Colorado with kids...

tatest wrote:
My experience is with two children spaced ten years apart, then three grandchildren with the same age spread, all of them traveling from age 1 or earlier. Plan the trip for the potential interests of the older child.

At age 1 it doesn't matter where you go, just getting outdoors is usually all that's needed for adventure. A four year old is old enough to recognize that a trip is to a special place and might even remember it for life. Still, that age will not have an appreciation that one natural wonder or unique adventure is any more special than another. It is the same for theme parks, one can be as good as another, unless the child is already "primed." Most that watch TV are primed for Disney, but my four year old grandson has been fanatic about trains and cars since two years so gets more out of any type of unusual transportation.

At age four I would take my grandson into the Southern Rockies, starting across U.S. 50 (Bent's Fort to explore, Pike's Peak, a train ride through Royal Gorge and looking down into the gorge from the bridge) then maybe down to US-160 and west into Durango for the Durango to Silverton railroad journey. This all still works for my 14 year old granddaughters as well, but they are more adventurous and would enjoy rafting down the Arkansas River; that would likely be too frightening for tots or toddlers.

If you have enough time, a good loop trip would be US-50 across to Montrose, then down US-550 to Ouray, Silverton, Durango, and come back east through Pagosa Springs, down US-84 dipping into New Mexico to get to the Cumbres Pass. But this sort of traveling vacation tends to work better for adults and older children. I found that when they were younger mine have been more comfortable with a destination vacation, coming back every day to a "home" in the same place.

Thanks for all this. We have been trying to see the vacation through the eyes of our four year old and then hopefully accommodate our little guy. I have a new found respect for anyone who travels with small kids. We got extremely lucky with our daughter. When she was two, we drove to Disney which ended up being about 26 hours of drive time. (Two 13 hour travel days) After our week there, she was looking forward to the drive back. And even now, any time I take the trailer ANYWHERE, she is in the truck with me. My wife and son; completely different story :)