Rethinking 2 week visit out West

[caysea7254]

My DH and I planned to visit RMNP and then on to the National parks in Southern Utah then on to the Grand Canyon. Ok now we think that is way too much for a 2 week trip!! We dont want to spend our whole vacation driving! We just enjoying wildlife viewing, short hikes and beautiful scenery. hook ups are not a must unless it is really hot. We travel with our 13 yr. old Doxie. we have been out west once to western Colorado and Moab. Love the west!!We are just at disadvantage cause we only have 2 weeks and driving from Indiana makes it hard!!! So any suggestions would be greatly appreciated!!! Thanks Tara

[jamesu]

My suggestion: pick an area (e.g. Moab, Escalante, Durango). Using a compass with that town as the apex, score a circle with a radius of 50 miles around it (OR 75 or 100: it's up to you). Spend your two weeks exploring within that circle. Pretty much guarantee you'll stay busy, you'll have a wonderful experience, and you won't be going crazy trying to see "the whole S.W." in one trip.

That's what we try to do...works for us and we then have a reason to return at a later time to see another part of Utah, Colorado, etc.

[agesilaus]

Great Sand Dunes south of RMNP is worth a couple days. We plan to spend a full week at RMNP this summer and have been there several times before so you could easily give it 4 or 5 days. Mesa Verde is another good park.

[DesertHawk]

Might do Rocky Mountain, then drop down to Colorado Springs Area, a lot of things to see & do there. Or just go to the Springs.

Or skip Colorado & head to New Mexico:
A little south of Colorado (1,278 mi, 19 hours 32 mins. Work your way down to I-70 W, THEN down through Kansas, a little of OK & TX into NM over to I-25 between Raton & Las Vegas) To Clarify: I Didn't mean take I-70 all the way, only to Kansas City then must cut south & west to get to NM. By taking US 54 toward Liberal (could take I-35 down to the 54 to Wichita), then work over to Clayton, NM & on to Springer & I-25 on US 56/64. One would not need to go all the way to Liberal...US 160, then US 83 S to KS 51 to US 56 W.

Santa Fe & Bandelier Nat'l Mon't <<<<< A Trip Report last summer.

A Little Longer than to Estes Park: 1,173 mi, 17 hours 25 mins. But I was only using from the State of Indiana to each. About 100 mi or 2 hours.

Bandelier Nat'l Mon't had a nice campground, water, but no showers or electric. Nice restrooms--flush & electric in them. Neat place to visit. Easy to get to on paved roads. Free Bus rides down to the sites.

We got good Asian at Jinja Bar & Bistro in Santa Fe last summer. 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.

More on the Santa Fe Area Expanded.

I-25 N (Just East of Santa Fe) , in the Glorieta Pass & Pecos Area: Civil War Battlefield and Pecos Nat'l Historic Park, the remains of an Indian pueblo.

Off I-25 between Santa Fe & Las Vegas, NM, you might enjoyed an overnight at Villanueva State Park. It is off the 25 a bit.

One can also go from Santa Fe (I-25 S down to US 550) or US 84 N to Chama. US 84 on to Farmington and/or Four Corner's Area.

One can also go to Taos after Santa Fe & use the high road over to the Chama Area. US 64 out of Taos; US 84 N to Chama, etc. goes into high country.

The Cumbres Toltec Steam Train at Chama is a neat one. Heron Lake State Park, Chama, Train Photos

Cochiti Lake COE campground, between ABQ & Santa Fe & at a lower elevation should have sites open. As would Bandelier National Monument's Juniper Campground. Higher than Cochiti Lake. Santa Cruz Lake Recreation Area a BLM site with campgrounds is 30 miles north of Santa Fe (near Santa Cruz). Not as high as Santa Fe.

Black Canyon Campground is just before Hyde State Park & is one of the more popular campgrounds on the Santa Fe National Forest....not electric, but water, restrooms. No showers at both Black Canyon & Hyde State Park. Seasons: Weather dependant, April through November. Depending on size of your rig, might be too small sites.

We used Hyde SP last summer on two trips in the area. No showers, too high in the mountains, I assume. But have a few electric sites, fairly long ones. http://www.emnrd.state.nm.us/SPD/hydememorialstatepark.html

There are many Indian Casinos on the way to ABQ & in the ABQ area. They sometimes have RV camping at them. http://www.indiancasinos.com/newmexico.shtml

At times fuel price maybe better at them as well. Not always.

Or spend all the time in & around Rocky Mountain Nat'l Pk. We have never camped there, but we did a day trip to it from Loveland, CO. We drove over the Trail Ridge Road from Estes Park to Grand Lake, CO. Very neat drives. Went by the Beaver Meadows Visitor Center returned by Fall River Visitor Center route. Should be Elk Herds to see. Plenty of scenery to marvel at.

If you use I-80 at North Platte, Nebraska, the Buffalo Bill Ranch State Historical Park and Camping; never stopped there, but driven by on US 83; nice looking campground by the river.