Houston to Denver drive: Best stops, distance & time

The best road trip stops on the Houston to Denver drive are Fort Worth, Amarillo and Raton NM. The distance from Houston to Denver by car is 1,031 miles, with a 15h21m driving time.

Planning a Houston to Denver road trip itinerary

The Houston to Denver drive connects the biggest city in Texas to the capital of 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.

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.

Houston to Denver distance and driving time

By car, the distance from Houston to Denver is 1,031 miles. That makes for a driving time of around 15 hours and 21 minutes. The best stops to add to a Houston to Denver road trip itinerary are Fort Worth, Amarillo and Raton NM.

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

Houston to Fort Worth drive.

Fort Worth to Amarillo drive.

Amarillo to Denver drive.

Best stops between Houston and Denver: 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 Denver 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 Denver 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.

Denver, Colorado. Photo by Chachpond/ Pixabay.

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Houston to Denver drive: Best stops, distance & time

Planning a Houston to Denver road trip itinerary

Houston to Denver distance and driving time

Best stops between Houston and Denver: Fort Worth

Houston to Denver drive: Amarillo

Houston to Denver road trip attractions: Raton NM

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