Acorn Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 I'm making a trip proposal and need suggestions for a family vacation in Colorado. Kids are elementary age. We car camp every year and could probably get most of our gear packed for flying. Southwest Airlines with 2 checked bags included might be our best bet. We would rent a car in Denver and would have to buy camp stove fuel there. The kids aren't up to backpacking yet, but we would like do short day hikes, camp 2 or 3 nights in one place then 2 or 3 in a second location, and then 2 nights in a third place (if we don't need those nights to be in Denver due to flight times). Which parks or activities are must see? I'm reading CO travel websites and everything looks cool. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
hellen Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 (edited) I loved Glenwood Springs when I was little so I recommend a stop there. I don't know about camping in the area. Maybe you could camp around Carbondale or Glenwood Canyon or something. I like Hanging Lake for hiking. If you want to stay along I-70, you could do something near Breckenridge. A lot of the ski resorts have summer activities so check out others. Crested Butte, Steamboat, etc. could all be fun. Honestly I don't think you can go wrong. Colorado is full of beautiful places. I could have easily made a list going south on I-25 with a stop at Garden of the Gods and the San Isabel forest. Or north into Estes Park, Grand Lake, and Steamboat. ETA: The REI in Denver rents camping equipment. Edited January 20, 2016 by hellen 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Outdoorsy Type Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 I like Rocky Mountain National Park and Steamboat Springs. You can do a sort of loop around the Northwest part of Colorado and stop at several beautiful campgrounds. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 Check the average overnight temps of the area where you'll be going and make sure everyone will be warm enough. I camped in Colorado in mid-July when I was in college and felt like I would freeze by morning. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
magic Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 The Great Sand Dunes is definitely a must. We live in Colorado and took our kids when they were 3-9 years old and they still talk about how much they loved going there. They are all teens and have asked us to go back. I would also recommend Garden of the Gods in Colorado Springs, Estes Park, Glenwood Springs & Winterpark have fun outdoor activities and trails. There is really so much to do here and so many great options for families. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theelfqueen Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 What time of year? Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acorn Posted January 20, 2016 Author Share Posted January 20, 2016 What time of year? June or July Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pippen Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 Everything is cool, but your kids will probably thank you for not dragging them all over the state like we did. :-) I had family in two locations to visit and I was determined to see Mesa Verde so we covered a lot of miles. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
theelfqueen Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 Ok so ... even in summer if you're really high (like South Park) you can get a freeze at night. Are you good with mountain driving or do you prefer easier? Estes/Rocky Mountain National Park is very popular and loads to see. Plus its not a far drive our of Denver nor too steep od a drive. The ski resorts often have nice offerings in Summer and are more affordable. I like Breckenridge personally. Closer to Colorado Springs -for camping you will want to go up towards Monument. Stay here and drive to the Royal Gorge...don't camp in Canon City area. (But do whitewater raft!) Mesa Verde and the sand dunes are great but really far if you're flying into Denver. Things like Glenwood Springs, Dinosaur National Monument are going to be longer drives than you probably want to do. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
MrsBasil Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 We camped in Leadville last summer and it was wonderful, but cold at night. It was August and, I think, around 40 at night. Estes/Rocky Mountain is fun. Touristy in summer, but if you avoid the Estes main area it's not that bad. Go up highway 36 if you do that. Highway 34 will be under construction this summer. Lots of good hiking in the Park. I haven't made it to Steambot yet, but every one I know locally who camps there goes back every year. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vida Winter Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 I would want a cabin as a base camp and take excursions from there. That way the weather wouldn't be such a big factor. So many parts of CO are beautiful. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Word Nerd Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 Everything is cool, but your kids will probably thank you for not dragging them all over the state like we did. :-) I had family in two locations to visit and I was determined to see Mesa Verde so we covered a lot of miles. We used to live in Colorado, but one year we did an around-the-state trip starting in the Colorado Springs area, going over to Mesa Verde/Four Corners, up to Glenwood Springs, and back up to northern Colorado. That was a fun trip, and we saw so many beautiful places. I wouldn't have wanted to camp in any of them, but I'm not much of a camper anyway. 1 Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Acorn Posted January 20, 2016 Author Share Posted January 20, 2016 I'm getting really excited now. I hope we can get this together. If not, I'll type up ideas for next year. We should be pretty comfortable with the temps. Our last camping trip of 2015 had a forecast of 50 high and 40 low. Oops, it actually was a low of 28. We had a good layer of ice in all water bottles. Other than creating rain inside the tent with our own body heat condensating, we had a good time. It was a science lesson too! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Lara in Colo Posted January 20, 2016 Share Posted January 20, 2016 I used this site this summer when I was picking a camp site--- people give reviews and the site tells you what each site has for "stuff" I prefer free camping (thus this site) but I am sure that there are other web pages available just like this one for pay camping. https://freecampsites.net/#!Colorado&query=region Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Recommended Posts
Join the conversation
You can post now and register later. If you have an account, sign in now to post with your account.