Moab or Durango/RMNP?

Catch cedar breaks NM between Zion and Bryce. You can hit all the lookouts in an hour or two and the crowds will be smaller than other parks in the area.

1) I think most people dislike the campgrounds in Estes Park, I suggest looking on the west side of RMNP for a CG
2) I would go south from RMNP and stop at Great Sand Dunes, it will be a big hit with your girls, a day there is plenty. Camping there isn't a bad idea tho since you can see the dunes early and without the thousands of foot prints that will appear later.
3) I'd go west from there and stop at Mesa Verde, make reservations online for a couple of tours. They will be filled up if you wait until you get there. Durango is a possibility if you want to take the train ride. Might make reservations for that too, online.
4) Turn south at Cortez and go to the North Rim of the GCNM which has much smaller crowds and the view is just as good in my view those some will argue about that. It's nice and cool too. If you stay in the park make reservations early. Otherwise you'll camp in Jacob Lake at a FHU CG. But that adds a hour long drive into the park.
5) Head north stops at Pipe Springs NM (an hour or two) and Coral Pink Sands SP might be considered.
6) Do Bryce (nice and cool) and Zion (hotter than hades) next. You'll see all the red rock you want which will make up for skipping Arches.
7) To break up the long drive north you might add Capitol Reef (more red rock) and Dinosaur NM (big hit with the girls).

Make sure to make reservations for Yellowstone as early as you can, you want to stay at Fishing Bridge CG and schedule a week there if it fits in you schedule. You can't see the place in that period but you see a lot of it.

In the Badlands you'll want to look at Rushmore ( an hour or two) and stop at Badlands (daytrip). Stay at Custer (reservations) and a stop at Wall Drugs outside Badlands is worth the stop. It's a tourist trap but a first rate one.

Think about a drive thru of Custer NM going back east, I found it surprisingly interesting.

There are probably 50 small parks and attractions along this path that you can use to break up the drives. Get a good map and look at nps.gov

I sent you a PM. Unless you hike a number of the locations you mentioned can be seen in a 1/2 day.

Check out one of the many bus tour companies. See how long they spend at some of the NP.

We hit Moab in July and it was hot. We hiked early in the AM and sat in the pool during the day and went back out in the evening. If you are in and out of the car it's not to bad midday (just take it easy). We hiked until about 11:00 AM and it was getting toasty. Be prepared, drink and have lots of water and don't push it and I think all would be ok. Arches is something totally different and worth the stop. Durango is cool but is a mountain town like the other towns you will drive thru in CO. Great Sand Dunes is also worth a stop but if choosing between the two would go to Arches. One thing to note is we rented a condo as we were meeting some family out there. We parked the camper at a campground and let the AC run. It was over 100 out and the camper maintained mid 80's all closed up and shades drawn. If we were in and out It would of bit warmer I think.

flintsters wrote:

Next summer my family (myself, wife and 3 daughters ages 12, 10, 5) will be going cross country.

We are leaving from Vermont with our first major stop being at Estes Park.

I know it'll be crazy busy, but I suspect that our kids will be looking for a little bit of energy after several days of sitting and cooped up.

We had originally planned to go to Moab to see Arches, Canyonland, etc for a few nights before heading down to Grand Canyon.
I keep hearing about how brutally hot it will be then (end of June) and we'll primarily be limited to early morning and late afternoon activity. Is it still worth it to do Moab area or are we setting ourselves up?

Instead we could go elsewhere in Rocky Mountains on way to Grand Canyon.

I was considering a stop at Great Sand Dunes and then Durango as a possible substitution but I am certainly open to suggestions. From what I can tell the travel time and distance is essentially the same.

If it helps, our planned stops over 7-8 weeks include:

Estes Park
Moab
Grand Canyon
Zion
Bryce
Grand Teton
Yellowstone
Cody
Devils Tower
Custer State Park
Indiana Dunes

I had originally planned to go to Glacier after Yellowstone but the combination of wildfires and travel time made me reconsider that idea. Thoughts???

Mission?

Do you want to see it all or do You all want to Have FUN?

What do you normally do in the Summer?

Are girls Hikers or Shoppers?

Do they enjoy the Water?

Do you have a stop with some recharge time?

Go for the full 8 weeks - one week out one week Back leaves 6 weeks or 42 + - Days.

Things are not close - in the mountains you will average say 35-40 MPH - on travel times think 50 MPH - Think Loop - Keep the things you want to do in three or four main spots with a stop in a city (SLC or Denver to recharge) ski resorts have tons on activities in the Summer - a trip into Moab or the Grand Canyon North Rim might provide some Cool times.

Look into the other Mountains of Colorado - Buena Vista - San Juans - Look these sites over for more ideas - Family that did this every year - Stans photo Album to help with what you might enjoy -

Will let you think about it and digest a little after everyone gives you the perfect trip, then chime in again.

Best of Luck,

I would do it in this order:
Grand Canyon, both rims with S first
Zion
Bryce
Moab
Grand Lake on west side of RMNP. Not a fan of the Tourist Trap Estes Park
Grand Teton
Yellowstone
Cody
Devils Tower
Custer State Park
Indiana Dunes

Is there anything to see at RMNP after the Grand Tetons? I was very disappointed with RMNP. I would spend my time someplace else.

Unless you hike/rock climb Devil Towers is an one hour drive by.

One thought specific thought: on the way out (or possibly the way back), consider stopping at St. Louis, particularly the St. Louis City Museum. Your children will almost certainly love it.

And some more general thoughts:
Your guess is as good as mine as to what the wildfire situation in Glacier (or elsewhere) will be like next summer. This summer, of course, was exceptionally rough. I think as a general rule it's good to have some flexibility in your plans, at least as regards places where you don't need to make reservations far in advance. (Yellowstone, for instance, would fall into the latter category.) Also, don't forget to factor in time for mundane everyday things that one doesn't need to worry so much about on shorter trips: things like doing laundry and grocery shopping and that sort of thing.

It sounds like you're getting ready to have a fantastic family trip. I hope it all works out well for you. No matter what you decide to do and where you go, there will be many things you will skip or not be able to see, and that's OK; you'll also see and do and enjoy a lot.

TenOC wrote:
Is there anything to see at RMNP after the Grand Tetons? I was very disappointed with RMNP. I would spend my time someplace else.

Unless you hike/rock climb Devil Towers is an one hour drive by.

"Most-Visited National Parks

Park Site Number of Visitors
1. Great Smoky Mountains National Park 10,712,674
2. Grand Canyon National Park 5,520,736
3. Rocky Mountain National Park 4,155,916
4. Yosemite National Park 4,150,217
5. Yellowstone National Park 4,097,710
6. Zion National Park 3,648,846
7. Olympic National Park 3,263,761
8. Grand Teton National Park 3,149,921
9. Acadia National Park 2,811,184
10. Glacier National Park 2,366,056"

Must have something that People Like - Number three in the NP System and 4.156M people last year.

Perhaps you needed to "take a Hike" - if It weren't so crowded I think I'd spend a lot more time there - Truly a Beautiful Place when you just "Take a Hike"

With the Crowds we tend to enjoy the western side more but still get two or three visits a year to the Eastern Side.

So much to see and do in Colorado doubt you can do it all in just 12 months.

JMHO,

I like your itinerary we have enjoyed all of those stops. You are very fortunate with having 8 weeks to do it. Like others have mentioned (and I agree) Estes is great but we don't go any more as it is just too crowded. Many of your destinations can be as short a stay (depending on your families activity level) as you choose. Many of these destinations are not much more than "windshield" tours for those that aren't active and into hiking. I suspect your crew could get the most out of every one of them. Lastly, I would plan to stop at the Great Sand Dunes heck you are practically going to go right by it on 160. Have fun!