Rocky Mountain Family Fun
The mountains are calling and I must go.
For real, you guys. Colorado knocked our Southern socks off with its lovely towns and road trips that never had the kids asking “are we there yet?!” As a lifelong Georgia girl, I always enjoy the North Georgia Mountains, but driving and hiking through snow-capped mountains in June was next level!
On typical road trips, we’re focused on just getting to the next destination, but in this case, the drive to our white water rafting trip was part of the excitement. As we traveled from our time in Denver towards Buena Vista, CO, we saw the snow capped Rockies, winding rivers, historic old west towns and even spotted a heard of the big horned sheep right off of I-70!
Frisco Pit Stop
On the way down, we stopped by Frisco, CO to pick up some lunch. To our happy surprise, the town was hosting its annual BBQ fest, making it feel like we had dropped onto a movie set of a “western town has a festival” scene. We got delish sandwiches for the road at the Butterhorn Bakery & Café and did some shopping at great local stores. If you have time to shop, Frisco is a gem.
White Water Rafting
Some things don’t quite work out like you expect…and that was true in the case of our rafting experience. If you are aiming to do some rafting, you’ll want to book early. I choose Browns Canyon – our kids were both old enough and rafting through a canyon seemed very Coloradoan. I probably built up the trip a bit too much–kids, we are going to be IN A CANYON! RAFTING! THIS WILL BE AMAZING!!
Cue the sad trombone of our trip when we arrive eager and early only to find out that because of extra snow melt and water release from the damns, children under 10 now can’t go on the canyon trip. Instead, they booked us on “another trip.” Long story short – this new trip was delayed 1.5 hours, it lasted only 45 minutes on the water, it was not in a canyon and the trip photographer wasn’t there…so we have no evidence of ever being on said trip. We do, however, have evidence of wearing these sexy wet suits because Colorado water is COLD.
Anyhoo, the kids got free ice cream and I got about 70 percent of my money refunded. The good news? We got to see some cool mountains while we rafted in Colorado.
Pro tip: Make sure you know about any issues that would cause your trip to be modified and call them to the morning of the trip to inquire about any last minute changes.
Breckenridge in June
This was sort of a pit stop on the way to the Rocky Mountain National Park so I didn’t know what to expect. But, what an adorable town! We had a great time just walking around, shopping and taking in the mountain views.
We stayed at Park Meadows by Ski Country Resorts. It proved to be a great little mountain retreat with a game room, laundry (we needed it!) and some outside space. My kids were thrilled to be free of the hotel room with a bit more freedom.
We enjoyed a great country breakfast at Columbine Cafe. And, then we checked out a fun old mining station set up with volunteers teaching the kids how to find gold, silver and other gems. I mean, gold mining with the Rockies behind you?! Yes, please!
Peak-to-Peak Drive
If every commute could be like a drive in Colorado, count me IN! Anytime you can take the scenic drive in Colorado, DO IT. You will not regret this decision. We were driving from Breckenridge to Estes Park and the Peak-to-Peak route literally routed us right through several cute downtowns.
Leadville: This town is America’s highest city…no really. It sits at 10,152 and was a silver-mining town and still looks like the Old West, with a railroad included. (Actually south of Breckenridge and we passed by here after rafting.)
Frisco (again): Still awesome. See above. The BBQ fest was still going strong!
Central City and Black Hawk: These former “gold rush” towns are alive again with casinos at every corner. As you go through the windy mountain roads, there are historic homes perched on mountain tops and 1860s buildings turned into hotels, buffets and casinos.
Nederland: This laid back town was tucked into a small valley. Lots of people walking around the town and dining outside. I wanted to stop, but…I also said that at every turn. We pressed on.
Ward and Allenspark: More old mining towns with historic homes. And, you’re closest to Longs Peak – the most recognizable mountain top with its flat-top and reaching above 14,000 feet.
Estes Park, CO
Estes Park is the closest town to the entrance of the Rocky Mountain National Park – just 3 miles away. We opted to stay close to the town and then drove into the park each day. The town is perfectly nestled right in the mountain ridges.
We stayed at River Rock Cottages. It was super close to main street and featured a great outdoor space with corn hole, a hammock, dining tables and a fire pit. We desperately needed some chill out space so it worked out great. And, we even overlooked part of the Stanley Hotel, the inspiration for Stephen King’s The Shining. (I don’t watch scary movies so this fun fact was a little lost on me, but it’s definitely a “thing” here.)
Along the downtown there is a rushing river front complete with fly fishers. You can walk along the river and pop into shops, or grab some tea and a bite to eat.
After one long hike, we enjoyed an early dinner at Claire’s on the Park — great shaded patio seating with large glasses of iced water.
And, there is ice cream. Everywhere. There must be a daily ice cream requirement because EVERYONE had ice cream in hand when we strolled by. If you can’t beat ‘em, join ‘em.
We also picked up a local breakfast at Cinnamon’s Bakery. They make a limited supply each morning and are only open a few hours a day. Yumo! I met a sweet local couple out in the parking lot who gave me excellent tips for upcoming drive along Trail Ridge Road (see below).
Rocky Mountain National Park
We’re used to arriving at a park and jumping on a trail immediately. It’s important to note that it takes some time to get into RMNP, drive to your trailhead and, if parking is full, you’ll have to factor in more time to ride the park shuttle to get around. Bottom line: everything you do will take WAY longer than you think. Pack lots of food and water in case you run into delays.
However, there’s proof that sometimes no planning can work in your favor. Our first evening there, we zipped into the park (no fee after a certain hour) and not even 20 feet later, saw a mama bear and two cubs playing on a log out in the meadow! Tons of folks showed up to see the rare event. We had to force ourselves back into the car to find our hike.
Without much thought, we picked the Bierstadt Lake trail and set out on the 2.4 mile hike. I didn’t realize it was basically straight up with winding switch backs. But, it afforded us an incredible sunset view, a trail to ourselves and a mule deer even joined us for part of the hike. We made it to the lake right around sunset and then zipped back down the trail to make it back before dark.
The next morning, we popped into the visitor’s center first to get the free Junior Ranger program books for the kids. Thankfully, this entertained them during a REALLY long wait for the park shuttle.
An hour and half later, we were finally at the Bear Lake trailhead and hiked about 4 miles to Nymph Lake, Dream Lake and Emerald Lake. Each lake prettier than the last. We traveled through boulders, waterfalls and more snow than my Georgia boys have seen in their entire life! The trail was crowded at times so not as much wildlife to see, although we were fascinated by some playful chimpmucks at Emerald Lake. Let’s just say, the hike was worth the wait.
We also did some driving through the park and short hikes near Beaver Meadows to see more of the valley and beautiful wildflowers.
In the evenings, the kids used their travel journals to draw pictures and write stories about their experiences.
Trail Ridge Road
The summer must-do activity in RMNP is driving along Trail Ridge Road. It’s the world’s highest continuous paved highway — only open June through mid-October. It’s a drive like no other with several stops for breathtaking views along the route. It’s also your best place to see wildlife in the park. Notably, the elk herds you’ll find at the higher altitudes.
We watched as the road completely stopped for three elk (Elk JAM AHEAD!). Not missing a beat, they walked across like the RMNP rock stars they are. We also saw more big horned sheep, plus yellow bellied marmots playing nearby.
As we climbed higher, our ears popped and we added more layers. And, snow. Still, my kids could not get over the snow.
About halfway on the road, you’ll find the Alpine Visitors Center with a café and large gift shop. If you didn’t get a chance to shop in the towns, this is a great place to find RMNP gear. We turned around at this point and headed back down and out of the park to catch our flight home.
Mountain Town Love
Colorado charmed us one final time as we headed to the airport. We stopped off in Lyons, CO to pick up some lunch. I was thinking we’d swing in and grab some fast food. Instead we found a little bakery and organic grocery store, St. Vrain Market.
The friendly employees recommended a few of the local sandwich favorites, wrapped them up in craft paper and discussed jumping in the river after work since it was a hot day. It sounds good to me, Colorado – wish we could’ve stayed longer!
