Check out some of our favorite places to visit in New Mexico, Colorado, Utah, and Arizona. Roadtripping in the Southwest means high-desert camping, breathtaking red rock formations, exciting canyoneering adventures, and some of the best national parks in the US: Zion National Park, Bryce Canyon National Park, Bandelier National Monument, Escalante and Bears Ears National Monuments, Arches National Park, Canyonlands, Capitol Reef, the Grand Canyon, Mesa Verde National Park, and the Great Sand Dunes. We’ll also highlight lesser known destinations, some great national forest camping spots, and fun activities for kids off the beaten path!
The whole family visited the Spruce Hole Yurt this past March (2019), achieving a milestone that I have been looking forward to since we first had kids. Getting there as a family is doable. Spruce Hole yurt is located north of Chama, NM just over the border into Colorado. It’s
No, NOT the infamous “Hooters”! Ha!! While perhaps poorly named, “Hoots” is nevertheless a fantastic indoor play area on the northwest side of Albuquerque, near the Balloon Park. I’ve made a point of stopping here after a long day of running errands in ABQ or doing other parent-directed activities, so
Muley Point, on the southern end of Cedar Mesa in southwest Utah, has a beautiful road, a rarely-visited scenic overlook, and kickass campspots, all in one. If it were located along a major road it would be a must-stop photo opportunity and overrun with tourists. But the overlook happens to
Recently, the boys and I joined some friends for a tour of the capitol building in Santa Fe. The Capitol “Rotunda” is really quite beautiful. Largely hidden by trees (at least on the side we came in on!), you realize immediately that the building is round. What you don’t see
The area of Las Conchas is truly a gem tucked up in the Jemez Mountains. Miraculously untouched by recent fires (though surrounded by the aftermath) AND boasting the lovely Jemez River (though these days more of a meandering stream…), it can feel like a bit of an oasis in this
Cave of the Winds is a Los Alamos local destination that is surprisingly secret; I have met lifelong locals who have never heard of it. It’s a cave. A classic, straight-out-of-a-movie cave. Big and dark, with some small side passages to explore. The boys love it–what boy wouldn’t? When I