Ideas for a trip for someone who likes dinosaurs and dark skies

Hey all,

I recently did a trip to see the Mighty 5, and did a little bit of a dinosaur road trip along the way. We flew from BOS to SLC, then slowly drove down to Vegas and Death Valley. I have the park pass until August 2026 and would love to do another mini roadtrip to a few parks that are relatively close by.

Because I’m in New England, not much is driving distance besides Acadia, so flying to a city is fine, then renting a car from there. I’m pretty good with finding accommodations for wherever I end up, but just looking for some fun ideas. Because I’ve done Utah, would love to experience different ones before going back. I’ve also been to Yellowstone.

1. I’m a big dinosaur fan, so anything along that is much appreciated. State Parks also welcome. Even if the parks themselves don’t have prehistoric history, then maybe the surround areas having a bit would be cool.

2. I have a smart telescope, so parks where I can go to at nighttime with no problem are preferred.

3. I’d want to do this trip before August of 2026. Preferably a “less popular” time for a park would also be great. When I went to Yellowstone it was during the winter, so something like that where you visit at a more unexpected time.

4. Multiple parks in one visit would be cool, without being too crunched for time

5. Maybe a week duration? Give or take. If you strongly recommend longer for certain places, I’m all ears.

6. Bonus for breweries along the way.

So I guess my question is, what are some must see parks with the above criteria? Doesn’t need to fit all of them, of course.