Denver--Moab--Mesa Verde in 4/5 days
Sep 19th, 2016, 08:55 AM
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Hi everyone, Thanks again for all the suggestions. We added a day to our itinerary but could have made it back to Denver at the end of day 5. Since we were staying with family in Denver, we decided not to disturb them by coming back too late.
While it was a lot of driving, no one complained because the scenery is so beautiful. We were also lucky with the temperature. Moab was only 95 F instead of the predicted 105.
As for jetlag and altitude, we adjusted somewhat during our 2 days in Denver and our kids are used to international travel so this was very laid back and easy. Here's what we did:
Day 1: Leave Denver around 11 a.m., drive to Moab with a stop and hike in Colorado National Monument, and another stop for lunch. Arrive Moab around 7 p.m.
Day 2: Leave hotel at 7 a.m.. hike to Delicate Arch, Long Arch, and a short scenic drive. Dead Horse Point State Park in the late afternoon on the advice of another tourist, and Canyonlands for a glorious sunset. I'm sure there are great things to see in Canyonlands but when tight on time, I would skip it.
Day 3: Drive to 4 corners (kids really wanted to go), stay about 1 1/2 hours to talk with local vendors and eat fry bread. Drive to Mesa Verde where we booked the last tour of the day to Cliff Palace and 2 more tours for the next day. Stay in lodge within Mesa Verde park. Enjoy the night sky from the "lawn".
Day 4: We spent the day at Mesa Verde. Drive to Wetherill section (Long Palace), then back to the museum, and Balcony House in the afternoon (shaded in the p.m.). Left Mesa Verde and drove to Durango for dinner and a place to sleep.
Day 5: Visit Durango in the a.m. (caught Pokemons), drive to Silverton for a tour of a mine (kids loved it), then on to Ouray for an afternoon stroll (more Pokemons). Everyone was happy in the car so we kept driving through the mountains back to Grand Junction.
Day 6: Drive to Vail, take the gondola. If it had been warmer, we would have gone rafting instead. Drive back to Denver.
None of us really wanted to do a river tour in Moab, and the kids vetoed horseback riding (city kids). Instead we chose to focus on the natural beauty of the area and enjoy it at the most basic level, by foot. It gave us a good taste of what we'd like to do when we go back, which is more hiking... and maybe some climbing.
While it was a lot of driving, no one complained because the scenery is so beautiful. We were also lucky with the temperature. Moab was only 95 F instead of the predicted 105.
As for jetlag and altitude, we adjusted somewhat during our 2 days in Denver and our kids are used to international travel so this was very laid back and easy. Here's what we did:
Day 1: Leave Denver around 11 a.m., drive to Moab with a stop and hike in Colorado National Monument, and another stop for lunch. Arrive Moab around 7 p.m.
Day 2: Leave hotel at 7 a.m.. hike to Delicate Arch, Long Arch, and a short scenic drive. Dead Horse Point State Park in the late afternoon on the advice of another tourist, and Canyonlands for a glorious sunset. I'm sure there are great things to see in Canyonlands but when tight on time, I would skip it.
Day 3: Drive to 4 corners (kids really wanted to go), stay about 1 1/2 hours to talk with local vendors and eat fry bread. Drive to Mesa Verde where we booked the last tour of the day to Cliff Palace and 2 more tours for the next day. Stay in lodge within Mesa Verde park. Enjoy the night sky from the "lawn".
Day 4: We spent the day at Mesa Verde. Drive to Wetherill section (Long Palace), then back to the museum, and Balcony House in the afternoon (shaded in the p.m.). Left Mesa Verde and drove to Durango for dinner and a place to sleep.
Day 5: Visit Durango in the a.m. (caught Pokemons), drive to Silverton for a tour of a mine (kids loved it), then on to Ouray for an afternoon stroll (more Pokemons). Everyone was happy in the car so we kept driving through the mountains back to Grand Junction.
Day 6: Drive to Vail, take the gondola. If it had been warmer, we would have gone rafting instead. Drive back to Denver.
None of us really wanted to do a river tour in Moab, and the kids vetoed horseback riding (city kids). Instead we chose to focus on the natural beauty of the area and enjoy it at the most basic level, by foot. It gave us a good taste of what we'd like to do when we go back, which is more hiking... and maybe some climbing.
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