Houston to Colorado Springs drive: Best stops, distance & time

Planning a Houston to Colorado Springs road trip itinerary

The Houston to Colorado Springs drive connects the biggest city in Texas to the Rocky Mountains in Colorado.

The top Houston attraction is unquestionably the NASA Space Center, which takes you behind the scenes of the Johnson Space Center. This includes the Mission Briefing Center, and a vast array of high tech exhibitions.

Other attractions include the Houston Museum of Natural Science and the Children’s Museum

For more Houston experiences, try hip hop party bike tours, foodie walks in the Montrose neighbourhood and quirky tours of Houston’s tunnel system.

Top Houston accommodation options include the superb value Club Quarters Houston Downtown and the upscale but boutique Magnolia.

Colorado Springs is at the foot of the Rockies – most notably the 14,114ft-high Pikes Peak. You can take a Jeep tour to the top, or go via the cog railway. The other natural highlight is the Garden of the Gods, a park with giant red sandstone formations jutting out towards the sky. Ways of exploring include Jeep tours, ebike adventures and Segway tours.

Other interesting Colorado Springs experiences include falconry classes, food tours, hot air balloon flights and ziplining.

For memorable Colorado Springs accommodation with character, go for the Great Wolf Lodge or the Mining Exchange.

Houston to Colorado Springs distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Houston to Colorado Springs is 961 miles. That makes for a driving time of around 14 hours and 29 minutes. The best stops to add to a Houston to Colorado Springs road trip itinerary are Fort Worth, Amarillo and Raton NM.

For more suggestions, read the guides to the sections of the journey:

Best stops between Houston and Colorado Springs: Fort Worth

Fort Worth fully embraces its status as a cow town, with the Stockyards district full of cowboy heritage. And cowgirl heritage, as the National Cowgirl Hall of Fame shows off.

It’s also a place that knows how to have a shamelessly good time, with Billy Bob’s Texas Honky Tonk famously big on the yee-has and line dancing.

Other good Fort Worth experiences include a Stockyards food tour, electric bike BBQ tours, historic pub crawls and ghost tours

If you want a Fort Worth hotel with character, try the Stockyards Hotel or the Sinclair.

Houston to Colorado Springs drive: Amarillo

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.

Houston to Colorado Springs road trip attractions: 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.

The Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, Colorado.
The Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, Colorado. Photo by Melanie Magdalena/ Unsplash.

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