May have teenaged grandsons again this summer

I do not have any specific suggestions. All I will say is that these boys are very lucky, indeed. Some of my best memories as a child are being with my Grandparents. I am so happy for you that you get to spend this amount of time with them without their parents being around! LOL They, and you, are very lucky and fortunate to be able to do this. They will have these memories with them for the rest of their lives. Have fun and enjoy those twins!!!

I second the one who said go to Monument Valley then to Durango and Silverton, been that route its great.

Unless one would save a huge bundle on airfare via Las Vegas (yep, it's L-A-S, not L-O-S), Vegas will be out of your way to seeing the neat things. IHMO.

Making a circle tour using ABQ as the start & stop, I would give you more time seeing & doing & less driving to get there.

Just a few different Sites & Sights one might consider:

Santa Fe & Bandelier Nat'l Mon't area of New Mexico -A Trip Report 2012.

Santa Fe Hiking & Ditto

Los Alamos is a very neat small city in itself. Free bus system with very neat buses. Very pretty setting up in the high country. Somewhat of a gated community as well. We only drove through & stopped at a SuperMarket. A nice town. http://www.visit.losalamos.com/
http://www.losalamosnm.us/transit/Pages/default.aspx Between Santa Fe & Taos as well.

More on the Santa Fe Area Expanded & ABQ.

Just minutes north of Albuquerque (off of I-25, exit 242) in Bernalillo, is Coronado State Monument where Francisco Vásquez de Coronado—with 300 soldiers and 800 Indian allies from New Spain—entered the valley while looking for the fabled Seven Cities of Gold. http://www.nmmonuments.org/coronado

Santa Fe (Eating):
We had very good Asian from Jinja Bar & Bistro in Santa Fe last summer. Just stumbled onto it in a thunder/rain storm. We did carry out, but it was a very nice restaurant. Went back this summer & ate in the restaurant with our daughter & grandson. All enjoyed the food.

Someone at the AAA office recommended Tortilla Flats in Santa Fe; it prove to be very good as well.

Normally, we would eat on the Plaza, from Cart Vendors, such as Roque's Carnitas. Cart Cuisine, but they were not there that week-end. Due to the 'Santa Fe Indian Market', "a 91-year-old Native art market", we didn't find the normal street food venders on the Plaza. We did eat once at one of the 'Indian' vendors, but the lines were extremely long. Also at a roasted corn vendor.

North of Santa Fe, almost into Colorado & on the way to Durango & on to Mesa Verde: Chama Area. The very neat Cumbres Toltec Steam Train runs from & to Chama & Antonito (Colorado); turns soon after Cumbres Pass Station & head cross country to Antonito. One can do a halfway trip (which we did a few years ago), a 'free' meal at halfway point (price included in tickets). Good food there & plenty of it. Cumbres Toltec Steam Train

Or Going North from ABQ toward Mesa Verde: Two neat stops, north of Abiquiu, worth a see would be the Echo Amphitheater, a Natural rock formation, and the Ghost Ranch Piedra Lumbre Education and Visitor Center, located on U.S. Highway 84 just one mile north of the main Ghost Ranch entrance, has exhibits and a gift shop. A very nice museum in "O´Keefe Country." The Echo Amphitheater is past the visitor center some miles.

Chaco Canyon is neat to see as well in New Mexico off US 550 from ABQ. Our Chaco Canyon Trip Part One in 2012. A hard one to get back into at times. Part Two Why we wanted to do the trip only in the pickup. One could see a good part in one day if get there early enough. If not in an RV. Chaco: Hikes & Information
Ditto

Some other ruins in the Aztec area as well.

Between Grand Canyon & Mesa Verde as well as Monument Valley: Off US 191 in Arizona, Canyon de Chelly by Chinle is neat with a Navajo Trip campground. Been there when it was a free campground years ago. Hubbell Trading Post NHS is off 191 as well, maybe a small detour to get to it. Interesting.

Navajo National Monument is located at the end of State Highway 564 off of US Highway 160. Which connects with US 191, north of Chinle. We have not been to this one, but sounds very interesting. Two campgrounds, one open all year, somewhat isolated but no fees are charged. Navajo Nat'l Mon't

An old post Flagstaff - Gallup - Grants- Albuquerque - Santa Fe - Plus

El Morro National Monument is neat to see & has a small campground; there is a private campgound near by as well. Near Grants or can be reached from Gallup. We went from Gallup to Zuni Pueblo then to El Morro (we lingered too long at the Pueblo and didn't get to hike the trial at El Morro, got there too late in the day; its a neat trail too, we had hiked it before). Of course one could go to it from Grants as well.
http://www.nps.gov/elmo/index.htm

Grand Canyon Plus

Not sure if you will be camping or not. If tent camping, most of these places in New Mexico & Colorado will be at higher elevations, expect some cool to cold nights at times.

Hyde Memorial State Park above Santa Fe (most of the state parks have free showers, but none there).

Find a Park Map. NM State Parks: $10 no hookup, $4 for electric, not entry fee on top of camping fee.

Cochiti COE Campground & Tent Rocks Nat'l Park in Northern New Mexico Off I-25: Near Santa Fe - Very Neat Area. Could be hot in summer.

Kasha-Katuwe Tent Rocks National Monument neat place to hike: Hikes and Ditto

New Mexico Scenic ByWays

How about exploring Mesa Verde, east into Durango for some rafting & awesome train ride up to Silverton, then some Jeeping through some of the old abandoned mining towns north of there. Lots of fun/activity for teen boys.

donn0128 wrote:
That can ben the hottest time of year in the SE. Have you considered that?

We were at the GC this year from 7/5 through 7/10. Monsoon season came a bit early, and it was getting down into the mid 40s as we were out watching sunsets. My DW, who is always cold, was not amused.

To the OP - sounds like a great trip. Make your GC reservations ASAP.

We took similar trip from Vegas - hit Bryce/Zion/Grand Canyon/Monument Valley before heading North.

I like your plans. We have traveled that route with the kids and now grandkids a few time. Petrified forest is a fun drive and hike if they are into natural wonders and pictographs. Meteor crater is a bit of a tourist trap (my opinion) as it is run by a private group that tries to impersonate the National Park Service with uniforms. Sunset Craters just East of the Grand Canyon outside of Flagstaff is a far better place to hike, visit the educational ranger station, and spend a few hours. (again my opinion) If the kids are into Indian Lore and the Hollywood Western then Monument Valley at Goulding's Outpost is a great stop. Lovely, Fantastic, Nature's Beauty showing off, but it could be boring for teenagers who do not enjoy scenery. We loved it...twice. While at the Grand Canyon do not miss BearAzona. A drive through animal preserve. We spend about 5 hours there with kids and grandkids. Well worth the visit. Although the Albuquerque children's park may seem a little young for the kids, they have a butterfly village where you walk through with hundreds of butterflies. I'll let you decide if that fits the bill. Enjoy.

or....from Grand Canyon, go up through northeast AZ to Cortez CO and take them up on Mesa Verde National Monument park. There is an rv park private full service at or near the entrance to the park, or the park campground itself, which is not full service but has water and a dump station I think, and bathrooms. They will enjoy the cliff dwellings and you can get to Albuquque by going on east to Durango and down 550.

maybe you aren't camping? the hot weather won't be hot enough to slow you down in a car. :)

Colo Native, DH just suggested that. As long as we stay up on the plateau, the temps should not be bad. A big circle would let them fly in and out of Las Vegas, saving $$$. We haven't been thru that area either, so we'll all have a new experience.

How about Grand Canyon Bryce canyon and that general area SW Utah and the Vermillion Cliffs(check for permit)