are both visually impressive. It’s worth taking a guided tour of the missions for better understanding.

Further attractions include San Antonio Zoo, the Sea Life aquarium, the magic show at the Magicians Agency Theater and the Hopscotch Immersive Art Experience.

Other San Antonio experiences worth considering are the haunted ghost bus tour, downtown food tours, hop-on hop-off buses and Segway tours.

Book ahead for San Antonio accommodation deals. But try the Hotel Emma for five star opulence and the Canopy by Hilton for youthful energy on the Riverwalk.

Denver to San Antonio distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Denver to San Antonio is 934 miles. That makes for a driving time of around 14 hours and 10 minutes.

The best stops to add to a Denver to San Antonio road trip itinerary are Raton NM, Amarillo TX and Sweetwater TX.

For more suggestions, check out the guides to the Denver to Amarillo drive and Amarillo to San Antonio drive.

Denver to San Antonio drive: Raton NM

Raton NM lies just to the south of the scenic, 7,834ft-elevation Raton Pass, which straddles the Colorado/ New Mexico border. This was once one of the key points on the Santa Fe Trail. There’s a scenic overlook on the Colorado side, and a camp and café on the New Mexico side.

Raton is also the gateway to the Sugarite Canyon State Park, which offers all manner of outdoor activities and plenty of wildlife viewing.

Best stops between Denver and San Antonio: Amarillo, Texas

Amarillo is a classic stop on Route 66. Highlights include Cadillac Ranch, an art installation featuring 10 brightly-painted Cadillacs buried nose-first in the ground. You’ll also find the Texas Air and Space Museum here, and the American Quarter Horse Hall of Fame. For the great outdoors, Palo Duro Canyon State Park is just to the south-east of the city.

Interesting Amarillo activities include Route 66 walking tours and scavenger hunts.

For high quality Amarillo accommodation, try the historic Barfield or the spacious Embassy Suites Amarillo Downtown.

Denver to San Antonio road trip attractions: Sweetwater TX

The National WASP WWII Museum in Sweetwater TX takes a look at World War II from an unusual angle. This aviation museum celebrates the efforts and achievements of the Women Airforce Service Pilots. When qualifies pilots were in short supply after Pearl Harbor, these women took on the task of delivering planes to the training bases in the South. They also flight-tested repaired planes before they were returned to active service. 

The museum tells their story amid the planes on display.

The Alamo in San Antonio, Texas.
The Alamo in San Antonio, Texas. Photo by Lori Stevens/ Unsplash.

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 Flagstaff | 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 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 San Antonio road trips

Abilene to San Antonio | Albuquerque to San Antonio | Amarillo to San Antonio | Arlington to San Antonio | Austin to San Antonio | San Antonio to Baton Rouge | Chicago to San Antonio | Colorado Springs to San Antonio | Dallas to San Antonio | San Antonio to El Paso | Fort Worth to San Antonio | San Antonio to Galveston | Houston to San Antonio | Katy TX to San Antonio | Las Cruces to San Antonio | Memphis to San Antonio | Nashville to San Antonio | New Orleans to San Antonio | Oklahoma City to San Antonio | Phoenix to San Antonio | San Antonio to Salt Lake City | Tulsa to San Antonio.