Yeah, the Great Smoky Mountains are really just big hills compared to the Rockies, but they do look nice in the Fall foliage on misty mornings.
My wife, kids, and I spent most our trip in Colorado Springs, but did venture up to Denver & Boulder a few days. Really enjoyed the natural beauty of Colorado. There was more to see and do there than what we had time for, so I’d like to make it back out sometime soon and stay closer to Boulder. We drove there from Nashville with our 2 small children (4 & 2), and I am NEVER doing that again, lol.