Southwest trip recommendations

Hey everyone,

The wife and I are beginning to plan a Spring/Summer 2023 trip out west for our family, which will include us and our two boys, ages 8 and 5. We're originally from PA and have lived in the Southeast and along the Gulf Coast for about the past decade. We've been out to CO once in Dec. 2018 in the Silverthorne/Dillon/Breckenridge area. That week was all we've ever explored past the Mississippi (LOL). We've been all over the eastern US so we wanna see what else our country has to offer.

We'll have a maximum of nine days, including travel, if we do it over our son's spring break in April so we might consider doing an early summer trip (late May) if we decide we need more time.

We definitely wanna see the Grand Canyon, Hoover Dam, and Saguaros! We're still considering if we wanna drive vs. fly — most likely flying because driving from our driveway to GCNP is 27 hours.

Any "must see" locations, tips or recommendations for a family with younger children?

Not sure how much traffic this thread will get but any help is appreciated!

 

If you're going to be near the Grand Canyon, Bryce and Zion national parks are absolute must sees. Both striking and incredible in their own ways

 

I'll second Zion National Park. Gotta hike the Narrows! It takes a full day but it's absolutely stunning. You may need some waders and shoes because the water can be pretty chilly but it's fun and just magical the further back in the canyon you hike.