Travel Explorer USA

Estes Park & Rocky Mountain National Park

When mentioning beautiful places in the state of Colorado, Estes Park should be on that list. If you are visiting the Rocky Mountains, it is almost necessary to see Rocky Mountain National Park located in northern Colorado. Estes Park is the place most people stay when visiting this national park. It is a fun curvy drive through these mountains for sure. There are three direct routes to get here which I will explain now.

US-34, US-36, and Colorado Highway 7 meet in this city. The more common routes are the nation’s highways, US-34 & US-36. Colorado Highway 7 is an alternate route from Lyons, Colorado to Estes Park and is a nice shortcut to the city when heading directly north from a city such as Nederland, Black Hawk, or even Idaho Springs. If you are traveling to Estes Park via I-25, you can take one of two US highways. If you are coming from the north end heading south, it would make much more sense to travel to Loveland and take the decent drive on US-34 to Estes Park. However, if you are coming from the south end heading north, travelling on US-36 going through Boulder, CO from Denver, CO is the more direct route.

Coming into town from the east side, you will notice nice scenery located around Lake Estes. Big Thompson River is the primary river that runs through this lake as well as a smaller Fish Creek. There are a couple of places to sit and relax by the lake if you wish. Fall River and Black Canyon Creek are other rivers that run through this area.

There are plenty of places to eat, shop, tour, and lodge before or after visiting the Rocky Mountain National Park. US-34 is the road that really goes through these named mountains with plenty of places to stop and take pictures. There are picnic sites, trails, and lodges located every few miles from each other. For example, Alpine Visitor Center is a place to stop and rest that contains a cafe and a gift shop to collect souvenirs. Further west down the road, you eventually find the city of Grand Lake as well as the actual Grand Lake, Shadow Mountain Lake, and Lake Granby. Following the Colorado River, you will finally end up in the city of Granby where the US-34 ends at US-40. From there, you could continue travelling west into northwest Colorado or head east to I-70.

Rocky Mountain National Park Alpine View

In summary, if you take anything away from this, know that if you are ever visiting the state of Colorado, this is a must. I have visited the state several times and Estes Park a couple times when I was younger and it was overall a great experience! Consider this being one of your next travel destinations when the weather is slightly warmer! It is one of the most scenic places in America still to this day. Go to www.rockymountainnationalpark.com for more information.

December 23, 2020 NexGen TravelExplorer

How Numbering Interstates and Highways Works

Some of us like travelling and navigating using the highway numbers and, if on the interstate, exit numbers. You can find out how mile markers work by reading the article “What are Mile Markers?”. Now we will explain how the numbers of the interstates and state highways were determined.

Even and Odd Numbered Roads

In all cases, numbers ending in an odd number nearly always run from north to south. In contrast, numbers ending in an even number run east to west. If a highway or interstate performs a second function for that similar interstate, it will start with a one, two, three, etc. For example, Interstate 435 goes around a city that Interstate 35 is on. If it is a single digit like 5, the second to last digit is a zero. Another way to look at it is that if there is a three-digit interstate, the last two digits would be the number of a main interstate nearby.

In some scenarios, there may be multiple interstates with the same exact number in different states. For example, There is an I-470 that runs around Topeka, KS and a I-470 that goes near Independence, MO. It is true that you can find them in different states, but never in the same state.

Interstate Numbering

It is easier to figure out the pattern for interstates. Going west to east, odd numbers go from 5 to 95, mostly ending with five. Going north to south, even numbers, mostly ending in zero, go from the Mexican border to the Canadian border. Of course, not all interstates end in 0 or 5, especially in the eastern US.

Depending where the last digit is located on the number scale with 5, at least at some point, it will be at the right spot. I say this because interstates and highways like to intersect or cross sometimes. This is something to keep in mind because it may not seem like the pattern works where you are, but the pattern may occur in another state.

National highways

A question that may come to mind is, ”What about the nation’s highways that are not interstates?” This may be trickier to spot. I believe it is the case that with state highways, they are, for the most part, random. For the national highways, however, if you look hard enough, you notice there is a pattern. From east to west, U.S. highways are numbered from 1 by the Atlantic Coast to 101 by the Pacific coast. From north to south, U.S. highways go in order from 2 by the Canadian border to 98 by the Mexican border.

In some states, remember, it may not be perfect because again, highways, especially this kind, like to overlap each other from time to time. They don’t even have to meet. At some point, going in order, earlier digits in the number scale should be more north/south or west/east than the other. That is the trick to spotting the pattern for U.S. highways.

All information shared is to the best of my knowledge. Was it helpful? Let us know by showing support! Follow us on Twitter.

November 25, 2020 NexGen TravelExplorer

Fastest Road In America

If you were to search around the world to find the fastest speed of travel on a highway, you would find Texas Highway 130 in America. This 40-mile stretch of toll road in Texas costs over six dollars per car to drive on it. From Austin to San Antonio, the speed limit reaches a record high of 85 mph, or about 137 km/h. Some cars on interstates drive a little faster than the speed limit, which in this case would be around 90 mph. This is already reaching 145 km/h in speed.

It makes sense that it’s in Texas, the second biggest state and the largest of the 48 contiguous states. The land is not too flat, but flat enough that the ride isn’t too bumpy. Knowing its size, you can assume it would take awhile to travel from one point to another in Texas. In September 2011, a law was passed to allow travelers to travel 75 mph on state highways as well.

Other Fast Roads

asphalt junction near greenery on city street — Photo by Kelly Lacy on Pexels.com

There is no doubt that Texas Highway 130 from the capitol city, Austin, to San Antonio is the fastest road in the nation. But is there a faster road in the world? It depends on how fast drivers actually drive on the road, regardless of the speed limit. Roads such as the Autobahn in Germany allow drivers to go as fast as they want. Although faster speeds sound like a good idea, it’s important to make sure everyone driving on the road is safe.

There may be roads in western America that are rural enough to allow fast speeds, such as Arizona Route 79. Although the posted speed limit there is not higher than in Texas, drivers often speed through as fast as 90mph. Find out more about Route 79 here. Nonetheless, you should check out what has proven to be the fastest road in America located in Texas, USA.

November 25, 2020 NexGen TravelExplorer

Indian Rock Nature Trails Salina Kansas USA

Indian Rock Salina Kansas USA beautiful hidden lake at the bottom

Indian Rock Nature Trails has a lot to offer for short trail. Everything from steep slopes, huge rocks, trees, lake and a beautiful view overlooking Salina. Great place to chill and take beautiful photos of Sunsets.

Indian Rock is located right by the Smoky Hill River. There are spots from the Indian Rock where you can see the Smoky Hill River channel blasted out by the Corp of Engineers. The Corp of Engineers built a levee around the City of Salina for flood control. This has resulted in couple of small waterfalls on the River.

Map of Indian Rock Nature Trail Salina Kansas USA

Bill Burke Park Salina Kansas

You can also access Indian Rock from the adjacent Bill Burke Sports Complex. There are walking and biking trails right along the Smoky Hill River that connects the park the levee system. You can walk along the levee all around Salina. You can walk South to the Soccer fields South of town and beyond. You can walk North past the old Marymount College as well.

Walking and Biking Trails from Indian Rock Connecting to the Salina Levee Trails

Old Smoky Hill River Channel Salina Kansas USA

The Old Smoky Hill River Channel separating Bill Burke Park from Indian Rock Park. City of Salina has a water well located right where the new Smoky Hill Channel meets the old.

Smoky Hill River Salina Kansas from Bill Burke Park

Smoky Hill River Salina Kansas USA from Bill Burke Park

October 12, 2020 Global TravelExplorer

Little Pyramids Kansas USA

Located South of New Jerusalem State Park and North of Lake Scott , Kansas is a beautiful rock formation called Little Pyramids.

Directions to Little Pyramids
Take the country Gold Road headed West (same road to enter New Jerusalem State Park) off US-83. Then go South on country 390 road to Elk Road and you can’t miss the Pyramids. If you head South on the 390 road, it will eventually join 400 road which enters the Lake Scott State Park from the North. Stay on the right side of the road to give room for any oncoming traffic especially from the Fairleigh Ranch nearby. Roads can be really dusty most of the time. Do remember though, when it rains, it can be muddy!

Beautiful and Rugged Country Drive
You can see cattle from the Fairleigh Ranch grazing nearby or more rocks or even farmers harvesting crops as you drive to Little Pyramids and on to Lake Scott. Enjoy some beautiful rugged country driving in Western Kansas.

October 12, 2020 Global TravelExplorer

Melvern Lake Kansas USA

Location and Directions
Melvern Lake is located in eastern Kansas north of I-35 and west of US-75 which are two major highways. You can find it between Emporia and Ottawa. Near the lake are the towns Olivet via K-276 and the town Melvern via K-31. To visit the town of Melvern and then the lake from I-35, take Exit 160. If you take Exit 148, you can visit the town of Lebo heading south or take the road north to drive through the west side of Melvern Lake. However, the most direct route will most likely be taking US-75 north at Exit 155.

Directions to Eisenhower State Park
There are many state highways nearby the lake, but the one to really remember is K-278 which will take you to Eisenhower State Park. It will end at the road you take to turn left and you will be able to easily spot it from there. Taking US-75 to K-278 west to South Fairlawn Road south to Eisenhower State Park is probably one of the more direct routes. If you want to, you could take South Hoch road through the west part of the lake to get to K-170 from the interstate, and then take a series of roads and eventually find South Fairlawn Road which will again take you to Eisenhower State Park. It is most likely the destination you want to travel to.

Click for Virtual Tour

The first thing you will notice is the Eisenhower State Park Office of Wildlife, Parks & Tourism (the way to get into the park). Once allowed to enter, there are two directions to take which will eventually connect back to each other closer to the actual lake. It won’t be hard to find restrooms and showers as you drive along. There are a few campgrounds adjacent to the lake such as the Doud and Churchill campgrounds. There is even a decent playground located pretty close to the water.

There are other places nearby such as the Outlet Park east of the lake close by US-75. It includes a dam you can ride on that gives you a good view of the lake looking west. There are places you can maybe access all around the lake including the Turkey Point Area southwest of Eisenhower State Park.

In conclusion, Melvern Lake is one of many lakes you can find in eastern Kansas. You can access it pretty easily from three major cities in the state of Kansas: Topeka, Emporia, and Ottawa. Melvern Lake is a good place to enjoy life and go fishing.

September 26, 2020 NexGen TravelExplorer

Lake Scott State Park Kansas

Lake Scott State Park is located in Scott County ten miles north of the town of Scott City, Kansas. It is hard to find a lake this nice this far west in Kansas. Taking via US-83, you can take K-95 at the first available moment. The speed limits are no joke. There are plenty of curves on not the widest road.

From a distance, it looks like the prairie continues forever and ever, but in this big gap in the land, you will find a lake located in Lake Scott State Park. I have always enjoyed stopping by a time or two here. It is a nice detour along your travels on US-83.

You can find canyons, springs, ponds, small rivers, and several campgrounds. All campgrounds I found on the map will be listed below:

Elm Grove
Apache
Lakeside
Flatland
Circle Derive
Boat Ramp
Bull Canyon South
Lake View

Whenever I used to visit with my family, we would almost always stop at the Circle Drive Campground to view the lake and enjoy life. There is a west and east Scott Lake Drive that together surround the lake. We always like to take the west drive, but the east drive is very good also. There are restrooms and showers available for those wanting to know.

Overall, this is a decent state park. If there is one thing in western Kansas I enjoyed visiting, this will be put on the list for sure. The lake’s size is good considering where it is located. Consider stopping by here along your travels on all of the two-laned highways out there in western Kansas!

September 14, 2020 NexGen TravelExplorer

Mile Markers in Colorado

Colorado is one of the homes the Rocky Mountains occupy. If you are traveling here by car through Utah, New Mexico, Kansas, Wyoming, or even Nebraska, it might be helpful to know what locations you might pass along the way. I will just briefly list cities on each interstates and the exit numbers that connect with it.

Remember that exit numbers aren’t just made up. They represent at what mile of the interstate you are at. For example, if you are at mile marker 100, and you find an exit, you will notice the exit number will be the same or off just by a mile or two. If you are traveling west or south, the numbers will count down until you reach a new state or the end of the highway. It will be the opposite if you are traveling north or east on the road.

Knowing this information, you can take the mile marker you are at as well as the exit number you are looking for and do the math. If you are at mile marker 88 and are traveling to a location with the exit number being 256, that means you are 168 miles away from your destination. It might be another two and a half hour trip assuming traffic is good and you make less stops along the way. So, with all of that being said, listed below are cities all in Colorado you will find along each interstate and what exit number they are at. Note that not every single one you can possibly find is listed. I hope you will find this useful someday.

I-25

11-15 – Trinidad
49-52 – Walsenburg & Farista
71 & 74 – Colorado City
94-104 – Pueblo
128-161 – Colorado Springs Area (Including Suburbs)
181-188 – Castle Rock & Castle Pines
194-228 – Denver Area (Including Suburbs)
240 & 243 – Longmont Exits
257 – Loveland Exit
269 A & B – Fort Collins Exit
278 – Wellington

I-76

1-25 – Denver Area (Including Suburbs)
31 – Hudson
39 – Keenesburg
64 & 66 – Wiggins
75-82 – Fort Morgan
89-92 – Brush
125 – Sterling
149 – Crook
165 – Sedgwick
180 – Julesburg

I-70

11-44 – Grand Junction Area (Including Suburbs)
62 – De Beque
75 – Parachute
87-97 – Rifle & Silt
114 & 116 – Glenwood Springs
140-147 – Gypsum & Eagle
163-168 – Edwards, Avon & Eagle Vail
176 & 180 – Vail
195 – Copper Mountain
201 & 205 – Frisco, Silverthorne & Dillion
226 & 228 – Silver Plume & Georgetown
239-241 – Idaho Springs
260-289 – Denver Area (Including Suburbs)
304-316 – Bennett, Strasburg & Byers
328 – Deer Trail
359-363 – Limon
371 – Genoa
395 – Flagler
405 – Seibert
419 – Stratton
437 & 438 – Burlington

September 14, 2020 NexGen TravelExplorer

Clinton Lake Kansas USA

Directions to Clinton Lake and Clinton State Park
Located west of Lawrence and Douglas County, you will find Clinton Lake. You can find signs along US-40, K-10, and US-59 that will help navigate you to this destination. If you take K-10, you can find it much easier. Off of that exit, you can either visit Clinton State Park or ride the east dam. You can also find this route from a turnoff on US-59 as well. From that turnoff, you can visit the Rockhaven, Bloomington, and Woodridge Public Use Areas and the town of Clinton. The turnoff from US-40 takes you straight down to the Clinton State Park or the Wildlife Area.

Things to do at Clinton Lake
At the north part of the lake, this tends to be the main spot. Locations include campgrounds with restrooms and showers, trails, a disc golf course, and an archery range. East of the lake, locations include a waterfall, spillway, and outlet park near Wakarusa River, and a golf course.

View from Kansas Highway K-10
If you are driving along K-10, there are sports complexes to the east of the lake and a nice overlook park at the northeast corner of the lake for a quick but good look at this huge lake. You should check out this lake if you have the time to tour something special along your travels in a very scenic eastern Kansas.

August 13, 2020 NexGen TravelExplorer

Colorful Colorado USA

Welcome to Colorful Colorado! If you prefer central America but don’t like the flat lands, this is a state to check out. Home to the Rocky Mountain National Park and the rest of the mountains, this state is decent in size, has very scenic areas, and a great vacation spot. People can come to ski, snowboard, ride a mountain bike, dwell in a lodge with a hot tub, or even just drive around the mountains.

Denver, Colorado
The main interstates that travel through the entire state are I-25 & I-70 that form a plus shape. They meet in the capital city, Denver. I-76 travels from I-80 in Nebraska to this city. I-270 & I-225 are inside the city with Colorado Highway 470 circling the city. The east half is toll road while the west half is non-toll road.

Denver, Colorado has both an NBA and NFL team to root for pretty much all year-round aka the Denver Nuggets, and the Denver Broncos. Boulder, CO northwest of Denver is home of Colorado University.

From Denver, you could travel north through multiple cities like Loveland and Fort Collins to the state of Wyoming and its capital city Cheyenne. Or you could travel south through Colorado Springs and Pueblo to the state of New Mexico. Or you could even continue west through the Rocky Mountains where you meet the city of Grand Junction just miles before the state of Utah. Traveling east takes you to the state of Kansas.

Colorado Springs, Colorado
Whenever my family and I travel from the east side of the state to the mountains, we like to stop in Limon, Colorado for a break and to get souvenirs from Colorado Gifts located right off the interstate at Exit 361. From there we go northwest to Denver or southwest to Colorado Springs, another great city next to Pikes Peak and the Garden of the Gods located to the west.

Eastern Colorado
Some people claim that eastern Colorado is just a flat, dry land with not too many things interesting. There is US-50 however is a better route through this part of the state if you aren’t taking I-70. The northeast isn’t as bad since there is another interstate you can take. In fact, western Kansas and eastern Colorado have the same feel to them. It is true that they both have flat areas and nothing that exciting for people that live in the big cities, but it is a nice place to live for people that don’t like populated areas so much.

Historic Stanley Hotel Estes Park Colorado USA

Estes Park
There are more places worth checking out that I haven’t really mentioned yet. I have been to Estes Park more than once, it is a good area to stay at if you are visiting the Rocky Mountain National Park.

South West Colorado
If you happen to travel in southwest Colorado, it is also very scenic and there is a lot to tour there. If you can take via US-160 to the very southwest part of the state where you can find Mesa Verde and Four Corners, you can see a nice looking desert. A cool thing I saw was the San Juan River right before the border to New Mexico and the four corners monument. I love how the river was big and it was the only obvious green area in the entire reservation. A bonus is being able to add a few more states to your list of states visited.

Colorful Colorado, in conclusion, is one of coolest mountain states I have ever seen in my opinion, and I have been to 20+ states so far. I think you will enjoy your time there if you choose this place as your next summer vacation destination. I will try to include more information about this state in the near future on this website, so stay tuned!

August 13, 2020 NexGen TravelExplorer

Category Archives: Travel Explorer USA

Even and Odd Numbered Roads

Interstate Numbering

National highways

Other Fast Roads