Driving from S. California to Denver area in July (Grand Junction: hotel, home)

[naakmhove]

Hi all,
We will be driving from Southern California to Estes Park (north of Denver) in July 2010 for a family reunion. We'd like to take our time getting there and catch some sights and stay in a hotel every night. but we have to book it home cause the kids start school. We have four small kids so we'll need to only drive about 5 hours /day and maybe stay in a hotel that has a nice pool for the kids I'd love to see Zion again but other than that I'm clueless about the sights along the way. Has anyone taken this route before? thanks for any insight!!!!!
~Andrea

[denverian]

Originally Posted by naakmhove

Hi all,
We will be driving from Southern California to Estes Park (north of Denver) in July 2010 for a family reunion. We'd like to take our time getting there and catch some sights and stay in a hotel every night. but we have to book it home cause the kids start school. We have four small kids so we'll need to only drive about 5 hours /day and maybe stay in a hotel that has a nice pool for the kids I'd love to see Zion again but other than that I'm clueless about the sights along the way. Has anyone taken this route before? thanks for any insight!!!!!
~Andrea

I'd suggest taking the 15 to the 70 and across CO that way. You'll see some of the most beautiful scenery in the country coming across Colorado, and in July, weather isn't a factor. It'll actually be pretty hot the entire trip, other than central Utah and once you climb up out of Grand Junction - because you'll be at such high altitude.

[KoHoSo]

naakmhove...if you have to pick one way over the other, I could not agree more with denverian's suggestion to take the I-15/I-70 route. You don't hit anything great until you come to the stretch of I-15 that goes through the far northwestern corner of Arizona but, once you get to that point, oh man! That little piece of Arizona that I-15 runs through there made me feel like I was where the artists at Warner Brothers got their inspiration for the backgrounds in the Road Runner and Wile E. Coyote cartoons. After that, Utah seems to be nothing but mile after mile of great scenery. The run through Glenwood Canyon in Colorado has to be one of the most beautiful stretches of Interstate Highway anywhere in the country.

If you do take the I-15/I-70 route, make sure to plan appropriately for I-70 in Utah. There is a 110 mile stretch with no services between Salina and Green River (the longest in the country as I recall unless something new has been built since the last time I was through there in 2004). It is nothing to fear -- just make sure you have enough gas to get to Green River before passing Salina (and vice versa if you return home via I-70).

While I would take I-15/I-70 over the other way if I could only pick one, perhaps you might consider making a loop. There is certainly good scenery and many other things to be enjoyed by taking I-25 to I-40. That would send you home via the path taken by old US Route 66 once you make a right turn at Albuquerque (sorry...couldn't resist the second Loony Toons reference).

There's a lot of information on the Web on things you can do and places you can stay. Spend some quality time doing research for the things that will make you and your family happy and I guarantee you will be well rewarded.

[Kibbiekat]

Originally Posted by naakmhove

Hi all,
We will be driving from Southern California to Estes Park (north of Denver) in July 2010 for a family reunion. We'd like to take our time getting there and catch some sights and stay in a hotel every night. but we have to book it home cause the kids start school. We have four small kids so we'll need to only drive about 5 hours /day and maybe stay in a hotel that has a nice pool for the kids I'd love to see Zion again but other than that I'm clueless about the sights along the way. Has anyone taken this route before? thanks for any insight!!!!!
~Andrea

Zion, Bryce Canyon, Arches, and Canyon Lands National Parks. All are gorgeous. Stay in Moab for the last 2 I named.

[bhcompy]

Well, with kids always going to the bathroom and eating and such, your first night around 5 hours will probably be Mesquite. Plenty of fun stuff for kids there in the various Strip casinos. Most of the casinos have pool complexes that are kid friendly. You could also stretch it to Mesquite which is close to the AZ border, but I don't know what to do out there except maybe hiking. You'll want daylight to see the Virgin River Gorge though, and there is a rest area in the center of it where you can take some time for photos, hiking, etc.

From there the next big sight if you don't divert off the 15 may be Cove Fort near the 15/70 interchange.

The San Rafael Swell is what KoHoSo mentioned as the 110 mile long area with no services along the 70, and there are 3-4 rest areas/scenic spots where you can get out and have a little fun. You also follow the Book Cliffs for a long way, though it's a bit far to the north off the road.

I would not stay in Green River if you were considering it. It would be better to get to Grand Junction or near it. Driving through Green River showed me a town that is suffering greatly, seemingly due to the interstate not running through town and newer services directly bordering the interstate. We didn't see anything to do or see either.

At or near Grand Junction is a small dinosaur museum that would be fun for the kids. There may be some river activities as well, but I don't know.

On the stretch between Grand Junction and Denver you have a lot of cool places to stop. Glenwood Canyon is spectacular. Inside the Canyon area you have quite a few rest stops. My favorites are Grizzly Creek, where you can go right up to/in to the river, and Hanging Lake, where there is a hike up to Hanging Lake which is a very interesting place. Steamboat Springs is a cool little city with a small waterpark(couple of waterslides and some pools) that should be fun in the warm summer daytime. There are various other places as well along the way. The internet has a lot of resources available talking about the towns and nature areas along I70 in CO.

[davidv]

I'd suggest a night in Glenwood with a trip to the Hot Springs Pool. The kids will have a blast. Also you could stop in Georgetown and ride the Georgetown Railroad loop - another kid favorite. A night or two in Denver could be a lot of fun. Catch a Rockies game (cheap tix always available), eat at the Spaghetti Factory Downtown (my kids love it), there's a great zoo, the museum of nature and science is awesome, Dinosaur Ridge has real dino tracks and fossils, there's a ton of things that you could do that your kids would love.