Camping Trip to the Valley of the Gods, Utah - Activities for Kids?

[boulderrr]

Hello all,

This forum has been a tremendous help to me in the past when going on camping trips to Utah with my girlfriend. We live in Boulder, CO and try to get to Utah as frequently as possible. Next weekend, we're heading to the Valley of the Gods area, where we've never been before. We're going to meet up with my sister, brother-in-law, and two nieces for my nieces' first camping trip. They're driving up from El Paso. The plan is to find a dispersed spot in the Valley of the Gods and stay there for three nights. I've found lots of ideas of things to do (http://climb-utah.com/CM/index.htm), but am wondering if anyone has any specific suggestions for activities that would be good to do with my nieces. They are 3 and 5, so we know that will limit the difficulty and length of things we can do.

What are you favorite short, kid-friendly activities in the Valley of the Gods / Cedar Mesa area? Gooseneck State Park and/or Muley Point seem like a definite to-do since they are so close to the Valley and everything is right there.

I've heard you can camp at Muley Point. Is the camping better up there or down in the Valley of the Gods?

Is there a lot of exploring to be done within the Valley of the Gods? I know there are no developed trails, but am wondering if it would make sense to dedicate a whole day to just exploring around the Valley near where we camp. Perhaps we will dedicate a day to hitting some of the geocaches in the area.

We'll only really have time for 2 full days worth of activities so am trying to figure out what would be best with the nieces. Natural Bridges National Monument looks very interesting and kid-friendly, but I see that it is ~90 minutes away, and am not sure if everyone will be up for going that far. Thoughts on whether it is worth the drive?

Thanks so much in advance for any help you can provide. Can't wait to get back to the desert! Also can't wait to be the Easter bunny Saturday night in the desert for my nieces!

[mattandersao]

Comb Ridge according to the always reliable google maps is about 40 minutes away.