Family summer trip out west

[jorswift]

OK, need some help from the pros.
Looking to take the family west; myself, wife, daughter (16) and dog. We are flat landers from Indiana. Looking to go 7-10 days, no particular destination, yet. Just trying to weigh our options. We like to hike, fish, kayak, and be outside. However, my wife and daughter (16) is not all too keen on tent camping. But I think they will do it for the trip. I keep telling them how beautiful CO is large and vast the terrain can be. They are only familiar with the Appalachians'. We have a Chevy Traverse and GMC 1500, UTV & trailer and Kayaks. However, not sure if we would want to haul our kayaks or UTV that far with only the 1500. Dont care to go to the tourist spots, less people the better. Just looking to show them something new so they can appreciate it. Would like to make a large circle of some sort and hit CO, WY, MT, SD and come back. Any suggestions.

 

[signing off]

With 7-10 days, I think 2 locations would be really reasonable. In the past I have bounced around too much and did more work than sightseeing.
For reference we took 3 weeks to hit Moab, black canyon, Mesa Verde, and black hills SD. Great trip but tried too much at once to appreciate all the beauty.

 

[go_deep]

Coming from that far your a bit limited due to travel time just to get here, but Glacier NP, then down to the Blackhills and home seems like it would be doable.

 

[N.ID7803]

Was thinking the same thing. It takes at least 3 days to get across eastern Montana......

 

[Highvoltage1]

Send me a pm, we did a week in Colorado this past summer. I’ll share what worked and what didn’t. Best wishes.

 

[jorswift]

MT would be the furthest if we could stretch it.
CO is a straight shot from us on I70, about 24hrs to where elk hunted in past.

Was thinking of driving straight to CO. Stay around CO Springs for a day or 2, head through WY to SD and back. Just talking out loud. My daughter graduates high school in 2 years, so the "family" trip like this may not be the same. So would like to experience as much as possible.