You just picked up your Geotrek. The van is ready. The only question left is where to point it.
For a first trip, the right route matters more than the flashiest one. You want somewhere close enough that a forgotten item isn’t a crisis, easy enough that you’re not white-knuckling a mountain pass on day one, and rewarding enough that you come home already planning the next trip.
These five routes are all within a few hours of Boulder and are built for exactly that.
Route 1: Golden Gate Canyon State Park (the shakedown run)
Distance: About 45 minutes from Boulder
This is the trip to take before your real first trip. It’s close enough that any “wait, did I pack that” moment is a quick drive home rather than a problem, and it’s paved the whole way in, so there’s no gravel-road nerves to work through on your first drive in a new van.
Reservable sites mean no guessing when you roll in, which is one less unknown to think about while you’re still getting used to where everything lives in the van.
Grab any last-minute supplies in Boulder or Golden on the way, then book a site through Colorado Parks & Wildlife at Golden Gate Canyon State Park.
Treat this one as a night or two to test your setup: cook a real meal, sleep through a full night, and figure out your routine before you’re somewhere more remote. Cell service disappears in the park, but with Starlink standard in your Geotrek, you can still stay connected once you’re set up.
Route 2: Poudre Canyon to Cameron Pass
Distance: 1 to 2.5 hours from Boulder, depending on where you stop
The Poudre River runs alongside the road for nearly the entire drive, so this route rewards you with scenery before you’ve even parked. It’s a paved byway with no technical driving involved, and it works whether you want everything locked in ahead of time or you’re ready to wing it a little.
If you’d rather know where you’re sleeping before you leave, State Forest State Park has reservable campsites through Colorado Parks & Wildlife. Sleeping Elephant Campground is another developed option along the route, but sites there are first-come, first-served.
If you’re comfortable skipping reservations, dispersed camping is scattered throughout the canyon. A roadside pull-off on Forest Road 156C and a shaded spot along the north shore of Chambers Lake are both well-documented on iOverlander and easy to find.
Cell coverage gets spotty the further up the canyon you go, but with your Geotrek, Starlink comes standard, so you can still pull up a map or check the weather from wherever you land.
Route 3: Buena Vista + Cottonwood Pass
Distance: About 2.5 hours from Boulder
Buena Vista earns its spot on this list by having something for everyone. Hiking on some of Colorado’s most famous peaks, whitewater rafting, hot spring soaking, or an easy stroll through a genuinely cute mountain town. It’s also a river town with easy parking, so you won’t be threading a van through a tight downtown grid trying to find somewhere to leave it.
Soak at Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort after a day outside. For camping, dispersed sites near Cottonwood Pass and along CR 306 are popular and well-documented, including a secluded riverside spot and a stretch of sites on the road past Cottonwood Lake. If you’d rather have something locked in, Cottonwood Lake Campgroundnd and Collegiate Peaks Campground are both reservable nearby.
Before you head back, stop in downtown Buena Vista. Eddyline Restaurant is the move for food and beer after a hike, K’s Dairy Delite has burgers and milkshakes worth the detour, and Cool River Cafe covers coffee, breakfast, and lunch. Easy parking the whole way means none of these stops require circling the block first.
Route 4: Great Sand Dunes
Distance: Roughly 3.5 to 4 hours from Boulder
This is the payoff route. You can reach the main park entirely on paved roads, but what’s waiting at the end looks nothing like the rest of Colorado. Great Sand Dunes is an International Dark Sky Park, and the night sky alone is worth the drive.
Reservable campsites are available inside the park at Piñon Flats Campground. Skip Medano Pass Primitive Road in a Geotrek. The National Park Service requires high-clearance 4WD with low-range capability for that route, not AWD.
Cell service is limited rather than nonexistent. Verizon may work in the main visitor area, while other carriers can be unreliable, so Starlink is useful here too.
Route 5: Steamboat Springs
Distance: Roughly 3 hours from Boulder
Steamboat is the quieter alternative to Colorado’s better-known ski towns, surrounded by wilderness and built for year-round activity. Skiing, snowmobiling, and snowshoeing in winter, floating the Yampa River, hiking, and mountain biking in summer, and hot springs waiting at the end of any of it.
Strawberry Park Hot Springs is the standout soak. Reservations open 30 days ahead, adult admission is $30, and payment is cash only. A 144″ Sprinter is permitted, but larger RVs and trailers are not.
For camping, Steamboat Lake State Park Campground and Pearl Lake State Park both offer established sites if you’d rather have hookups nearby. If you’re going dispersed, a roadside spot along Route 296, a site off Forest Road 19, and Dry Lake Campground are all solid, easy-to-find options.
In town, Beard & Braid is a cute stop for coffee, Mountain Tap Brewery has great beer and wood-fired pizza, and Back Door Grill covers unique craft burgers if you’re craving something hearty after a day outside.
Save this for your first trip
Five routes, five different kinds of first trips: a shakedown run, a scenic drive, a town with something for everyone, a dramatic payoff, and a mountain getaway with real range.
And we have one more. Tag along with Matt McGee on his trip to Glenwood Springs.
Wherever you start, the point is the same. You don’t need a perfect plan or years of van experience. You just need a van that’s ready when you are, and a direction to point it in.
