I think this is the museum WhereAre We was thinking of

https://www.museumofwesternco.com/vi...m-of-the-west/

We haven't been there but it sounds good.

Emalloy, that is the one I was thinking of. I haven't been to it either, I just drive by on the way to CO National Monument. There is also a short hike nearby that leads to the site where a large dinosaur fossil was excavated.

The place near Denver is Dinosaur Ridge and Morrison, but they are going directly to DIA now. It is south, but not far.
This has become very crammed IMO. I'm signing off.

Gretchen, I thank you so much for all of your ideas and suggestions!!!

Although it does seem a little busy at the end right now, it will definitely pair down as we look into things. For example, the Country Boy Mine is closed and so that's off the table. We will check out the various ideas about dinosaur exhibits and narrow it down to the one that we think will be best.

Also, I think that since we now know the Mine is closed, we may decide to spend two nights in Telluride/Ouray and then two nights in Glenwood Springs (and skip the night in Breckenridge) - to cut down on some of the moving around.

Google Maps says that it's 2 hours and 41 minutes from Glenwood Springs to Denver. Does this sound about right? We need to be precise of course, since we'll need to be on time for our flight : )

You are going to DIA which is on the other side of Denver but even then mapquest says about 3 hours. I would consider this absolutely the best time that could be made with no traffic--almost like being teleported!!
I don't know if I said it in this thread or another but we never allow less than 2 hours to get from the curb at DIA to our plane gate. It can be one of the busiest TSA mazes anywhere, and we have done it often.

I had never heard that, so thank you for mentioning it! We will make sure to leave ourselves plenty of time then!

Have you thought about seeing the Hoover Dam while in Vegas? Might be fun for the boys, my fiance went when he was younger and he loved it. Stills talks about it.

Check out the Devil's Garden Loop in Arches. A friend and I did that last summer, and this was a close second favorite to Delicate Arch for us. It should be fun for boys that like to climb on all the rocks. And you can make it as long as you want.

Check out Emerald Pools in Zion. Not too strenuous a hike, but should be fun. I've done Angel's Landing and most of the Narrows, but don't recommend Angel's Landing for the young boys and I'm not sure of the status of the Narrows in May. We did it in July. But you can look it up or call ahead to see. The Narrows might be fun for the boys for a shorter distance, but I would absolutely recommend renting the boots and a walking stick. Also, make sure you go the eastern side of the park and visit Zion Mountain Ranch. Can be a quick visit, but there is a buffalo herd there that I'm sure your young boys would love to see. Plus you would get to see the views on that side of the park as well.

Colorado - Make sure you do Cliff Palace and Balcony House tours in Mesa Verde. So much fun! I loved them! And the guides I've had were great and I actually enjoyed hearing about the history of the area.
If you do the Million Dollar Highway route, there is a little pull off called Lime Kiln something. We jumped in the waterfalls and did the rockslides in August, but in May the water will be much too high. But there is a little hike down into the canyon that might be fun. There's also a fantastic hike near Silverton, but probably not recommended for kids the age that you have. But I don't know how well your kids hike, so check it out and make your own decisions! It's called Ice Lakes, and I did it in July this past summer and was blown away. By far one of my favorite hikes I've ever done (probably second only to Angel's Landing.) I'm a VA girl though, and I haven't gotten to experience the alpine lakes and high mountains though :)
Telluride - possibly check out Bridal Veil Falls. And make sure to ride the tram, it's free and has great views.
Glenwood Springs - I haven't personally done this town yet, but we are doing it April and planning to do the Caverns and Hanging Lake hike. Just a suggestion to look into. I've heard Hanging Lake is strenuous due to elevation gain in a short distance. Also, the Maroon Bells aren't too terribly far from here (~1 hr from what I understand). But not sure if the roads will be open yet, something to look into.
Also, if you like wild game and want a nice (but expensive) dining experience, check out The Fort in Denver.

Virginia1990, I really appreciate the time you took to send me all of that detail. It's awesome! I will most definitely check out all of your suggestions! We love hearing about people's personal favourites for hikes (rather than just the guidebooks)... you'll have to report back in about Glenwood Springs once you're back : )

So sorry to hear about the Country Boy Mine. An extra night in Glenwood isn't a bad idea tho because there are lots of kid-friendly things to do there. If you are bike riders, I would highly suggest renting some bikes and riding the bike path though Glenwood Canyon. It is breathtaking and an engineering marvel. There is also a great hike called "Hanging Lake" in the Canyon (probably 5 miles out of Glenwood Springs that your active boys would love. Not too long - but steep and very beautiful. A dip afterwards in the hot springs pool - perfection!!!

Along with the bike path at Glenwood Canyon is a wonderful explanation of how that road was built.
And the suggestion of Hoover Dam is wonderful. We had a tour with the then superintendent (a friend's father) but any tour would be worthwhile.

Hi all - just a weekend update of the plans we've now confirmed : )

Day 12 - drive the Million Dollar Highway and stay in Telluride (estimated time: realistically 4-5 hours). Maybe a late-afternoon short hike - 1mi Box Canyon Falls Trail? Also go see Bridal Veil Falls. Gondola ride to Mountain Village and then dinner in town. Overnight at a 2-BR condo unit at Riverside Condos in-town.

Day 13 - Big hiking day! Two big hikes - Blue Lake and Bear Creek Falls (about 4 hours each). Dinner in-town and nother overnight at Riverside Condos.

Day 14 - On the way to Glenwood Springs (4 hour drive), spend half a day at Black Canyon of the Gunnison (stopping at the overlooks, doing some short hikes). Spend late afternoon at the Hot Springs. Overnight in a suite at the Hotel Colorado (across the street from the hot springs).

Day 15 - Glenwood Adventure Park in the morning for the alpine coaster, cave tours and amusement fun. Afternoon - Hanging Lake Hike (1 mile). Evening back at the hot pools : ) Overnight again at the Hotel Colorado.

Day 16 - in the morning, drive the 2.5 hours into Denver. Have lunch and head straight to the airport to give ourselves lots of time. Need to be at the airport by 4:30pm (flight home at 6:30pm).

Just found out that many things in Telluride are going to be closed during our dates - many restaurants, shops and even the gondola! Very nice of the condo owner to let me know these things before I booked. I'm wondering if there's anyone on here who has been to Telluride in this off-season (April-May (before Memorial Day)) that could tell me just how "closed down" the town really is? We don't mind it being slightly empty, but certainly want to be able to find decent places to eat : )

I threw a random date - May 21 my birthday) - into opentable and got 11 out of their 14 listings available.

The gondola opens on that day too.

I don't know that you ever posted exact dates, your OP just says "MAY"

We lived in the area and have gone into Telluride during off season and have had dinner at restaurants. There will be places to eat before season starts, maybe more casual than the fancier/more foodie places.

There is bus service from Mountain Village to Telluride when the gondola doesn't run if you wanted to explore MV. Not sure if your condo is in Telluride proper or MV.

May 22-25 is the Telluride Film Festival, so that is why things open back up; it's the first of the monthly festivals in Telluride.

I can't say for certain that all of these will be open, but many should be open.

http://www.telluride.com/things-do/value

Thanks! We are going to be there in the middle of May and so the gondola definitely won't be open. A shame for sure! I think a lot of things will be closed until that exact date - May 21st - right before that festival... The condo we're renting is right in Telluride proper, so the advantage was to be able to walk to restaurants and the like. So long as some good restaurants are still open, the I guess it should be fine...

I think you'll be fine with the restaurants. You are there just 2 nights right?

Yup, just two nights. But we also like to have a decent selection, given my son's nut allergy and the need to be able to go to a different restaurant if the one we're in can't accommodate it. But so long as there are a handful that are open, we should be good to go. And one thing we know -- nature (and hiking) are always available : )

I realize you've already booked your Mesa Verde hotel, but I'm planning a similar trip for my family of two boys and had come across the Holiday Inn Express in Cortez, which, yes, is a Holiday Inn, and won't have the views that Far View will have, but they have these themed family suites where the kids get their own bunk beds in a "fort" and it might be a bigger hit with them.

And please be sure and let us know how your trip goes - it sounds fantastic! We're making a circle loop to/from Vegas and going to the Grand Canyon before Mesa Verde and Durango and then over to the Utah parks and back to Vegas, but otherwise, I'm finding this thread very helpful\. :)

The Holiday Inn Express in Cortez is a quite nice place to stay. Cortez is a fine little town to stay in when you can't get into Far View. Some good places to eat, a nice public library where you can use wifi for free or their computers, grocery stores, coffee shops etc.

There a nice park and indoor pools if the weather turns unpleasant.

annalynn, it looks fantastic. We're really happy to be staying in the park, but otherwise, I think that the Holiday Inn looks great. What a fantastic idea to have the little forts (and my boys are dying to stay in bunk beds!). When are you planning your trip for?