Originally Posted By: AdmdeVilleneuve
If you will be in Colorado, then I will throw a vote in for Mesa Verde NP, near Cortez, CO. It would be roughly midway between Royal Gorge and Grand Canyon, NP. If travel time is a concern, the routing will be something you have to look at closely in CO and AZ; quite a bit of travel on two-lane US or State highways.
02SE is correct about National Park popularity. Most big parks have been setting new attendance records every year. I was at Arches NP, UT, briefly last Wednesday because I was travelling northbound on US 191.
Amazed at the amount of people and traffic in the park. Not overflowing like in the summer, but some parking lots out at the attractions were nearly full.
I haven't been to Moab in about twelve years, and it's sad to hear how covered-up Arches is getting. I wish they could set up a shuttle system to alleviate traffic and parking problems.
VeeDub, is your plan to take an interstate and see what's close by, or would you want to take back roads and long side trips? A lot of the really interesting places to actually spend some time are away from the interstates.
I'll also recommend Mesa Verde, and/or the less dramatic but still interesting ruins at Canyons of the Ancients nearby. (Consider that it takes at least 30 or 45 minutes to get to the actual cliff dwellings once you enter Mesa Verde.) Depending on how you go through Colorado to get to Mesa Verde, you could stop at Great Sand Dunes NP or Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP. There's a hot spring-fed pool in the town of Ouray that the kids might enjoy. From Cortez, you can choose to go south to the Four Corners and the Grand Canyon or north to the Moab area and other SE Utah sites. The most dramatic views of Monument Valley are on US 163, going south into the Navajo Nation from Mexican Hat, UT.
If you take I-70 across Colorado: Dinosaur Ridge on the west side of Denver might interest the kids. It is right near Red Rocks park and ampitheater (worth a visit if there's no concert that night) and Bandimere Speedway. At Idaho Springs, you can take a side trip to the summit of Mount Evans. Colorado National Monument near Grand Junction is a miniature version of what you'll see around Moab. Continue on into Utah and take Utah 128 into Moab--that's one of the most scenic roads in the country in my estimation. There are several things to see briefly right off the roadsides around Moab, like petroglyphs and dinosaur tracks. The local free paper should have info and a map. If Arches is packed, maybe Canyonlands Island in the Sky would be less so. Otherwise, drive south to the Needles district. Be sure to stop at Newspaper Rock on the way. (Both Canyonlands units are a good ways off the highway, on out-and-back roads rather than loops.)
However you go, have a great trip. If you're going to stop at more than a few National Parks, it will be worthwhile to by an annual pass
Parks Pass or get a free pass if you have a 4th grader
Every Kid in a Park