Howard

Planning on spending 8 days in Colorado third week in August. I would appreciate suggestions for an itinerary that would hit all the hot spots and keep the interest of the kids. Would prefer not to spend alot of time driving, if possible. Would it be best to stay in one area ie. SW ? Is there anyting to do in Telluride ? Thanks for your help.

MMS

The Southwest Corner of Colorado is beautiful and there is a lot to do - Mesa Verde, Durango Silverton Train, Pagosa Springs, Ouray, Telluride, White Water Rafting, Hiking, etc. etc. Personnally, I would spend several days in Durango as a base. When we do this trip we also usually spend one or two nights in Ouray, Telluride or Pagosa Springs. I don't know where you are traveling from - The the Great Sands Dunes on the Alamosa Route; Rafting and Hiking on the Buena Vista Route; The Black Canyon of the Gunnison on the Gunnison route; Leadville, Georgetown (Mining history) Glenwood Springs on I-70 route - are all ideas for getting to the southwest corner from Denver.

If you are coming from the North or West - Dinosaur National Park, and Steamboat Springs are great stops. Have Fun!

sktraveler

That was some great info in the last post! I think that Summitt County would also be a good home base. You could stay in Breckinridge or Dillon and have pretty good access to hiking, rafting, the Georgetown train loop, etc. As someone who went on many family vacations as a young person, here is a list of some of my favorite CO activities: hiking, white water rafting, train rides, cave or mine tours, gondola rides up a ski mountain (you can bike or hike down), horseback riding, and really, just driving through the mountains of Colorado can be fun! Enjoy your trip!

Bill

We did a 2-week circuit through Colorado when the kids were... oh, 8 and 12, I guess. Flew into Denver, rented an SUV, and camped out for all but two nights. Car camping is a very good way to save money, if you already have the equipment and you don't mind getting dirty. (Traveling with all the gear by plane was a hassle, though.)

Favorites were Rocky Mountain National Park, a wild drive over Tin Cup Pass (camping beside a field of blazing wildflowers and a stream of fresh snow-melt near the top), Crested Butte (camping directions: "just drive down this road and pitch your tent anyplace along the creek that suits your fancy"), Mesa Verde (take a guided tour), Ouray (great mining-road driving up to the high country if you have an SUV), Telluride, Durango (nice little rodeo every night), Aspen (nice campground a few miles to the east).

- Bill

Bill

Woops! I was wrong about the Durango rodeo. It isn't every night. More like 4 nights a week. Here's a link to the schedule:
http://web.frontier.net/durangoprorodeo/

barb

If you find youselves in the SteamBoat area, go the Holiday Inn and ask for Colin. He will give you a good room rate if you tell him his mom sent you. He's been living there for 2 years now and can also help with activities. Signed.....his mom.