kids can travel

Thanks to your responses to my last post, we are nearly sold on the Colorado/Utah itinerary with our 8 year old. With the visitor center closed, we’ve decided to skip Dinosaur National Monument and reduce the amount of time in the car. So we now have a few extra days. We plan to spend them camping, hiking and rafting in Arches and Canyonlands. The plan is to combine Arches and rafting on the Colorado River and spend 2 days hiking from The Needles in Canyonlands. The alternatives are to camp and hike at Island in the Sky or Dead Horse Point State Park. What do you recommend? Any thoughts on a rafting company out of Moab? Also, I’ve noticed that there are many ruins and parks from Moab to Mesa Verde and while I am keen to avoid a cultural or outdoor overdose, I would hate to miss a gem. Should we consider a stop in Edge of the Cedars State Park, Hovenweep National Monument or Grand Gulch and Valley of the Gods?

Colorado / Utah
Denver – Grand Junction (day 1)
Dinosaur Dig near Grand Junction (day 2, 3)
Arches and Colorado River rafting (day 4, 5, 6)
Canyon Lands – Needles (7, 8)
Canyon lands to Mesa Verde with a stop in the 4 corners (day 9)
Mesa Verde and Durango with Narrow Gauge Railway (day 10, 11, 12)
Great Sand Dunes (day 13)
Denver (day 14)