Black Canyon of Gunnison, Montrose, Colorado

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We have traveled a lot across Colorado and covered around 80% of places in the state. But, this is the first time for us visiting Southwest Colorado.

We visited Mesa Verde national park, Great Sand dunes national park, Mahalakshmi temple in Crestone, and Pagosa Springs but never ventured beyond that.

We have heard a lot about Telluride, the Switzerland of America- Ouray, and million-dollar highway,  so we were planning for this dream trip for a long time. But, we don't want to do a quick trip as well. As usual, we plan to cover all the beautiful places around whenever we visit one place.

Due to the Covid,  these days we are exploring local places more than ever. Black Canyon of Gunnison is known as a less visited national park in Colorado. So, obviously, our choice during this time!

But, I strongly recommend not to travel to Colorado now as Covid cases are on the highest point with an average of 3000 cases every day. Fortunately, we traveled just before the fall season started and the cases were less at that time.

Here is our travelogue - Day 1 and Day 2

Day 1 is mostly dedicated to traveling to Montrose from Colorado Springs. This time, we chose to go through Salida, driving along the river. We crossed Salida, driving through the scenic Collegiate Peaks byway. It's our first time watching so many peaks together in Colorado even though we are not new to the mountains.

We crossed through Monarch Pass, and the drive was splendid. The road between Monarch Pass and Montrose was beautiful too. We could see the vast waterbody - The Gunnison River along the route. 

Lovely beaches and scenic bridges!

Day 2 - Black Canyon of Gunnison

We rested for that night in Montrose at Hampton Inn. The hotel was very good and they provided excellent cleaning services in the light of Covid. 

Black Canyon of Gunnison National park in Western Colorado is a steep canyon known for it's highest cliff 'Painted wall'. The Black canyon got its name as some parts of the canyon don't get any sunlight due to its depth and look black. The entry fee is $25 per vehicle.

We reached Black Canyon of Gunnison by 11 AM. The South rim visitor center was open and the Park official guided us on kid-friendly trails and tips to save time to cover more in one day.

Our plan was set! We wanted to cover almost all overlook points in South rim Scenic drive, drive down through the winding East portal road, have lunch at Montrose and drive to North rim.

This is the first overlook that impressed us. Tomichi Overlook.

Some great overlook points are Devil's lookout, Chasm View, Painted wall view, Dragon point, and Sunset view. 

See the Gunnison river in between the canyon walls and the beautiful red colors of the rocks.

We did a kid-friendly trail - Warner point nature trail which is around 1.5 miles round trip, but we were not too satisfied with that trail as it wasn't very scenic. We would have tried oak flat loop trail instead. It's 2 miles round trip.

Driving through the East Portal road is a great experience. It's a dirt narrow winding road, so you need to drive in low gear slowly, but it's completely worth it.

Here is a photo from the river up close after reaching down!

Then, we finished our lunch on the way to North rim. The drive to North rim from South rim takes 2 hrs and it is mostly boring and not scenic(through Hotchkiss). But, I definitely recommend the other route along Curecanti recreational area which will take around 2.5 hrs, if you have the extra time. That is the scenic alternative.

The overlooks / View are much better from the North rim than the South Rim, but you should set 3 to 5 hrs of your time just to drive and cover them. 

Can you see the little heart-shaped land between canyon? Isn't it cool?

In the North Rim, the Exclamation point gives the best view. We also did a small hike which offered amazing views. The North rim visitor center was closed. Due to covid, only limited facilities are open. 

We were exhausted by the end of the day with many hikes and relaxed in our hotel. We would have spent time at the hot tub spa but couldn't due to Covid. Travel can never be the same until the Covid vaccine comes, right?

Stay in touch with me on my blog / Instagram (@ramyaelr) / Twitter (@mahathi_ramya)/ Facebook page (https://www.facebook.com/fantasticfeathers.in) so that you don't miss Day 3 and Day 4 of our travelogues :-)

Use this interactive map to find accommodations to stay in Montrose.

Until next time,

Linking this to #MondayMusings hosted by Corinne. 

Top 5 places to see in New Mexico with kids

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We underestimated the beauty and diversity of New Mexico. We covered Colorado,  South Dakota and A few parts of Utah and Arizona,  but we didn't plan #Newmexico trip earlier.

Our last visit to Santa fe made us rethink about our opinion on New Mexico. You can read about our Santa fe travelogue with kids. We loved the food, places, culture, art and especially the weather.

I collected information for our next trip there itself. We have many good places in New Mexico but the only problem is the distance between the places. Some of them require a lot of driving.

Here are the top 5 places to visit in New Mexico with kids.

1. Santa fe

I agree that iam a fan of Santa fe. This little art town has a lot of museums,  sculpture gardens, local art exhibitions and great Mexican food.

This town also offers some fun outdoor recreation like hiking in Bandelier national monument,  Kasha-Katuwe national monument,  the visit to illusion house Meow wolf, the Loretto chapel with the famous spiral stairs, The Governor's palace etc.,

Flights to Santa Fe:

2. Albuquerque 

This is the largest metropolis in New Mexico.  It's a busy historical town with many attractions to visit.

Sandia peak tramway is a must visit with kids to view the beauty of the city from the top. ABQ bio park and Aquarium are fun for the whole family. 

Albuquerque Balloon fiesta  in October is famous time to visit. Petroglyph national monument has a lot of

ancient images drawn on volcanic rocks and the visitor center has many interactive educational exhibits. 

Flights to Albuquerque:

3. Carlsbad

Carlsbad caverns national park is a must visit with kids. The park has around 119 caves inside. 

The elevator or the natural entrance trail takes the visitors to around 700 ft down and the Big room inside the caves is so large that it can fit 14 football fields.

The amazing formations like stalactites , stalagmites , draperies,  columns, popcorn etc., make this place look mesmerizing. The way the park is protecting these delicate features is praiseworthy.

4. Alamogordo 

White sands national monument near Alamogordo is fantastic place to visit with kids. The colour of the sand is due to the high amount gypsum in it. The sand is very soft and it shines so bright in Sun light that our eyes will strain.

Sledding on sand is a lot of fun for whole family. There are some kid friendly trails too. The visitor center has good information on why sand is white and how it is formed.

5. Santa Rosa

Blue hole which is located in Santa Rosa is a 80 feet deep natural pool which is at constant temperature of 62 farenheit. The water is very clear. 

This place is also known as scuba diving capitol of Southwest. Either your kids can check out the classic route 66 cars or try boating or scuba diving in Pecos river or drive through the historic route 66.

While those come as top 5 places to visit in my opinion,  there are many more places worth a visit like Roswell UFO museum, the giant shiprock near four corners, Taos, Bisti Badlands , Valles Caldera super volcano area and the scenic Ghost ranch.

So  how do you like these suggestions? Have you visited new Mexico earlier? What places did you like? Do let me know in comments.

Until next time, 

Accommodations in Santa Fe:

How to plan a South Dakota trip with kids

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We have visited South Dakota recently with kids. So, as usual, I spent a lot of time exploring the places, choosing the places to visit as per our interest, booking accommodations and planning pit stops, etc.,

I take travel planning seriously and I enjoy it too.

Here is my plan for South Dakota vacation with kids:

1. Exploring tourist places

My first task before planning a trip is to explore the tourist places in that area.

South Dakota,  also known as "Blizzard state" is home to the Black Hills, vast open spaces, and prairie grasslands. Of course,  we all know about the famous Mt. Rushmore memorial but there is more to this state than this monument.

Mt Rushmore and Crazy horse memorial are a must visit. Custer state park with 3 scenic byways, Spearfish canyon with many waterfalls and Badlands national park for its unique terrain should definitely be added to the list.

Rapid City has a lot to offer for kids like Dinosaur Park, storybook island, and Cosmos mystery area. Chapel in the hills is a great place if you like unique architecture. Wind cave national park, jewel cave, mt Rushmore cave, Reptile Gardens, Bear country are all within 1 hr from Rapid city.

The list is big. I explored all these places by searching on Google, reading multiple travelogues and searching on social media.

2. Choosing the places to Visit

This is the next step of the planning process. In the first step, I just explore all the places and make a list. But, in this step, I focus on our interests while picking up the places that we would love to visit.

When traveling with kids, of course, we have to plan keeping their interests in mind. Before choosing any hikes, I always read Google reviews and travelogues to ensure that the trails are kid friendly and not a strenuous one for children. I note down the distance of each trail and time it takes to finish each hike.

The most important places to visit with kids in South Dakota are - Dinosaur Park,  Storybook Island,  Cosmos mystery area, Windcave national park, and Bear country. We are not interested in reptiles, else would have chosen the Reptile gardens.

The places that  match our interests are - Custer state park,  Badlands national park, Spearfish Canyon,  Chapel in the hills, jewel cave, Deadwood historic town, etc.,

Crazy horse memorial 

After preparing this list, I usually filter it out again in the next step depending on the time we have in our itinerary.

3. Planning the Itinerary

This is the time we decide on how many days it will take to cover all the places in our wishlist, filter out the list based on time and budget, plan the itinerary by days, plan the places to stay at night, plan the pit stops and food stops in our trip.

Yes, this is the main part of the trip and please bear with me as you read this lengthy post 🙂

Storybook Island 

Always keep in mind that you need to take multiple pit stops during road trips when traveling with kids. So, be flexible and ready to trade off some places to relax and make the journey fun.

We chose to stay in Rapid city which is nearer to most of the places in our list. Keystone is another good option. Hot Springs is a small town but with many budget-friendly accommodations and dining options.

To reach Rapid City:

We have 3 days and 4 nights to cover all of these and below is the plan we laid out:

Night 1/ Evening 1 - Colorado Springs to Rapid city - around 7hrs journey time

Day 1 - Dinosaur Park, Chapel in the hills, Storybook Island,  Custer State Park, and Mt. Rushmore

Day 2 - Spearfish canyon and Badlands national park

Day 3 - Crazy horse memorial and the Return trip to Colorado Springs through Carhenge and Chimney rock national monument in Nebraska

Unfortunately,  Wind Cave National Park was closed during that time and so, we couldn't cover this.

Tunnel in Custer State Park

4. Booking accommodations

The easiest part is this last step. We always rely on Expedia for the best rates for accommodation with free breakfast. This saves a lot of money.

We choose a hotel with a swimming pool and spa so that we can relax every evening after roaming to all the places and hiking.

Airbnb is a good option too but we opt for this if multiple families are going together. We also choose Airbnb if the location is great with a good view and other amenities like a swimming pool and kitchen are available.

We stayed all 3 nights in Rapid city as it's nearer to all places, but if you want to spend more time on any specific national park,  it's better to book a night there.

Don't worry about accommodation. This link might help to book.

That's how we planned this amazing vacation in detail.

Do let me know in the comments if this post helps you in any way to plan your dream vacation to South Dakota state.

Also, do let me know your suggestions and tips to make travel planning easier.

The detailed travelogues of each day are below:

Day 1 - Rapid city, Custer state Park and Mt. Rushmore
Day 2 - Spearfish Canyon and Badlands national park
Day 3 - Crazy horse memorial and Carhenge, Nebraska 


Until next time,

Do you like my travelogue?

Read my other Travelogues here:
https://www.fantasticfeathers.in/search/label/travel

On a rock, I grow! #ThursdayTreeLove

Do you see the tree on that rock? Isn't it different?

Until next time,

Linking this post to #ThursdayTreeLove hosted by Parul.

Day 2 - Mesa Verde National Park

Before going to our Day 2 travelogue, please go through below posts to follow the itinerary.

Utah Vacation Plan with Kids

Day 1 - Arches National Park and Canyonlands National park

Monument Valley Park and Four Corners National monument

On Day 2, we have covered 2 national monuments and 2 national parks. Since it is becoming a lengthy post, I had to split my Day 2 itinerary to 2 posts.

We covered Monument valley park and Four corners monument by afternoon 3 pm and we headed towards Cortez to reach Mesa Verde National park. 

Our next stop was to Mesa Verde national park. The statue before the visitor center is amazing.

This national park in Southern Colorado is known for it's well preserved ancient Puebloan cliff dwellings. Today, this park protects around 5000 archeological sites and 600 cliff dwellings.

Be sure to stop by the visitor center to buy tickets for the Longhouse, Cliff Palace and Balcony House. Cliff Palace and Balcony house tours are a must if you visit this place and the tours require you to climb ladders and even crawl a bit at some places. Check this website for Visitor center hours and the opening/ closure information of some sites.

Our first stop was to Spruce tree house overlook, which is near the Chapin Mesa Archeological Museum. We spent some time in the museum watching the exhibits of ancient pueblo culture. Spruce tree house overlook is very nearer to the museum. This is 3rd largest and best-preserved cliff dwelling in the park. 

The drive to the spruce tree house from the visitor center is also very scenic with road going through the hills and valleys. 

We drove the 20 miles scenic loop in the park. On the way, we stopped at overlooks to watch Cliff palace, Square tower house and Sun temple at the end of the loop. 

Here is a slide show of the pictures:





Square tower house looked really beautiful and we should appreciate the park for preserving these ancient dwellings. Cliff Palace looked great too. Since we reached late, we couldn't go on a tour but I definitely recommend touring it.

Balcony House was closed in April when we visited and it might be open in Summer. We started back by around 7 pm and started our drive to the hotel. We booked our accommodation in Pagosa Springs for that night, which is known for the world's deepest geothermal hot springs.

On the way to Pagosa Springs, we crossed Chimney Rock National monument. It is just 15 to 20 mins before you reach Pagosa Springs. Since it was late for us, we couldn't visit this monument.

Will meet you with the travelogue of Day 3 where we visited 'Treasure Falls' and Mahalakshmi temple in Crestone.

Until next time,

Day 1 : Arches and CanyonLands National Park #UtahVacation

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Here is the continuation of our Utah Vacation plan with kids. This post covers detailed travelogue of our day 1.

Welcome to Utah

Around 1200 miles, 4 nights, 3 days, 3 national parks, 3 monuments, 1 Navajo tribal park, 1 waterfall, 1 temple touching 4 states.

Travel Map

Our trip started on night 1 where we drove from Colorado Springs to Grand Junction, CO. Grand Junction is around 5 hrs from here and so, we could cover almost 70% distance to Arches on night 1. Check this travelogue to visit Glenwood Springs which is on the way from Colorado Springs to Grand Junction.

We planned for a 4 day and 3-night trip and we reached home back on the 4th night.

We stayed at Grand Junction for the night and started our first visit to Arches National park after breakfast. 

Accommodations near Grand Junction:

Arches national park is around 2 hrs drive from Grand Junction and it is better to arrive early to the park. Even though we visited the Park on a Friday, the traffic near the check-post slowed us down for 30 mins. The entry to the park is $30 per vehicle.

Since no water and food will be available inside the park, we have packed a small lunch and some snacks and a lot of water. 

The most important trail that we didn't want to miss is the 'Delicate Arch Trail'. The Arch that we can see on Utah license plate, remember? This is a must do in Arches. 

Delicate Arch

But, let me warn you, it is not easy with a toddler. Be prepared to stop multiple times during the trail, take more water, snacks, wear hiking shoes, sunglasses, sunscreen, and hat.

Check how the trail is!

There are some sharp edges too!

We passed through beautiful rock formations and multiple overlook points before reaching Wolfe ranch parking area. We didn't stop at any of these places as we want to cover all while returning. 

From Wolfe ranch parking area, the delicate arch trail takes around 1.5 to 2 hrs to reach to the arch. At most, 2.5 to 3 hrs to finish the trip and come back with kids. Restrooms are available at the parking area. 

If you have reached this dome-like rock, you are almost there!

The trail might be strenuous if you don't stop on the way / don't drink enough water. A few places seemed dangerous where we have to hold our toddler and help our 8 yr old to hike. Other than that, this is definitely doable with kids and the view of the huge arch is simply amazing.

The trail view from above

Next, we went on driving the scenic route of 12 miles loop in the park till Devil's garden and stopped at various lookout points. Double arch is amazing and also many other stone formations around that. The double arch trail is also 0.5 miles round trip, which is good with kids. Balanced rock is an easy 0.5-mile round trip. Drive through windows section for sure! the formations are breathtaking.

Balanced Rock

Window Rock

Ideally, one day in Arches will allow you to cover Delicate arch trail, Balanced rock, Double arch trail and to drive through the scenic 12-mile loop with kids. You can cover 2 more trails with older kids/ adults though.

For lunch, you can try Moab brewery on highway 128 in Moab. We stopped at a cafe called 'Moab Giants' on the way to Canyonlands. Canyonlands national park is just 30 to 40 mins drive from Arches.

Scenic Viewpoint in Canyonlands National park

Entry is $25 per vehicle at Canyonlands national park. The visitor centers at both Arches and Canyonlands close at 4PM but cars are allowed to park all the time. Canyonlands is divided into 3 sections - Island in the sky, the Needles and the Maze.

The most important and easy trail with kids is Mesa Arch trail. This is a half mile round trip and not only the mesa arch but even the views beyond the arch are amazing. If you have time, you can cover Upheaval dome which is 1-mile round trip and enjoy the views of Grand viewpoint, Green river outlook and Grand view overlook on the scenic drive. 

Mesa Arch

We covered only this much on day 1. But, if you want to customize your plan and have more time, you can cover Needles section in Canyonlands and Dead horse point state park. One more thing that you can add to your trip is 'Colorado National monument'. This is on the way from Grand Junction to Arches, but it might take around 2 to 3 hrs to cover this monument. 

We traveled to Bluff, UT on that day night so that we will be nearer to Monument Valley Park to start our trip for Day 2. From Canyonlands national park, it is 2.5 hrs drive to Bluff. If this seems to be a long drive, you can take accommodation at Moab / Blanding which are on the way. 

The next day we covered Monument Valley Park, Four Corners monument and Mesa Verde National park. The detailed travelogue of day 2 is shared in the next post. 

Until next time,

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This post is written as part of a blog train #letsblogwithpri hosted by Prisha. Thanks to Sneha for introducing me to this blog train. I would love to introduce Kapila to the blog train. Read her posts here.



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5 Best scenic drives in Colorado #SuperBloggerChallenge2018

Travel!!! 

Before you run out of time.

If I have a lot of money in hand and no responsibilities, I won't waste a single day without traveling. If you have been following my blog for some time, you already know my craze for travel. Nature offers a lot to us and we only should take the opportunity to experience the beautiful nature. Fortunately, we are in the beautiful mountain state of Colorado and we could cover around 80% of tourist places in this state.

Colorado State is the 8th largest state geographically in the United States of America and it has a diverse landscape like desert, rocky mountains and river. There are a number of scenic drives in the state which should not be missed if you visit Colorado.

Here are the 5 best scenic drives :

1. Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain national park
2. Million dollar highway near Durango
3. Independence Pass near Aspen
4. Pikes Peak highway in Colorado Springs
5. Mt Evans scenic byway near Denver

Now, Let's go into the details..

1. Trail Ridge Road

Trail Ridge Road in Rocky mountain national park is a 48-mile road connecting Estes Park and Grand Lake. This heavily traveled highway in the park goes up to 12,183 feet elevation giving the visitors thrilling views of snow mountains and valleys around. The speed limit is 20 mph and it is fascinating how we climb 4000 ft elevation within minutes. There are some dangerous curves with no support in the edges making it an adventurous drive. Read my Travelogue here.

Views from Trail Ridge Road

2. Million Dollar Highway

The Million Dollar highway (also known as US Highway 550) was built in 1880's as part of San Juan Skyway scenic byway between New Mexico and Colorado. A 25 mile stretch from Silverton and Ouray is the most spectacular route.  We didn't visit this route yet and it is on my wishlist for so long. 
There are several hairpin bends and dangerous curves without guardrail on the edges. 

Million Dollar Highway covered with snow
PC: Google images labeled with reuse

3. Independence Pass

Independence Pass also known as Hunter pass is the third highest mountain pass in Colorado as per its elevation which is 12,095 ft. It is on the Continental divide midway between Aspen and Twin Lakes. This is part of Colorado Highway 82 and is busy with visitors in Summer and Fall. It is closed in winter. This 32-mile long stretch offers fantastic scenic beauty. We traveled twice on this route to Aspen and we never want to miss a chance to go again. Read my travelogue about Aspen here.

View from Independence pass in Summer

4. Pikes Peak Highway

This 19-mile highway connects Cascade to Pikes peak Summit which is at an elevation of 14,115 ft above sea level. There are approximately 162 turns on the way. The highway is open year round - weather permitting. The highway entrance itself begins at around 7500 ft and the road climbs to 14,115 ft. On the way, you can stop to catch a glimpse of Crystal reservoir and Devil's playground and take snaps of mountains and valleys. The temperatures drastically change as we go up and we are fortunate to watch a sleet(Rain with snow) when we have driven last time. Find my travelogue here. 

Amazing turns of Pikes peak highway

5. Mt. Evans Scenic Byway

Mt Evans Scenic Byway is just 60 miles from Denver and it starts at Idaho springs visitor center. This is the highest paved highway in North America. This is the one place where you are not concerned about the destination but enjoy your journey. This is on our wish list for so long. It is closed during winter and opens in Spring. This 15 - mile 2 lane road is also known as 'Road into the sky'. This highway gives breathtaking views of the valleys and mountains climbing to 14,000ft above sea level. Echo Lake and Summit lake on the way are worth a visit. 

Mt. Evans
PC: Google image labeled with reuse

So, how did you like these places and scenic drives? Do let me know your comments. 

Until next time,

This article is written as part of SuperBloggingChallenge2018 conducted by Healthwealthbridge.com,Fashionablefoodz.com, and Allaboutthewoman.com and should not be repurposed, republished or used otherwise. SuperBloggerChallenge2018 is not responsible for any kind of infringement caused.