In our quest to visit all 50 states together, my wife and I are flying to Denver, Colorado next May-June, 2022. We will visit North Dakota and South Dakota for states 48 & 49. Alaska is our last state and we plan to visit there in 2023. Normally our trips are 7-10 days long, but because of all the sites we want to see, we are planning to stay for a couple of weeks or more. We are mostly healthy, in our upper 50’s, and like to see and do things. We will do some hiking but probably no more than 3 to 6 miles at a time. We often drive the scenic route over the interstate if time permits.

We love visiting National Parks and definitely want to visit Mesa Verde, Arches, Canyonlands, Theodore Roosevelt, Badlands, and Mount Rushmore. We are tentatively planning on visiting Great Sand NP, Black Canyon of the Gunnison, Rocky Mountain NP, and Wind Cave NP. We would be OK skipping one of these parks if we had other options.

We can begin our trip as early as Saturday, May 28th (Memorial Day weekend) or wait and leave immediately after the holiday. We will take an early flight to Denver and then get our rental car and most likely start driving to our first destination. We will tour Denver at the end of our trip.

Here are two Google Map route options giving you an idea of our plans. The routes are the same except in reverse order.

Visit Colorado first: https://goo.gl/maps/H62GVTDsjtJywidv7
Visit Dakota’s first: https://goo.gl/maps/9pSsmt8Xu6QviwPS9

Here is a sample itinerary. The location listed is where we would spend the night.
Day 1 Near Great Sands NP
Day 2 Durango/Mesa Verde NP
Day 3 Moab/Arches/Canyonlands
Day 4 Moab/Arches/Canyonlands
Day 5 Near Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP
Day 6 Rocky Mountain NP (not sure what town to stay in)
Day 7 Rocky Mountain NP (not sure what town to stay in)
Day 8 Near Devils Tower WY
Day 9 Theodore Roosevelt NP
Day 10 Rapid City/Mt Rushmore/Badlands/Wind Cave NP
Day 11 Rapid City/Mt Rushmore/Badlands/Wind Cave NP
Day 12 Rapid City/Mt Rushmore/Badlands/Wind Cave NP
Day 13 Denver, CO
Day 14 ???
Day 15 ???

Do you have any suggestions on this tentative itinerary? Would you add an extra day to any of these locations? Would you suggest another location to visit in addition to one of these or in place of one of these locations? Should we try to avoid any of these locations on the weekends because of excess crowds or limited hotel availability? Do you have any interesting or historical lodging suggestions for any of these locations? My wife does have some food sensitivities that require us to prepare some meals ourselves so a few of our lodging options need to be AirBnB’s or hotels with a full kitchen. I will begin booking the lodging soon so any suggestions you can offer are greatly appreciated. Should I post this on the Dakota forums? Thank you!

Well, not NEARLY enough time in Mesa VErde. Book a room in the Far View Lodge IN Mesa Verde.

A couple of observations.

• I would put RMNP at the end of the trip to hope that roads and trails will be snow and mud free.
• why three days for Rapid City and less than one at Mesa Verde?
• keep a cooler with drinks and special food items foR your wife and you in the car. Many places do make adjustments for people with special restrictions
• getting from one site to the next will probably take more time than the map sites say and that gives you less time in the parks
• do all your driving in daylight to avoid deer, elk, Antelope, free range cattle and horses, etc who seem to like the roads
• get gas any time you see a station when down to a half tank

Have a fantastic trip

I would absolutely add a few nights to Durango - what do you plan to do with only one night and drives on either side of that night? We prefer to visit Mesa Verde as a day trip from Durango, but others enjoy spending the night in the park.

I'd personally also add at least one night to Moab, which would give you one full day for Arches, one full day for Island in the Sky and one full day for The Needles.

Many visitors to RMNP stay in Estes or Grand Lake.

Interesting/historical lodging in Estes Park would be the Stanley Hotel. As in Stanley Steamer. As in the Shining with Jack Nicholson. Not necessarily a great value, but a cool, historic place just the same.
I wonder if "The Wheel" bar in Estes is still in operation.

Suggest you read the recent TA reviews for the Stanley Hotel before you opt to stay there. They're getting skewered, and for good reason from the sounds of it.

Yep, still there, walked by the other day. Haven't been in for a couple years, but still seems to be the local dive bar. They had a menu posted outside which was nothing but alcoholic drinks, not saying there is anything wrong with that.

Been going to The Stanley for decades as an après hike/climb either with my wife or friends. Even had a few special occasion meals there. However, price, quality, and service have all moved in the wrong direction in the last few years. Last year, after coming down from our annual hike up Flattop Mountain, my friend and I decided they had passed the outrageous point and we won't return. Sad end of an era. That said I might wait a couple years and see what's happened but right now can't recommend it, even though the bar is lovely and sitting on the big porch staring out at Longs Peak can't be beat.

Oh, one more: another good friend booked a couple rooms for a nice family Christmas getaway a few years ago. The building's furnace had crapped out and their room temperature was 45 degrees F. They were neither warned nor offered any compensation. Left a bad taste, needless to say.

OP, I'd also go with a suggestion above and save the higher elevation Colorado part for last. Weather is always a crap shoot, as no doubt you know. But my gut feeling would be Dakotas -> Wyoming -> Moab -> Colorado. Like this maybe?
https://goo.gl/maps/e9XqCxUAvXbycj6E7

Very similar in time and route to what you have already posted. A bit too much driving for my taste for 2-ish weeks, but good luck.

Looking at this part:

Day 8 Near Devils Tower WY
Day 9 Theodore Roosevelt NP
Day 10 Rapid City/Mt Rushmore/Badlands/Wind Cave NP
Day 11 Rapid City/Mt Rushmore/Badlands/Wind Cave NP
Day 12 Rapid City/Mt Rushmore/Badlands/Wind Cave NP

If you want to see bison, you can see them at Wind Cave or Theodore Roosevelt. You pick one or the other without missing too much. The main thing is to visit both the Plains and the Black Hills areas and explore the differences between them. Skipping Theodore Roosevelt NP would reduce your driving considerably, and you could visit various National Grasslands closer to the Badlands or grassland habitat at Wind Cave instead.

If you are really into the history, stop at the museums at each community you see along the way.

If you are into nature, bring some field guides--different ones for the Rockies, the Black Hills, and the Plains. If birds are your thing, park near a bridge along the White River and get out to watch for cave swallows which build colonies under bridges. Make sure you know where you are stopping for water/restrooms when you visit the Badlands. There aren't many services, and some may be closed periodically.

Would recommend getting into the Black Hills some more. Mount' Rushmore alone isn't enough to really appreciate it. You can avoid buying a https://www.fs.usda.gov/detail/black...telprdb5063173 if you park at the very beginning of one of the forest service roads. Such roads are marked with an "fs" on your GPS or map pamphlet and are good for hikes. Custer State Park can be skipped without missing too much. You can find Forest Service roads here: https://www.fs.usda.gov/visit/maps . The maps have dots that show where it is legal to park, which is really helpful.

The National Grasslands Visitor Center in Wall is a pretty good stop; there is also a Black Hills National Forest Visitor Center west of Rapid City on Pactola Reservoir Dam. You may be able to pick up paper maps from them for free.

We were in Estes Park a few weeks ago and went there for a drink before dinner. The line to check in at the front desk was probably 40 people long. We took our drinks out to the front porch, and there were people out there who could not stop ranting about how bad the service was. One party had been waiting for access to their room for 3-4 hours.

That's too bad about the Stanley. Such an iconic landmark. And indeed, it's been a while since we were there. Even a number of years ago, I could see a need for improvement, hence my comment about it not being a great value.
Glad to hear The Wheel is still around. When wife and I were on ski patrol at Hidden Valley, The Wheel and Lonigan's were our hangouts after a long day. Always fun driving home through Big Thompson on a snowy night after a few pitchers.
There was another historic lodge whose name escapes me right now. I'll see if I can scrounge it up.

Are you set on doing a roundtrip from Denver?
It's pretty easy to do openjaw flights now, so I'd suggest flying into Rapid City & home from Denver.
The route you show thru western Nebraska is pretty desolate and travel thru the Native American reservations of SE S.D. can have issues as well.
Been to the Black Hills more times than I can count, so I'll address that part of your trip:

• In North Dakota, I highly recommend the "Pitchfork Steak Fondue" in Medora & staying near there that night.
• I's suggest a route that takes you thru Hot Springs, SD (much more scenic) and visit the Badlands via I-90 while in Rapid City.
• My favorite lodging is Hill City or Keystone to stay in the middle of the Hills instead of commuting in from Rapid City. (lots of nice cabins/VRBO, but many are REALLY dated, so look for reviews/pics)
• Best drive: North to South down the Needles highway, across Custer State Park (with a stop @ Sylvan Lake), back up the Iron Mountain Road into Keystone. This direction is much more scenic.
• Caves: Either Wind Cave or Jewel Cave.
• Not much for fine dining in the Blacks Hills. The Tripadvisor rankings are pretty accurate.

Agree on avoiding the Stanley in Estes Park. The after-dark tour is fun though.