Hi all,
We will be in Denver for 4 nights in July 2013. We arrive late on the first night (flight gets in at 8:30, and it is a time change for us). After the 4th night, we will be getting on an Amtrak train leaving at 8:00 am. We are 2 adults & 2 children (9 & 7). I am looking for a suggested itinerary for the 3 full days that we will have to explore.

We are interested in seeing things that cannot be seen elsewhere (so do not necessary need to see aquariums or museums unless very unique).

Should we head to Estes Park, Boulder, somewhere else?

We are usually OK with moving around, so different hotels would be fine. I am assuming that we would rent a car at the airport & drop (somewhere???) before getting on the train.

I'm just in the beginning stages of planning, so any help & direction would be helpful.

Thanks!

YMCA of the Rockies at Estes Park.

You might enjoy a Rockies game if they are in town.
RMNP would be a great trip.
Boulder would be fun. Do the Celestial Seasonings tour there.
Yes, you can rent a car at the airport--and probably drop it in town for the train.
It isn't a lot of time. Are you headed further west on the train, so you will see the mountains?
For children who may be captivated by dinosaurs, there is a lot of that around Denver that is very interesting.
The zoo in Denver is quite nice. The Natural History museum is also.

Grethcn asks a good question: Are you taking Amtrak west?

If so, you could consider spending 2 nights in Denver and 2 nights on the Amtrak route, like in Winter Park or Glenwood Springs.

Consider the Wild Animal Sanctuary
http://www.fodors.com/community/unit...-sanctuary.cfm

There's nothing like the view along the highest paved road in the country, Trail Ridge Road, in Rocky Mountain National Park. Zoos and museums (love 'em) are everywhere; but you should not miss Trail Ridge Road.
I live in Boulder, and frankly, you should go to Estes Park!

Thanks everyone! Yes, we are taking the California Zephyr from Denver to San Francisco (then we have 2+ weeks to make our way from SF to Phoenix by either RV or car).

From info I have gathered so far, what do you think of this agenda:

Tuesday - arrive DEN 8:30pm, pick up rental, drive to hotel in Boulder

Wedneday - explore Boulder in AM, drive Peak to Peak to Estes Park (Overnight)

Thursday--Drive and explore Trail Ridge Road to Grand Lake (Overnight)

Friday--Drive from Grand Lake back to Denver with a side trip to explore the Mount Evans Scenic Byway. Overnight Denver (have to find hotel close to Amtrak & figure out where to drop off car rental)

Another option = I have enough points to stay for free 2 nights at Park Hyatt Beaver Creek resort

Thanks again! I am open to any more suggestions?

Oh, and my husband would love to go to a game! Looks like they are playing at home that Friday evening, so we might be able to do that

Amtrak station is in downtown Denver, near Coors Field.

Here's what I would do: take a cab to downtown Denver on Tuesday night and stay there overnight. Pick up a car from a downtown rental location the next morning, then head to Estes Park. Stay in Estes Park Wed and Thurs night, then return to Denver on Friday, drop off car at downtown location and go to the Rockies game (again, staying overnight in downtown).

That puts you right where you need to be to catch the train in the morning, allows you to pickup/dropoff car in the same location which eliminates the airport fees and possible dropoff charges, and doesn't force you to drive anywhere the first night when you'll be tired. Skipping Boulder isn't a big deal.

The reason I don't recommend staying in Grand Lake is the west side isn't as scenic and doesn't have as much to do for kids, plus that's just another move you'd have to make. Far easier to stay in Estes for 2 nights and just drive to the west side for part of the day. There are lots of easy/great hikes on the Estes Park side, plus a lot of touristy stuff for the kids in town.

Another thought is to skip the Rockies game (since baseball is not unique to Denver) and drive back to Denver on Thursday night, then get on the train Friday morning and get off in Glenwood Springs. Stay there all day Friday and get back on the train either Saturday am or Sunday am to continue on your way. I think Glenwood would be far more unique than a Rockies game. And since you're headed to San Francisco and then Phoenix, you'll have a chance to catch a game later in your trip.

DO Trail Ridge Road; my kids still remeber it from when they were small.The area near Coors Field is fun and would work so well for the train departure.Stay overnight nearby.

The Residence Inn on Champa is very conveniently located. We stayed there in May and it was easy to get to free 16th Street Mall bus.

the denver mint

Skip the rental car. Cab to downtown to hotel. Catch Amtrak to Glenwood for three days or whatever you decide. A sweet mountain town with huge hot springs pool and mountain top cavern/ adventure park reached by gondola - type transport. Our grandkids love going to Glenwood. Catch your train west from Glenwood-- no need to go back to Denver. This is totally feasible as Amtrak offers this option. They are usually helpful on reservation line. We love the whole ride from Denver to California. Have fun. Linda

Kids do love touring the US Mint in Denver.

OP says, "We are interested in seeing things that cannot be seen elsewhere (so do not necessary need to see aquariums or museums unless very unique)."

I think this means you should spend most of your time seeing the gorgeous scenery of Colorado. You have lots of good choices, and really can't go wrong. Since it will be in July, I suggest you move out of Denver ASAP to escape the heat. It will be gorgeous in the mountains.

I'll remind them about the dinosaurs again. Morrison is on the outer edge of Denver. The other EXCELLent museum is just outside of colorado Springs.
The rest of their itinerary is in another thread. Personally I think they are shortchanging Colorado for a possibility of Arizona. But they didn't ask us that.

Make reservations for the Mint!

OP is flying out of Philadelphia, so they can tour that Mint instead of doing it in Denver.

Sorry to give you conflicting advice but I would skip the Mint & the baseball game (I have kids & have been to both, baseball many times). If you want to do a museum in Denver, the Museum of Natural Science does have some unique exhibits but if I was coming from the east I would spend a couple of days in RMNP then spend a night in Glenwood on the train west. We love Glenwood & it seems it would be an easy detour from the train. There is a great hot springs pool there & other stuff if you have time.