Colorado Road trip help
 

My family and I plan to travel from Ohio to Colorado the first week of June. I haven't been since I was a teenager and my husband and children (ages 14, 12, 7) have never been west of the Mississippi. We are flying in and out of Denver. I would like to see as much as possible without being in the rental car too much. We fly in late on a Friday night and leave the following Sunday night (plane departs 8:30). So we have a full 8.5 days.

I would definielty like to go to Estes Park and Rocky Mountain National Park. My kids are pretty good hikers and I'd like them to see as much of the natural wildlife (mt goats, elk, etc.) . I would also like to visit Colorado Springs and Cripple Creek.

I am unsure if I have time to travel to Durango, mesa Verde, since we need to end our trip back in Denver. Any other suggestions? My 7 year old loves Dinosuars. The older two would like to visit a hot spring that they can get in.

I'm not sure if I should look for hotels for many of the nights once we get there or reserve in advance?

If anyone has an itenerary of a similar trip or suggestions of timing or places to see, I would appreciate it so much!

Did you book your tickets yet? IF not, fly into or out of Albuquerque so you can do Durango [4 hours to ABQ] and not have to return to Denver.

Watch the altitude, especially with the kids. Know what signs are for altitude sickness. Coming from sea level, it could be an issue - or not; can't ever tell who is susceptible to it. Drink LOTS of water, wear sunscreen, wear hats. Dehydration can happen fast.

Steamboat springs has hot springs, I know. So that could be an option. Always book ahead in the summer. And I would book asap. Colorado is popular and smaller towns only have so many lodging options. It will likely be more expensive to book even if you can find anything.

I think Durango is doable. The question is really whether you want to spend that much time in the car. As a solo adult, I would but I wouldn't have enjoyed it as a kid, and I'm sure my parents enjoyed those trips even less.

lots of dinosaurs- just depends on where you want to see them:

http://www.colorado.com/articles/whe...saurs-colorado

Dinosaurs!! We did a "dinosaur trip" with our grands. Just outside of COSprings is Woodland Park and there is a wonderful small dinosaur exhibit/museum/laboratory there. On the very outskirts of Denver is Dinosaur Ridge, and in the cute little town of Morrison is another small (very) museum. They do have a big ole boulder in the yard with dino bones in it that you can "work" on. There are other sites also, but these are close. Denver was once under an ocean!!
I would do that part of COSprings rather than anything else there.
I hope you can make it to Mesa Verde with your family--your cchildren are just the right ages. Please spend 2 days there and at the Far View Lodge.
There is of course, a hot spring in Glenwood Springs. I think Steamboat might be an outlier for that.
Why Cripple Creek?

There is a hot spring in Durango too:

trimblehotsprings.wordpress.com/

Your idea of flying in one place and out another is excellent.

If you click my name you can find a TR for our trip in 2015, mostly in Colorado.

We didn't do RMNP this time, but 34 through the park is open you could take it to 40 and stop in Steamboat Springs then head over to Dinosaur NP (the Vernal side for Dino stuff). Then head down to Mesa Verde and hit your other sites on the way back to Denver.

There are a number of hot springs in Colorado besides Durango and Steamboat Springs. Google it for more information. Skip Cripple Creek unless you're gamblers. RMNP gets crowded but still a great place for scenery and hikes. Think about going over the pass and personally I think there are better choices than Colorado Springs. It was great about 50 years ago, less so now IMO. Love the San Juans ( mountains ) near Telluride/ Ouray.

Of course there are other hot springs...just trying to condense the trip to include the OP's wish list.

I agree about the hot springs--make it fit the trip rather than go outside the best itinerary.
I agree about COsprings also, but Woodland Park has that wonderful dinosaur exhibit which checks off a box.
They could go on to the Great Sand Dunes, and then on to Durango and Mesa Verde by heading south.
IF they must head back to Denver to depart, they could hit RMNP on the return, entering from the west.
IF they have an open jaw flight, go to RMNP first and then head south perhaps stopping in Morrison and then to Woodland Park/COSprings.

You have lots of options. I am a big fan of the Mineral Belt trail in Leadville. It is like outdoor museum. While I like Durange, M Verde, it is a long and slow drive into that part of the state. The is a huge outdoor pool in Glenwood Spring that is fed by a hot springs. Worth a stop.

One critical piece of advice. You indicate you are flying out of Denver on Sunday evening. I would plan to spend you last night in Denver. The I70 corridor east bound into Denver from Vail/Frisco on a Sunday afternoon should be avoided at all costs. The return mountain traffic turns that part of I70 into a parking lot. It can easily turn a one hour drive into six or seven hour nightmare.

fmpden, do you find that true in June? I know the mountains are always popular but.....

The world's largest hot spring fed swimming pool is in Glenwood Springs. There is a gondola ride up to Glenwood Caverns.
My favorite spots for dinosaur stuff are in Utah.
The eastbound Amtrak California Zephyr leaves Glenwood Springs shortly after noon every day. It gets into Denver usually before 7PM (6:38 scheduled).
Aspen is 41 miles south of Glenwood Springs and there is good bus service in between.
The scenery of the Glenwood Canyon is best seen from the train and not while driving through it on I-70.

Yes, Durango is too far away for this trip. Stick to the eastern mountains, from Estes/RMNP, through the Mineral Belt, on down to Great Sand Dunes (fabulous in June), CO Springs, and back to Denver. Even that's a fair amount of driving for 8 days, if you want to take time to see stuff.

Your kids are almost guaranteed to see a herd of elk in RMNP, also mule deer and possibly Bighorn Sheep, plus lots of small critters including ground squirrels, marmots and if you are lucky maybe some pika, one of the cutest things on the planet IMHO.

For dinosaurs the Denver Museum of Nature and Science always has a good exhibit, if you want to spend a little time indoors.
http://www.dmns.org/exhibitions/curr...toric-journey/

Durango and especially the station of the Narrow Gauge Railroad is worth the trip. And so is Silverton! And Telluride! But I understand you can't see everything. Too bad, too many miles indeed.

Just to put my 2 cents worth in, don't try & do the whole state in one visit. As a local, 2 favorite spots are the Glenwood hot springs pool & the Denver Museum of Science. Have a great trip.