The inaugural Colorado Adventure Rally brings precision driving competition to the Rockies with a three-day, 600-mile time-speed-distance event. Running July 17–19, 2026, the rally challenges driver-navigator teams to maintain exact speeds through mountain passes and scenic byways—no racing required, just accuracy and teamwork. Open to any street-legal vehicle, the event benefits Humane Colorado while exploring some of the state’s most breathtaking roads.
If you’ve ever considered doing a time-speed-distance rally, such as the Alcan 5000 Rally or other events, there’s a new event that’s going to happen in 2026. It’s not as long as the 11-day Alcan 5000, but is sure to provide plenty of excitement for adventurers looking for amazing roads, epic scenery, and camaraderie.
The Colorado Adventure Rally (CAR) invites driving enthusiasts to experience its inaugural road rally event July 17–19, 2026, beginning in Denver, and finishing in Georgetown.
The event is a time-speed-distance (TSD) rally over three unforgettable days and more than 600 miles of mountain roads (about 100 miles of this dirt or gravel), complete with breathtaking passes and precision driving. Plus, part of the rally registration cost benefits a great cause: Humane Colorado.
The Route
CAR starts near Denver and will explore 600 miles of Colorado’s most scenic mountain corridors:
- Day 1: Denver to Steamboat Springs via Berthoud Pass and Lynx Pass
- Day 2: Steamboat Springs to Glenwood Springs via the Flat Tops
- Day 3: Glenwood Springs to Leadville to Georgetown via Loveland Pass and the Top of the Rockies Scenic Byway
Approximately 100 of the 600-mile rally route is on unpaved secondary roads. These are county-maintained hard-packed dirt roads, not 4WD Jeep trails. Any street legal car is permitted. No prior TSD rally experience is required.
The Competition
Unlike traditional racing, this time-speed-distance (TSD) rally rewards accuracy, not speed. During each TSD competitive segment, each road has an assigned average speed that is at or below the posted speed limit.
The game is to follow the rally route and maintain the assigned speeds as best as possible. Teams of two—a driver and a navigator—follow detailed route instructions and attempt to arrive at hidden checkpoints “on time.” Every second early or late produces penalty points, making success a blend of strategy, driving, timing, and teamwork.
“It’s not about horsepower — it’s about precision, adventure, and discovery,” said Jim Crittenden, Rally Organizer. “We want people to experience the magic of Colorado’s high-country safely and with a sense of wonder.”
How it Works
Months in advance, Crittenden, the Rallymaster, designs the rally route by selecting roads based on their scenic beauty and driving fun factor. A series of route instructions is written explaining how to follow that route. Then each road on the rally route is assigned an average speed accounting for the speed limit and the road’s quality.
Teams must follow these directions via a supplied route book, adhering not only to the rally’s correct route and speed, but to also complete each rally direction on each specific odometer reading that’s given.
On the day of the rally, the contestants start one minute apart (so they’re not directly following the car ahead) and use the route instructions to find and follow the rally route. On each road they try to maintain the assigned average speed.
There are multiple hidden checkpoints along the rally route where contestants will be timed and assigned penalty points (1 penalty point per second) for being too fast or too slow. Awards will be presented to top teams with the lowest scores.
Contestants will use an app on their smartphones that uses GPS to monitor their location and notice when they pass a checkpoint. The app then compares their arrival time to the correct rallymaster’s arrival time (based on correct speeds) and audibly announces their score. Contestants can use this immediate feedback to improve their ability to arrive “on time” to each following checkpoint as the rally progresses.
A Rally with a Purpose
The 2026 Colorado Adventure Rally is a charity event to benefit Humane Colorado, Colorado’s largest animal rescue organization, combining the spirit of adventure with compassion. Humane Colorado provides medical care and finds “furever” homes for thousands of needy dogs and cats (and other critters) every year.
Registration Information
- Entry fee: $1,495 per team of two
- Includes 3 days of rally competition, 3 hotel nights, 3 breakfasts, awards luncheon, and event apparel
- Open to any street-legal car. Contestants don’t have to be a member of Sports Car Club Of America (SCCA) to run. The event is open to everyone.
- Registration via MotorsportReg.com at msreg.com/Colorado2026
About the Colorado Adventure Rally (CAR)
Founded by rally enthusiast Jim Crittenden, the Colorado Adventure Rally blends time-speed-distance competition with the joy of exploration. It celebrates the art of precision driving, teamwork, and discovery across Colorado’s most scenic highways and byways — all the while supporting a great cause.
About the Sports Car Club of America (SCCA)
SCCA, founded in 1944, is one of the United States’ oldest and most respected motorsport organizations. With over 50,000 members and 115 regions nationwide, SCCA sanctions thousands of safe, well-organized motorsport events each year, from professional road racing to local time-speed-distance road rallies and autocross competitions.
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