Thanks for checking this message! We are planning on a 7 day Colorado trip to celebrate my daughter turning one. This is my current plan

"DATE" "STAY" "ACTIVITIES"
8/14/2010,",Estes Park","(land in den at 9 am,RMNP)"
8/15/2010,",Estes Park","(RMNP,hot sulphur springs)"
8/16/2010,",beaver Creek,","(Georgetown,golden,frisco)"
8/17/2010,",Glenwood Springs,","(Georgetown,golden,frisco)"
8/18/2010,",Aspen,","(vail,aspen)"
8/19/2010,",CO springs,","(aspen,pike's peak)"
8/20/2010,",denver,","(garden of gods,manitou springs)"
8/21/2010,",Fly Out at 8 pm,",(denver city attractions)

Please help me fine tune my plan with suggestions to stay and activities.

Thanks in Advance

In my opinion, I think you are planning to do too much and to stay in too many places. With only a week, you need to decide what is really important for you to do and to see and simplify and also decide what activities you want to do with your daughter. You also need to take another look at a map so see what is close to what.

You indicate you want to visit Golden (for Coors Brewery??). Golden is not close to Beaver Creek or Glenwood Springs. It is a basically a suburb of Denver.

If you do stay in Glenwood Springs, I would skip Hot Sulphur Springs since your daughter will only be allowed in 4 of the 20 or so pools. If she likes pools, the pool at Glenwood Springs would be better.

IMO-you should choose 2 or 3 places to stay and do day trips. Like Estes Park (visit RMNP), Glenwood Springs (visit Aspen and spend time in the pool (and not go Vail or Beaver Creek, two other resorts) and Colorado Springs or Denver.

Hi, Jaeger.

Agree with martym, much too ambitious, as you will be spending most if not all of your days in a car. It's definitely doable and worth at least witnessing the scenery from the driver's seat, but again, you will be in a car. Again, agree with martym about selecting one or two areas you might really like to see, e.g. the combinations martym suggested or Estes/Rocky Park and Aspen or Estes/Colorado Springs. It might be a more enjoyable vacation for you and you might be enticed to come back for more!!

We might be able to even offer better and more specific suggestions if you provide your interests, e.g., scenery, hiking, attractions, wildlife, etc. Most any place you mention would be a terrific choice for a family but martym is right about skipping Hot Sulphur and going to Glenwood due to age restrictions.

On which date is dd's birthday? We might even be able to suggest good spots for bday cake, picnics, celebrating, etc.

I agree, you have a lot of destinations that are pretty close in proximity and may not require a night in each place.

To me, the thing about being in the mountains in the summer is to enjoy nature and experience some of the historic towns (and not so many of the resorts). The Glenwood Hot Springs are nice and it's beautiful with the river running through town.

So, I would say do Estes Park, and either Glenwood or Aspen (depending upon the kinds of accommodations you want and budget you have).

I would prefer Denver, mostly because I want to get up there to see the King Tut exhibit at the Denver Art Museum.

I concur with the others -- none of it much much sense. I don't under what you put in the (...) Are you planning to see those areas that day? It is over two hours from Golden to GLenwood Springs and that is with good traffic.

Agree with all the others--a lot of it doesn't make sense, as if you haven't even looked at a map. Your daughter being just one will need some time to nap, play, etc.
I think you've shortchanged Denver a bit. There is a good zoo with a children's area specifically. and the Museum of Natural History. Don't get sucked into the Children's Museum--you have all the toys they do at home.
I would do Estes Park for whatever time you have reservations. Drive through the Park on Trail Ridge Road and go to Glenwood Canyon. Tour the exhibit there describing building the road. It is fascinating. Go to Glenwood Springs for a day or two, going up to see Aspen from there --or vice versa.
Drive back to Denver,taking a side trip to Leadville en route. I think you could go to Colorado Springs from Leadville. I am not a huge fan of Manitou Springs or Pike's Peak.
See Denver. That is pretty much 7 days.

Make it Estes, Glenwood/Aspen, Denver. That will be plenty of gorgeous mountains and will give you some time outside your car!

Thanks for the responses ALL.

pisceantraveler - My daughter's bday is on aug 17th.

I will keep it to Estes Park/Aspen/Glenwood this trip.

We will just be enjoying the mountains and low risk activities with the baby this time around.

My wife is interested in a scenic train trip - is the georgetown train trip worth it?

Thanks

You can take the train to/from Glenwood Springs, on Amtrak, which you could pick up in Grand County, if that makes sense for you.

Of course, you will want a car in Glenwood Springs, I think, because you have to see Aspen when you are so close. We have enjoyed visiting Aspen in the summer. If you need a condo/hotel rec for Aspen, try The Gant. Ask about the three different quality/price levels they have. It is a great location for walking in and out of Aspen town, right at the base of Aspen Mountain.

We took the Georgetown Loop trip a few years ago and enjoyed it. As I remember, it didn't take any more than an hour--probably less. We did not do the mine tour. You could stop in Georgetown on your way into Denver and do the trip. I suggest you take the train from Georgetown instead of Silver Plume. There's more to do in Georgetown--before and after.

Another possibility is the the trip in Leadville http://www.leadville-train.com/ Though it would not be as convenient if you are staying in Glenwood.

Are you and your wife train buffs? If so, definitely check out Georgetown; Leadville is also nice. My DS is a train nut and we ride several trains each summer and have had fairly good experiences with both. Both offer some dramatic viewpoints and both seem to track along the highway, but Georgetown has a pretty neat mine and a bridge. I'm afraid your baby will be too small to join you on the mine tour, however.

If you are not train buffs, I'd pass on both Georgetown and the Leadville trains.

I looked at a few options for celebrating on 8/17 and I noted that Winter Park (en route between Rocky Park and Aspen) is having a cowboy/cowgirl singalong around a campfire for kiddos of all ages. I'm unsure whether your one year old may enjoy this, but it's a thought. Also, near Aspen is Rock Bottom Ranch, which is a terrific excursion for small children to see farm animals and living up close. We went at the start of the summer and all three of mine (ages 11 mos to 8) enjoyed it. And of course, put on a pack, and take the birthday girl for a hike!

As to places to stay, we haven't stayed at the Gant but hear it is quite nice. We've really enjoyed Aspen Square Condominiums in the heart of Aspen as well as the Crestwood in Snowmass. Both are condo hotels so you have the amenities of a condo and of a hotel in one place. The new Viceroy in Snowmass also looks amazing, but we are a family of 5 and tend to prefer condos and condo hotels over hotels most of the time.

For bday dinner and cake, I'd suggest going into a City Market or King Soopers or Safeway or whatever grocery store and picking up a cake there, otherwise cakes in the area are *way* expensive. Celebrated dd's birthday there one year and with planning, couldn't find a cake under 50 bucks for our small family.

Congratulations on parenting this year, and enjoy our state!