Are you planning to venture as far as Southern Appalachia? I can hook you up if so.
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My trip would be oct-dec or jan-april, following the temperate weather. I’ve always been curious about Appalachia, a bunch of books I’ve loved are set there.
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Idaho! Stanley, Idaho and Redfish Lake, Idaho both have good car camping access. It’s fairly remote, loaded with hot springs within 20 mins walk of the car, lots of good places to car camp for free and let a dog run around. The small towns are cute and have good coffee.
Vermont and Maine too (no hot springs but plenty of swimming).
In general I think you’ll have better luck on the camping and dog fronts in national forests, not national parks. In US National Forests you can camp almost anywhere for free as long as you’re 100 feet from roads or water (in practice, many gravel forest roads have campsites — just a flat, cleared area and sometimes a fire ring and picnic bench — off the side of the road). The National Parks are much more regulated, with camping allowed only in designated spots and often sold out in the summertime. I drove across the country a few years ago with my dog and we basically avoided National Parks entirely — if this is summertime, it’s too hot to leave a dog in the car even for a quick walk or bathroom trip, so you really don’t get to see any of the best stuff in parks.
ETA: Just saw your note about Appalachia. Some funky great very small towns (with lovely national forests, swimming holes and creeks nearby) are Elkins and Galax, West Virginia. Boone and Asheville (plus the even smaller towns around them) in North Carolina are much bigger. Asheville LOVES dogs, they are allowed in most bars and restaurants and even bookstores. The region is known for bluegrass, I think there are lots of bluegrass road trip itineraries published.
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I grew up just northwest of Idaho and loved exploring it as a teenager. One of the best states.
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Asheville does love dogs, but it’s going to have crowds. Some of the smaller towns outside of Asheville proper might be more appealing, depending on how much of a crowd you actually consider a crowd.
Dogs are allowed in all Tennessee State parks, too, and there are a lot of them.
Would not recommend Gatlinburg proper because of the same crowd considerations as Asheville, but again lots of wonderful places around the area.
There are actually some pretty significant limitations on dogs in Great Smoky mountains national Park, not allowed on any of the trails. A lot of that is because, again, crowds. They’re trying to limit the damage to the area from sheer traffic.
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Lithia water fountain in Ashland, Oregon may qualify. Quirky thing in a quirky cool town.
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No springs, but Nederland, CO is a funky little quasi hippie community with one of the best rock and fossil shops. Tasty restaurants too.
Also Pagosa Springs, Colorado re: natural hot springs, as well ad a few other towns with natural hot springs . Of course natural hot springs have a tendency smell like sulfur.
Lovekand, Co also has a nice rock and fossil shop, and a pretty manmade lake. Just east of the Rockies north of Denver.
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I was coming here to say Nederland, CO!
Also Crestone, CO is tiny, funky town in the middle of the San Luis Valley, surrounded by the most beautiful mountains and there are 3 different hot springs very close by. Great Sand Dunes national park is not a very far drive from there, either. Just driving through the valley itself is always a fun experience
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70th birthday gift for my mom who has everything she could ever want and is impossible to shop for ready set go 
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My parents are now the Lord and Lady of Aberdeenshire.
Or luxurious versions of everyday items. Hand carved wooden spoon or cutting board, silk pillowcase, etc.
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Wooden coasters with engraving of a map of where she lives or other meaningful geography, plus some cute tea towels, and depending on budget/alcohol consumptions, a bottle of wine?
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I have sent my mom to cooking classes.
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Formal photo shoot for her and the grandkids. Or just her and your kids if too hard to coordinate. Or photo books alternating herself and grandkids showing similarities from 0 to age Latte. Or other photo-y grandkiddy gifts?
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I have never been to Crestone but have been in Alamosa and Great Sand Dunes many times. There is parking near the stream, so the dunes are too far for @Smacky criteria, but the stream is nice and you can sit at the edge (or in it). It’s a cool oasis, sometimes a warm oasis.
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I just got my parents tickets to an Earth, Wind, and Fire concert and they had a blast. Any sort of experience thing like that she would enjoy?
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My kids have settled on subscriptions - wine, spices, etc. I’m a fan on consumables.
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Oh I should mention my brother has a company where he makes all of these things and they’re sold at tourist shops all over so she gets any of this stuff any time for free
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She is a Lady, she has a Star named after her, she has a… penguin at a zoo or something like that. 
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Oooh this is one I have not done. I’ve been considering a 1yr shoot for Luna like I did for Latte, maybe I’ll talk to SIL about a big shoot just for grandma type thing.
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No. She doesn’t do scheduled things. Between illness and anti social ness and having 3 houses she goes between
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