What would be your top pick for a spring break trip?

Gulf Shores area would be closer and warmer if that interests you.

I wish you luck on your trip, but there a couple of things you need to think about, such as distance from an airport, roads closed due to snow.

While I love the Big Bend area, it will be tough during spring break. TX spring break is either the week you have or the week before and it is full of people. I was going to suggest the Padre Island area, but that is going to be worse than Big Bend.

If you don't have a reservation for a campsite in the area, you probably won't find a site within 2 hours of the park.

The North Rim of the Grand Canyon will not be open until the end of May or into June, depending on snow pack.

I think you need to determine which airport the kids are going to use, Big Bend is 4 hours from Midland, which is the closest airport, not sure which airport serves the Grand Canyon, but it is probably going to be at least 4 hours one way.

Good luck with your trip, safe travels

In March my preference would be Grand Canyon South Rim (North Rim area isn't open til mid May) and then Sedona and Red Rock Canyon area including several of the National Monuments devoted to the cultural heritage of the area.

I think if it was me.....The Grand Canyon...and I have been there once but in a car not a coach...It is very beautiful in all the pictures you see...BUT...when you are there..it is SO POWERFUL.....

Sounds like you're going to do alot of driving. Out to Grand Canyon in March, then return home, then out to Pacific Coast a few months later?

Grand Canyon south rim elevation is 7,000ft and can still get snow in March. Maybe do Big Bend and Carlsbad Caverns in March, then Grand Canyon on your way to or from Pacific Coast?

There is so much to see in the West!

pulsar wrote:
For us, 3200 miles round trip is too much for us to do in 9 days. We would use at least 7 of those days driving.

Since you have the possibility of flying the family out, that would change the equation, especially if they flew both directions.

It's a two-day drive from the Grand Canyon to Big Bend National Park, so we wouldn't do both on the same 9-day trip. - Distances are more than they seem in the west. I remember the first time we were told that the grocery store is just a short distance up the road. It was a two-hour drive. (This was in Montana.)

How old are the kids?

You could elect to do both the South and North Rims of the Grand Canyon - 200 mile drive. Petrified Forest is 200 miles away. Hoover Dam is 250 miles away.

As far as off-road, I'll defer to others.

Tom

I have no expectations of doing the entire southwest in one trip. I would probably do just one major park or two small ones. And yes, I would fly the kids both ways. The youngest one is 16 and I don't know yet how many of the older ones will be able to join me.

I might make a slow trip home and see one or two more places if the mood strikes me after the kids leave. I just want to see if someone with experience had an opinion on where I should start and what is best done that time of year. In the summer of 2014 we did Glacier, Yellowstone and a little bit of Grand Teton parks. I am trying to work out a schedule for getting to the Pacific coast this summer.

For us, 3200 miles round trip is too much for us to do in 9 days. We would use at least 7 of those days driving.

Since you have the possibility of flying the family out, that would change the equation, especially if they flew both directions.

It's a two-day drive from the Grand Canyon to Big Bend National Park, so we wouldn't do both on the same 9-day trip. - Distances are more than they seem in the west. I remember the first time we were told that the grocery store is just a short distance up the road. It was a two-hour drive. (This was in Montana.)

How old are the kids?

You could elect to do both the South and North Rims of the Grand Canyon - 200 mile drive. Petrified Forest is 200 miles away. Hoover Dam is 250 miles away.

As far as off-road, I'll defer to others.

Tom

You can get the averages for any part of the US at www.weather.com. Type in the city then scroll down for MONTHLY and chose the month or yearly averages.
A good reference is Mountain Directory West.