Black Canyon of the Gunnison - Really spectacular scenery looking down into probably the steepest walled canyon I've visited. The colors of the rocks, plus the changing leaves on the surrounding mountains, were really something. Not a lot of hiking to be done but lots of pullouts and vantage points. I slept in my truck at one of them (yeah, you're not supposed to, but they don't seem to mind) and had probably the darkest sky I've ever seen. Solid A - the only negative was that the road you can use to get down to the river itself (2000' below) was closed for some reason. Plus only a campground and no place to get food.

Great Sand Dunes - A pretty unique place even after visiting White Sands and Death Valley. The dunes are up to 700' high and a real bear to hike, but the people sledding down them looked like they were having fun. Great scenery with the wide San Luis Valley on one side and the Sangre de Cristo mountains right there on the other. In fact the park extends up into the mountains and I wish I'd made more time to check out that part of it. I give it an A- just because I'm kinda done with sand at this point.

Mesa Verde - So glad I went in the fall - cooler temps and changing leaves that just went on an on. The cliff dwellings were definitely worth seeing, and the view extending 60-70 miles to the south was pretty awe-inspiring. The road through the park was challenging and fun to drive, but there weren't a ton of hiking trails available. This park also had better lodging and eating facilities than many I've seen. I give it a solid A.