My first full-fledged points and miles trip was to Breckenridge, Colorado, and Moab, Utah. I used Chase Ultimate rewards earned from signing up for the Chase Sapphire Preferred card for my husband and myself. I referred my husband to earn an additional 15,000 points. 

A few months before I started traveling with points and miles, I had all the normal misconceptions about credit scores and credit cards that I had to work through. If that sounds familiar, check out our common misconceptions post.

Flights / Transportation: We drove, so transportation wasn’t in play during this trip.

Stay: We transferred Chase Ultimate Rewards to Hyatt. I booked the Hyatt Place Keystone for three nights using 45,000 points and five nights at the Hyatt Place Moab using 40,000 points. The Hyatt Place Moab was an incredible value at 8,000 points per night! It has since risen in categories and is more per night to book. This was made possible since I hold the Chase Sapphire Card that gives me access to 14 incredible transfer partners, including Hyatt. 

The Hyatt Place Moab is only a few miles away from the entrances to Arches and Canyonlands National Parks. The property is beautiful and very kid-friendly. It was HOT when we went, so we hiked in the mornings and hung out at the pool in the afternoon. 

Paying cash for the rooms in Keystone and Moab would have been $2358. By using points, the savings allowed us to splurge on experiences our family will never forget.

Fun: During our time in Keystone, we took our family to Epic Discovery in Breckenridge on our son’s 9th birthday. This was an absolute blast! Epic Discovery is an alpine amusement park with a Gold Runner Coaster and Alpine Slide. 

While in Moab, we rented an Rzr with Outlaw Adventure Tours and took it out with a guide to take in the scenery and seek adventure! We also booked a rafting trip down the Colorado River with World Wide River Expeditions. Both companies were great to work with.  

If you have a child in 4th grade, take advantage of the National Parks Every Kid in a Park program for free National Park admission. 

We perused the Moab Rock Shop, and my son loved it. This little shop opened in 1960 and is filled to the brim with rocks, minerals, & fossils. 

Eat: On road trips, we pack a cooler for most of our meals, eat out once daily, or grab ice cream in the afternoons. Here are a few of the restaurants we enjoyed on this trip!

Breckenridge: The Canteen Tap House and Mountain Top Cookie Shop

Moab: Milt’s Stop and Eat is an old-school hamburger drive-in joint. We ate here twice. The Spoke on Center served American food and ice cream! 

Hikes: Keystone/ Breckenridge Area: Loveland Pass, Lake Dillon trail, McCullough Gulch, Mohawk Lakes, Monte Cristo Gulch, Burro Trail, and Boreas Pass Road.

Arches National Park: 17-mile Arches Scenic drive 2/3 hours, Park Avenue trailhead, Balanced Rock, Delicate Arch, Double Arch, and Devils Garden. 

Canyonlands National Park: Island in the Sky Visitor Center, Mesa Arch, and Whale Rock 

Capital Reef National Park: Gifford House Museum serves the best little homemade pies, Hickman Bridge, Cohab Canyon, Cassidy Arch, Grand Wash, and Fremont River Trail.

Final thought:  My husband and I are teachers in the Kansas City area and wouldn’t have ever thought this kind of travel would be available. We have begun to dream big and will visit Italy, Switzerland, and France this summer. Anything is possible when points and miles almost completely cover hotels, flights, and rental cars!

Cards that made this trip possible

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