I fear that I've made a mistake in the summer vacation plans, and I don't know if it's too late to correct the problem.We are planning on meeting up with my sister & her family for the 2nd leg of the trip near Red River NM (July 8-15th) so that leaves the week before that free for us to do what we want.I have reservations for a week at Davis Mountains SP, but I'm starting to wonder if there is enough there to sustain the minds of a 16 & 7 Y.O. for that length of time, or do I need to cancel those reservations and make that just a long weekend trip.I'd like to do something in Utah, but there are so many places to see, I'm overwhelmed and don't know which direction to go.I've also looked at Colorado, and several of the SP are already booked up for our travel time. I think I'm gonna be facing that problem at any of the more popular destinations.I need help to salvage the 1st leg of my trip!!!!

Go to Chama, NM. It will have cool temps in July and is a good central location to southern CO and northern NM. You can:Ride the train, swim/fish/ relax at the lakes (there are two in the area), drive up to Pagosa Springs or over to Taos. Take a river float trip. Drive through Georgia O'Keefe country. State parks at the lake have first come first serve and reservation sites. RV park in town but I have not stayed there. None of that may appeal to a 16 yr old but the local kids hang at the lake beaches on most weekends. It is only a couple of hours from Chama to Red River.

Unless your children are exceptional then there is nothing in the world (except the opposite gender)that will "sustain the minds of a 16 & 7 Y.O. for that length of time"

Do the star part at the local McDowing (?) telescope.

Go to Cortez CO and explore Mesa Verde. With a week You could also hit Arches and Canyonlands in southern Utah. Or if you wanted to see some GREAT caverns you could go south and hit Carlsbad (6+ hours drive)caverns. There are 3-4 different hikes in the cavern and there are some other cavers in the same system that are fascinating as well. In the summer it is fun at Carlsbad to watch the bats go in and out of the cavern at dawn and dusk. MILLIONS of bats. Either schedule would keep them entertained for 3 or 4 days with time left over for the travel.

At Davis MSP you can..."Here you can hike, backpack, mountain bike or ride your own horse, take a scenic drive through the mountains, go camping, stargaze, geocache and study nature."What a sad commentary on our kids.

Trip planning mistake | Good Sam Community

TexasShadow
Explorer II
Apr 30, 2017
ft. davis and mcdonald observatory star party and/or tour of the big telescopes on the hill.
balmorhea swimming hole
then north up to Guadalupe National Park, hike to the top, highest mt. in TX.
Carlsbad Caverns
Santa Fe historical area
Chama
4runnerguy
Explorer
May 01, 2017
Might be pretty warm in the Davis Mtns., so outdoor activities during the middle of the day might be not so much fun.

I'd head to higher elevations. But it's a tough week to get reservations. Here are just a few places I found you might still get in. You might have to piece together several different places to fill up a week.

East of Pagosa Springs. Check out West Fork NFS CG. Still had some sites available for that week, but no hookups there. (Right nearby is Bruce Spruce Ranch which hs some FHU. We have driven by but never stayed there.) Pretty nice temps up in this area during the middle of the summer (you'll often need a light jacket in the evening). Head up to Wolf Creek Pass area for great hiking and wildflowers. Go to Pagosa Springs to take in the pool or take a day and tube down the river.

McPhee Reservoir has a CG that rarely fills. Near lots of popular places like Mesa Verde, Hovenweep, Durango, Telluride. There are a few spots there with FHU. I noticed that site 29E is available from July 2nd through the 10th. Enough to keep a family busy for a few weeks.

Often there are sites up at Mesa Verde at Morefield CG. Some FHU sites but those book quickly. Being up on the Mesa means being cooler.

Trying to find something during the week of the 4th of July will be tough at this late date. If you can go w/o hookups, it really opens up the available spaces. Check recreation.gov for what might be available. Look for places away from the main tourist draws such as Durango and you'll have better luck.

Just to say it again, it will be much cooler in the mountains of CO or NM.

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