Best place to see mountains outside of Grand Canyon part of the country?

Fly into Colorado Springs, do Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak.

Take 50 through Gunnison and then 550 aka Million Dollar Highway from Montrose to Durango. I would stay in Ouray and Silverton. Lots to do in this area and the mountains are amazing here. You can continue to Mesa Verde, staying up there in the NP lodge and the restaurant there is amazing.

I continued on from there and hit Page and did the North Rim Grand Canyon and then going up to Zion and left from Vegas. You could also go through Tuba and hit the south rim.

This all depends on how long your trip is and how much you do in each destination. I don't think 1 week is enough to include Grand Canyon in all this and then get to Vegas. I would try to find somewhere to fly back after hitting up Mesa Verde. I would choose the Colorado section over GC. GC is amazing though.

You could get a week out of the GC area if you plan in a through hike where you stay at the lodge at the bottom of the canyon.

There aren't any alpine mountains near the Grand Canyon. You could plan a trip that starts in Colorado and make your way over but that's going to be a tough haul with just a week and five kids in tow.

I think you need to decide what scenery you want to see more - desert canyons or mountains. The West is BIG. Pick one and plan an itinerary around that.

If you really want to do a combo then I would omit the Grand Canyon and do a loop from Grand Junction that includes Arches, Canyonlands, Monument Valley, Durango, Silverton, Telluride, etc.

You could go up through Vegas and Death Valley to get on the east side of the Sierras. We really enjoyed a day in Death Valley then as you drive out towards the Sierras you are looking at Mt Whitney. I am sure there is cool stuff on the eastern Sierras and when else would you be on the east side of them?

Humphreys Peak near Flagstaff for something in the immediate area. 12,633 feet

Southwest Colorado will be the best large scale mountains outside of the immediate area, Durango/Ouray/Telluride

Flying into Denver and doing this drive (or driving to Denver from wherever your starting point is) to Flagstaff and then the Grand Canyon would be pretty awesome. If from LA I would recommend US 287 through Texas then I-25 through Raton Pass. The drive on I-70 to Grand Junction is incredible and then you go through even more mountains in SW Colorado. Then through the Four Corners which the kids might like for the novelty of being in four states at once.

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Take 50 through Gunnison

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We've flown into Denver and driven I-70 through Grand Junction to Telluride on the way there and US 50 through Gunnison on the way back and I thought I-70 was the much better drive.

Iva had back country permits at Zion. A really great place but not what I’d do for wife and kids. Not sure what they have for a family trip. I’ve done glacier NP off grid and family style and can tell you that GNP has Swiss Alps quality hikes and scenery for the Continental Divide long hiker and the Mom and dad and kids who want easy -moderate to hard day hikes and great Lodging. Fishing. Horseback riding etc. and not a ripoff. Yellowstone would be my second favorite for an outdoors Hardy family with kids.

If you are going to be around the Grand Canyon area, Flagstaff is very nice.

Central and Western NC.

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Pikes Peak.

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Drove it a few months ago, butt pucker all the way