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16 Days in Utah and Colorado with Our 2 Young Boys!

16 Days in Utah and Colorado with Our 2 Young Boys!

Old Feb 20th, 2015, 07:03 AM
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16 Days in Utah and Colorado with Our 2 Young Boys!

Hi! It is always with great anticipation (ie. a racing heart) when I come onto Fodors Forums to post a first draft of a trip itinerary!!! It’s because I know just how much wonderful, vital information we always get back from fodorites and how the trip is truly about to take shape! A bit of background… We are from Toronto, Canada and we love to travel (I’ve written various trip reports from the trips that my hubbie and I took pre-kids, including about our trip to Tanzania (hence my username!) about 12 years ago). We now have 2 young sons (aged 5 and 7) and have traveled with them on some wonderful adventures in the US (California and Oregon were our biggies and I’m so happy to see that a lot of the same posters from those forums are here on the Utah one as well!). We’ve always wanted to travel in Utah and have decided on a 16-day trip in May! We’re going to fly into Las Vegas and spend a few days there. Might seem a weird choice to stay in town with the kids, but it’s not so much to spend time in the city, as to have a few days of “resort feel” in the heat (we’ve had a mighty cold winter!). We figure that the kids will love getting to spend a few days by the pools, before we get into the serious hiking of the rest of the trip : ) After some research, we decided that there’s plenty we’d like to see in Colorado as well and so we’re going to fly back to Toronto from Denver (rather than looping back to Las Vegas).

I’ve written out our draft itinerary below (including places that we plan on staying). Any and all feedback is welcome — can’t wait! We need to hurry to book our flights and accommodations and so I’m focusing on the overall trip right now — haven’t had a chance to really delve into any information about specific hikes (which makes it a little tough to know how long we want/need to spend in each place). As always, I’m interested to know if you guys think that we’re trying to fit in too much or too little. Also, where you would spend extra time (there is one day extra it seems and I’m not sure which park would be worthy of adding onto the most). I’d also love to hear any advice about what kids our age would like to do most/what worked well. Our boys love hiking, but I know that it's unrealistic to think that they'll want to hike constantly for 2 weeks : ) You’ll see that we’re much more organized with regard to the Utah portion and haven’t given much thought yet to the Colorado portion. Any tips would be great!

One final thing… and this is a biggie for me. Our youngest son has a severe allergy to tree nuts. It’s something that is fairly recent for us and so it’s been a big adjustment (since the allergy, I’ve had a fear that we wouldn’t be able to comfortably travel anymore and so this is me facing that fear). This is the first major trip that we’ll be taking since he had that very severe reaction about 1.5 years ago. I know that some of these areas in Utah are quite remote, but if anyone somewhat local could answer a few questions for me (these are just-in-case-an-emergency-happens questions). Are hospitals generally accessible from the smaller towns in these areas? Is there an emergency service (e.g. 911/ambulance) available and how fast can it be? (we’ll have lots of epipens with us, but still need emergency services just in case). Has anyone traveled in any of these areas with a nut allergy and can you share any information about restaurants, advice about where to go/avoid, etc. I would really appreciate it.

Okay, without further ado (sorry for the novel of an email -- I just always find that it's better to provide a lot of the background information up front)…!


DAY 1
- depart Toronto; arrive in Las Vegas at 1:20pm
- stay in a 1BR suite at the Signature MGM
- sushi dinner (requested by DS#1)
- enjoy the heat and swimming in the MGM pools

DAY 2
- stay in Las Vegas (1BR suite at Signature MGM)
- enjoy the heat and swimming in the MGM pools
- explore the Strip
- 7pm Cirque du Soleil Love (Beatles) or a magic show

DAY 3
- leave Las Vegas in the morning
- drive through St. George and have lunch at the Painted Pony
- afternoon & sunset in Zion NP
- overnight in Springdale - at Cable Mountain Lodge (suite)

DAY 4
- spent the day in Zion National Park (and once tired, swimming in the lodge pool)
- overnight in Springdale - at Cable Mountain Lodge (suite)

DAY 5
- explore Bryce Canyon NP
- overnight at Bryce Canyon Pines (Full Kitchen Deluxe Room)

DAY 6
- Explore Bryce and/or Grand Staircase
- drive scenic Hwy 12
- overnight in Torrey - Capital Reef Resort (super dbl queen room a/v)

DAY 7
- explore Capitol Reef NP
- head to Moab and check in to Moab under Canvas (Deluxe Tent)

DAY 8
- explore Arches NP (5-10 min. from campsite)
- while in Moab, visit the Mill Canyon Dinosaur Trail for an up-close look at dinosaur bones exposed in the rocks
- stay in VRBO resort rental just outside of Moab

DAY 9
- explore Canyonlands NP
- stay in VRBO resort rental just outside of Moab

DAY 10
- explore Canyonlands NP
- stay in VRBO resort rental just outside of Moab

DAY 11
- this seems to be a free day and could be added in anywhere above to add extra time onto one of Utah’s National Parks (or to the Colorado portion for that matter). The question is — which one is most deserving of the extra time?

DAY 12
- head into Colorado, Mesa Verde NP (2.5 hour drive)
- stay in Cortez (lodging TBD)

DAY 13
- explore Mesa Verde NP
- spend another night in Cortez OR start our slow drive towards Denver...? (7.5 hour drive from Mesa Verde)

DAY 14
- heading towards Denver - what should we do in Colorado? Ideally, we’d like to do something quite different than we’ll have seen in Utah
- visit Bishop Castle in San Isobel National Forest

DAY 15
— continue to explore Colorado
— overnight in Denver

DAY 16
- half-day in Denver
- late afternoon flight from Denver to Toronto

Can’t wait to hear back from you!

Thanks SO MUCH in advance…

Jenn
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Old Feb 20th, 2015, 08:20 AM
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I would do another Cirque de Soliel, rather than the Beatles. It isn't one of their better shows.

TRY to get reservations at Far View Lodge in Mesa Verde. Although Cortez is a 10 minute drive away that is from the ENTRANCE, not from up top. That adds on another 45 minutes at least.

Day 13 - stay in Durango instead of Cortez as it will put you a bit closer to Denver.

Day 12- in Cortez, I would choose Holiday Inn Express as #1 choice, then the Best Western as #2
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Old Feb 20th, 2015, 08:53 AM
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For Mesa Verde, get lodging in the park, at least for the middle night. The ride up the mesa is long and curvy, and you need to watch for animals on the road (mostly deer). I would not want to do the back and forth from Cortez. and as DebitNM said after Mesa Verde, if you stay the night in Durango if you don't stay in the park.

My DGS is allergic to peanuts, but has outgrown the other nut allergies, so I can sympathize with your concern. He is great about asking if there are peanuts, peanut oil, etc in the food or its preparation but you need to be very proactive and make sure that they didn't get fancy and put nuts in a salad, or use nut oils in another dish.

One of your Canyonlands days could be in the Needles district, south of Moab. Go to the Cowboy Camp/Cave spring area, climb the ladders to the trail back to the parking lot. For Island in the sky, head for Mesa view arch and Grandview, hang onto their hands.
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Old Feb 20th, 2015, 09:09 AM
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Day 7 detour over to Goblin Valley State Park to see the HooDoos between Capitol Reef and I-70.
About 22 miles N of Moab is a place that I saw dinosaur track in stone (Copper Ridge).
It looks like you have a good plan. Can you get a rental car from LV and drop off in Denver without a hefty drop off fee?
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Old Feb 20th, 2015, 10:17 AM
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I would add Great Sand Dunes Nat'l Park in Colorado, it's between Durango and Denver.
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Old Feb 20th, 2015, 01:52 PM
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For children your ages I would recommend a day with the dinosaurs somewhere. The place in Colorado I'd recommend is Woodland Park, just outside Colorado Springs. But you may find some in Utah in the areas you are visiting there.
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Old Feb 20th, 2015, 05:17 PM
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Hi all!

Thanks - these are great suggestions. Tom, I do hope that the return fee for the car isn't too high, but since we really have our hearts set on traveling up through Colorado, it's a chance we're taking. I suppose I should look into reserving the car shortly! And we will definitely plan to head over to Goblin Valley!

I greatly appreciate the advice about the Far View Lodge vs. Cortez. I didn't have any idea of the distances! I've checked and the lodge does have a room available on that night, so we're going to book it for sure.

Tom_mn, THANKS for the reminder about the Great Sand Dunes! I had tentatively penciled it in the itinerary, but it must have gotten lost somehow. It's now back on. We went to the sand dunes in California 7 years ago and loved every minute. I think both boys will love it. Where is a good lodging base for exploring the Sand Dunes?

Emalloy, I had read about the Cowboy Camp and am glad to hear you think it would be good for all the ages in our family. I've marked it down!

Any other suggestions? Still no word about where we should spend that "extra day"... given our existing itinerary, which Utah park is in need of more time? Or somewhere in Colorado? From looking over the itinerary again, I do feel like we've allotted a decent amount of time to the NPs in Utah, so maybe the time should be spent in Colorado, which would help take some of the driving pressure off reaching Denver in time.

Oh and any local knowledge at all about hospitals and emergency services would really help set my mind at ease...

Thanks : )
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Old Feb 20th, 2015, 05:28 PM
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The hospital in Cortez is ok and would work for emergency. Durango has a really good hospital.

http://swhealth.org/

http://www.mercydurango.org/mdu/home/
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Old Feb 20th, 2015, 05:29 PM
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BTW - Denver is full of great hospitals.
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Old Feb 20th, 2015, 06:21 PM
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I would spend that extra day in Mesa Verde--it really is a great 2 day park.

As for hospitals--there are not many/any where you are going. The only real hospitals in the area are in St. George and Grand Junction, Colorado. There is also a hospital in Price. There is a clinic in Moab and one in Bicknell (near Capital Reef). But that's it. I work in healthcare in Salt Lake City and we get people all the time from those small towns. A friend of mine, who is a pediatric surgeon, volunteered to start a "sub task force" on treatment of peds patients who can't get to the hospital within an hour--since most protocols assume 1 hour access and we just don't have that in many areas of Utah. If your son is in dire distress, you can get a helicopter out of St. George, but even that takes time. Just pay special attention to food and have those epi pens at the ready. Take comfort in knowing that LOTS of kids have nut allergies and travel just fine.

As for stuff to do with kids--if you click on my user name, you will see many trip reports on all of our trips to Southern Utah with our kids--Zion, Bryce, Moab, Arches, Canyonlands, Kanab, Capital Reef, Escalante. We just got back from Canyonlands and Moab last weekend and had a blast! (did the Cave Springs/Cowboy camp trail emalloy referenced as well as some other great stops--I posted a trip report on that trip)

Check out the Moab tourism site--they have lots of downloadable pamphlets--there is a fun list of rock art you can drive to see. The Mill Canyon Dinosaur trail is AMAZING. There is also a great rock shop in Moab--I highly recommend it. You will really like Cable Mountain Lodge near Zion--great family place.
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Old Feb 21st, 2015, 03:41 AM
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Definitely an extra day in Mesa Verde--it is a world wonder, IMO.
You really are "Utah heavy" but good things.
I know you are concerned with the allergy, but as someone said, a LOT of people manage well by being prepared--and vigilant with their eating. DGD has a tree nut allergy--and it just sort of cropped up at maybe 10 years old.
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Old Feb 21st, 2015, 06:05 AM
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Lodging is extremely limited in the Great Sand Dunes, there is onsite camping but no reservations. There is one hotel nearby, can't remember the name. That's it.

For exploring Grand Staircase, Willis Canyon is wonderful, at most a 2 hour detour depending upon how much of the canyon you hike, and not that far off the route to Hwy 12 from Bryce, however the road (just 20 minute drive) is in extremely poor condition, not for the timid.
https://www.google.com/search?q=will...Q&ved=0CDoQsAQ
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Old Feb 21st, 2015, 06:10 AM
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Thanks to all of you for your kind words. StantonHyde, thanks for all of that information. We are extremely diligent about keeping epipens with us at all times and about what he eats. For the trip, we're trying to stay in a lot of suites, so that we'll often have our own kitchen for making meals where it'd make us feel more comfortable. But no matter what, we're at the mercy of the restaurants we eat at. And I guess my concern is whether we're being reckless taking him somewhere that if a mistake happens, we've got virtually no access to emergency care... I was hoping that there were more hospitals around then that!

I know that it's something that I just have to become comfortable with. It's so funny because I thought that because of the allergy, we'd start taking only "less remote" vacations, so that we were always close to a hospital, and here we are already, heading out into the wilderness... We've always liked to be remote and so I guess it makes it hard for us to resist : )

Gretchen, I loved your suggestion about Woodland Park Dinosaur Museum! It looks fantastic and is on the drive from Great Sand Dunes to Denver, so that works out perfectly.

StantonHyde, as for your trip reports, I've definitely already read some of them and will keep going... I LOVE trip reports : )

I was up researching late into the night last night and I'm having trouble finding decent places to stay once we leave Mesa Verde and start heading towards Denver. Any suggestions?
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Old Feb 21st, 2015, 07:20 AM
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This is the only lodging at Sand Dunes, http://www.gsdlodge.com

Some of the ruins at Mesa Verde may not be appropriate for young children due to ladders, but we did it with a 5 year old. It's just guided tours to ruins there so a couple of tours is probably all the boys will handle, so 1 day is enough.

Bring sledding equipment for the sand dunes on a plane?
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Old Feb 21st, 2015, 08:03 AM
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alwaysafrica,

I don't see where you say exactly what dates in May. Just remember Memorial Day weekend in the Natl Parks is extremely crowded (especially Zion) and lodging may be hard to get at this late date.

I think you are rushing through all these amazing places, but that's OK. Once there you will realize you have barely scratched the surface and MUST return for more, especially if you are big hikers.

Have fun!
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Old Feb 21st, 2015, 09:33 AM
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I know you will have to become comfortable with this allergy but it is easier to avoid than peanuts, IMO, where there is the possibility of cross contamination. I just went to a luncheon meeting about allergy. You have the epi-pens but be very clear about the proper use.
There is also the fact that National Parks will be covered by some sort of emergency services/even fire department-first responders.
I would hope that by being careful in your eating out you will be able to reassure your youngster that he can also manage his allergy in the future.
We went to the Sand Dunes sort of as a "drive by" on the way to Durango which is another possibility for you--in reverse. They are fun, but don't really take a lot of time.
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Old Feb 21st, 2015, 10:18 AM
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alwaysafrica--think of all the people who live in those remote places--their kids have peanut allergies too--so you are NOT being reckless at all. Chances are that nothing will happen. It is worse to sit around being 100% safe than taking a small risk and letting your family see this amazing world! I have a friend who has a vacation house near Capital Reef. Both of her kids have allergies and asthma etc. She did have one event where her son got RSV and they drove the 4 hours back up to SLC in the middle of the night, but that's once in 7 or 8 years. Odd are, your kiddo will be just fine!

Definitely make lodging reservations ASAP if you haven't done so already. You are planning a really fun vacation and you will love it!! I am with you on staying in places with a kitchen etc. I hate going out to restaurants at the end of the day when everybody is exhausted. I would much rather eat in the room and relax.
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Old Feb 21st, 2015, 10:20 AM
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Speaking of suites etc--Austin's Chuckwagon Lodge has cabins with kitchens, I believe. Even better is the 3 bedroom apartment over the store that they rent out. I stayed there with a girlfriend and her kids--it was awesome and cheap!
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Old Feb 21st, 2015, 10:21 AM
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Hit send to soon--Austin's is in Torrey, not sure your hotel there has a kitchen.
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Old Feb 21st, 2015, 10:42 AM
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alwaysafrica, If you do find that there is a large drop off fee, consider a huge loop starting and ending at the SLC airport.
It's about 4.5 hours from SLC to St. George. It's about 2 more hours from St. George to Las Vegas on I-15.
Another treat in the Las Vegas area is visiting Hoover dam.
I once swam from a rented boat on Lake Meade. The rental dock is on the Nevada side of the lake. Remember to pack lots of sunscreen as I did get sunburned that day.
If you are headed back to Zion and Bryce instead of the South Rim of the GC, you can go up the west side of Lake Meade and through Valley of Fire State Park to get back to I-15.
In Las Vegas I remember a very good buffet at the Golden Nugget. Pay before 3PM and it's a bit cheaper. I sat near a window eating while watching kids sliding down through a shark tank into the GN's pool.
On display at the Golden Nugget is the world's largest gold nugget on public display 62+ lb.
Outside the GN is the Fremont St. Experience which has a zip line and a large nightly light display over the pedestrian street.
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