Ideas for Trip Driving from CA to CO

I did a southern Utah car camping trip in 1989 - a long time ago and things might have changed alot. However, I remember Arches NP was hard to get a camping spot. We had to get a motel (in Moab) the first night and get to the park early to get a spot - like 8 or 9am. Vacant spots were snapped up quickly. Our trip was in September, after school was back in. All of those parks, as with most national parks, are rather isolated and there aren't a lot of motels nearby. That said, visiting Southern Utah was one of my most memorable trips. Hopefully you can now make camping reservations. If you can you should try to make them now. Yosemite releases camping reservations 6 months in advance and they sell out quickly. Good luck.

We did a loop like that about 10 years ago. We pulled a trailer and camped in the National Parks: Zion, Bryce, Arches, Canyonlands, Grand Canyon and Mesa Verde. It was hot! Thankfully our trailer had AC. If you like camping, I'd recommend trying to get reservations in the park. That way, you get to experience the park the whole time you are there, even when you are not sight seeing.

Go to www.nps.gov to help you plan your trip (NPS--National Park Service). There is also information about the America The Beautiful pass at www.recreation.gov. The pass costs about $80 but it waives the entrance fees to many national parks, and reduces fees at Corps of Engineer campgrounds, and US Forest Service campgrounds. The entrance fee for one car into the Grand Canyon is $25 for a week -- after visiting a couple of parks you've made your money back and it's good for a year. You can purchase the pass at the first fee location that you go to, no need to order in advance -- but call ahead to make sure they have them in stock! You can reserve camping spots on that site as well. Have fun!

Can you rent an RV?
If not, get online and google campgrounds along the way.
Probably best to make reservations now because of summer vacationers.
If no RV it might be better to look for inexpensive lodging than camping.
Google what the weather will be like, too.
Take snacks in the car and lots of games/toys to keep the kids occupied.
Have fun, be safe.