amandahumphries4174

We have planned an 7-day road trip the first week of April with a 5 and 8 year old. We’re looking to fill in some gaps and prefer non-touristy areas as much as possible!

Day 1: Land in Denver - drive to CO Springs
Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods

Day 2: Drive to Gunnison Canyon (need some fun stops along the way) do a short hike - stay the night in Montrose (maybe see an old west museum)

Day 3: Explore Telluride and nearby area - maybe stay the night or head towards Rifle/Glenwood Springs - looking for a hikes/exploration here/along the way.

Day 4: Torn between a ski town like Breck, Frisco, Or Keystone- we’d hope to do something fun in the snow for the kids (they’ve never seen snow).

Day 5-6: RNP - plenty to do here, but not sure what town to stay in (I read Estes is very touristy).

Day 7: Fly home


We’d like to find a hot spring that isn’t like a swimming pool. Not sure we can fit in Sand Dunes or Mesa Verde as they are out of the way a bit, but maybe. Also thinking we can squeeze in Colorado National Monument on the way towards Glenwood. I’m not crazy about driving I-70, so if there is an off the beaten path way to get to RNP let us know!

Gretchen

It seems to me you are doing a LOT of driving to look for things to explore in ski towns. April will still have a lot of snow and mud on the ground for hikes. The Trail Ridge Road in RMNP will still be closed so you will probably only be able to reach it from the east.
I'm not sure why you don't want to drive I70. And Denver has a lot to do especially for your kids--Museum of Natural History, Aquarium Botanical Gardens, Zoo. At the south side of Denver is Morrison where again there is a nice small dinosaur exhibit and Red Rocks Theater--and the nearby red rocks landscape.
You might consider reversing your trip==and not going so far west as Gunnison. Just off I70 in Idaho Springs is a gold mine tour.
At Copper Mountain there is the Woodward facility where kids can jump into vats of foam--and trick skiers and snowboarders practice their tricks by skiing into them.
https://www.coppercolorado.com/woodw...ences/the-barn

At Breckenridge there are zip lines. At Keystone there is a tubing hill that might still be open depending on when in April you are going. You need reservations.
Outside Colorado Springs 25 miles westward is the town of Woodland that has a WONDERFUL dinosaur museum exhibit!! Your kids and YOU will love it. Also in CO Springs is the Air Force Academy which the kids might enjoy. And in that area is Manitou Springs which I do not care for particularly (very kitschy) but it has some things to see.
Also on I70 just outside Glenwood Springs (on I70) is an excellent exhibit showing how they built that cantilevered road.
Just for reference of driving distances--Glenwood Springs is about a 4hour drive from Denver. Keystone/Breck/Frisco is about half way--2 hours.

Melnq8

I'm not sure why you don't want to drive I70.

I am. I live in CO and we avoid it like the plague.

Regarding hot spriings - if you drive from Colorado Springs to Gunnison via 24 and 285 you'll drive right past Nathrop, home to Mount Princeton hot springs (and right past the Dino place in Woodland Park, although I fail to see the attraction, but I'm not a kid). This is the much prettier route anyway. There are also hot springs in Salida, a wee bit further down the road, but they're of the swimming pool type. You could stop in Buena Vista or Salida along the way - lots of opportunites for casual hikes, but depends on the weather and snow level of course. There are also hot Springs in Ridgway, just a short drive from Montrose. And also in Durango, but I assume you won't be going that far (via Red Mountain Pass).

I assume you realize you've got a driving itinerary - you've left very little time to do anything or soak up the local flavor, as you'll be driving every single day except for your time in RMNP, and you've only got one full day there.

You will not need a timed entry permit for RMNP in April, but do be aware that it's busy year round these days and spring break can be very busy. Estes is touristy, but the whole area is. Estes is probably your best option as it's closest to the park. The other gateway town - Grand Lake - is at the other end of Trail Ridge Road, which is closed in winter/early spring. Estes Park gives you better access to Bear Lake, which is the main draw of RMNP. Take traction devices if you plan to hike - we visited that time of year a few years back and couldn't believe all the people trying to hike in sneakers - think snow, solid ice and mud.

Ski areas = touristy = high prices.

amandahumphries4174

Thank you! I will definitely check out those hot springs you mentioned.

And we are planning on doing the bulk of our driving early in the am or later in day, it is a road trip after all.

And, noted on the RMNP stuff - thank you!

Any alternatives to 1-70??

MoBro

I agree you have way too much driving planned.
If I were you, I'd focus on one part of the state.
Your plan would be better if you don't try to add RMNP or Breckenridge.
Telluride is amazing, as are Crested Butte and Ouray. That's where I would focus.

Gretchen

Admittedly I don't live in Colorado. But I70 will get you where you want/need to go, especially if you ARE a tourist and want to DO stuff in places. LOL I have managed to survive I70 for about 40 years of visits to family and ski trips.
And I'll just point out again--this is a trip with young children and in my experience they can get caught up pretty quickly on "isn't this a simply beautiful view of the mountains" and would like to "do" something--like look at dinosaurs and flying sauruses. again LOL

PrairieHikerI

If you go on US 50 from Col Spgs to Crested Butte and Telluride you could stop off at the Royal Gorge which is fun and the hot springs-fed pool in Salida (a town I really, really like).

Melnq8

For Telluride to Glenwood Springs - take 50 until you hit I-70 around Palisade and then head east. You'll also drive on I-70 from Glenwood to Frisco or Breck and then back to Denver from there.

Just be aware that I-70 often has closures - especially in winter and poor weather and April snowstorms can and do happen. Glenwood Canyon is notorious for problems like flooding and landslides, especially since the Grizzly Creek fire. But it's definitely worth seeing. Just know that tight itineraries like yours could be problematic due to weather issues - or not. One just never knows.

And you definitely can't fit in the Sand Dunes and Mesa Verde - you've got plenty on your plate already.

Gretchen

Well, at the time we took our 3 grandchildren on a dinosaur trip (they were 6,7,8) I had Royal Gorge on the list and didn't get to it.
Lots of other things to do also.
https://dinoxp.com/

tomfuller

FYI the westbound Amtrak California Zephyr (#5) leaves Denver Union Station at 8:05AM every morning (sometimes late). One of the first stops is Fraser/Winter Park. About 2PM the train arrives in Glenwood Springs. There are good lodging places in Glenwood Springs and the worlds largest hot spring fed swimming pool. From the train I once saw someone swimming in the pool in December. There is also a good bus service up to Aspen (41 miles) from Glenwood Springs. I prefer to see I-70 in the Glenwood Canyon from the windows of the train (either direction). There is a chairlift up to the Glenwood Cavern.
You may find it cheaper to rent your vehicle someplace other than the Denver airport. There is a good light rail service from the Denver airport to downtown including the Transportation Center which is also the Amtrak station.