Familly CO Spring Break April 2019
 

Trying to pick a new location for next year's spring break April 13-20. We are a family of five with three teens (girl 16, girl 15, boy 12) who do not ski! I've read that several mountainous roads are closed down until May. Any recommendation of somewhere we might visit or move around and visit during this week? Fall break might be a better option for us.

That is a tricky time to visit if you want to stay in the mountains. Too snowy and muddy for hiking and roads are a bit of a mess. Glenwood springs has a great hot springs pool. Denver of course has all the city options for museums, shopping, zoo, etc. Rocky Mountain National Park and Estes are good choices but again, too much snow for hiking usually and Trail Ridge and Old Fall River Roads are still closed. What are your kids interested in doing?

Southwestern Colorado has terrific scenery, hiking, recreation...think Mesa Verde and Canyons of the Ancients, rivers, hot springs; Durango and Cortez make great centers for day trips in the area.

Head west to eastern Utah. Visit Moab, more than enough to do in Arches and Canyonlands NPs.

Ski resorts will have just closed and some may still be open so it will be snowy and muddy.
The idea of Mesa Verde is perfect.

Where have you been previously? You said you wanted a new location but didn't mention where you've been in the past.

Normally I would agree wholeheartedly, but Spring Break is the same week as Jeep Week in Moab in 2019. It will be very crowded and busy.

Death Valley, Zion/Bryce, Sedona/Grand Canyon, Tucson area...those are all good options.

"Death Valley, Zion/Bryce, Sedona/Grand Canyon, Tucson area...those are all good options."
well, yes; so is Paris, or California, or Florida. But the OP was asking about Colorado.

Too bad. I'm sure she can filter out my ideas if she's set on CO, but CO is not a good option in April. I wouldn't send them to Mesa Verde for a week.

Paris would be a dumb suggestion for a family of 5 unless you have a lot of money to burn...

And they don't have to go to Mesa Verde for a week, for heaven's sake.

Lets see if I can get back to your original questions and pass the static. Late April would causes some problems in the mountains area as we are in between seasons. Mud season does have some descriptive value. Trail Ridge Road, Mt. Evens, Independence Pass are all closed but that doesn't prevent you from going where you want to go. These are mostly secondary roads or unusually high roads with lots of snow. The prices would be cheaper but any of the mountain ski resorts would be a poor choice simply because of little action. However, lots to go in and round Denver at that time. You could easily spend a week in Denver with a couple of day trips. The kids are getting old enough that a college visit could be in their future -- check out Boulder. Colorado Springs/Garden of the Gods should be snow free or nearly so by that time. A swing into the SW corner of Colorado (Durango) and MV would work but it is a day's drive from Denver. You have lots of options.

Depending on your fall break it might not be a whole lot better with early snow fall in the mountains. Most ski areas try to open near mid-October so if your fall break is later than that you will find snow.

Are you driving into Colorado or flying in or taking a train? My suggestion would be to take the Amtrak train to Glenwood Springs (California Zephyr). There is a good bus service from Glenwood Springs to Aspen.
There is plenty to do in Aspen besides skiing. The worlds largest hot spring fed pool is in Glenwood Springs. There is a great bicycle/hiking path along the Colorado River east of Glenwood Springs.

Tom
They are coming the third week of April. While your suggestions would be great for July or August, it is not going to work because snow will still be present in any area with shade and especially on the Colorado river trails through the canyon. And there is not much that early teens will find interesting in Aspen in mid-April. I think it is too early for the bus to the Maroon Bells. Sticking to Summit Cty and Denver will provide the most options.

I think there are plenty of places to go for a Spring break that would make more sense than Colorado, either go warmer or colder. Probably warmer, or else some city where there is lots to do.

When is your Fall break? That might be a better time. Weather is gorgeous in the mountains then. And you don’t want to ski.

Save your trip to CO for the fall. While SW CO is better than other parts of CO in April, it's still mud season here with possibility of freezing temps and snow. Hiking and the river are not good options at that time of year but our fall is beautiful and nice for hikes or jeeping. I agree with others; if you must come to CO in the spring, stick to the Denver attractions.

We just booked FALL in Colorado for October 12-19 flying into and out of Denver. Now need to decide what places are great to visit in the fall and how to divide our time...move around several times or pick one place and day trip from there?

Look at Devil's Thumb Ranch, Tabernash, CO.

I highly recommend it. We have gone there as it's grown up, since the 70s.
Great family place, excellent customer service, eco-wise, amazing ranch setting, hiking, fishing, great dining, cool Western artifacts and decor. . ..
https://www.devilsthumbranch.com

Not cheap, but worth every penny. They will probably be running lodging specials in October's off-season.

Also, they have a less-expensive sister property in Winter Park: Vasquez Creek Inn, whose guests have access to the Ranch amenities, as well.
https://vasquezcreekinn.com

This is what I'm thinking for October 12-19 (2 adults and 3 teens):
Sat - Fly CVG to DEN in am (already booked). Do Denver stuff, visit/stay with sister and fam
Sun - See Garden of the Gods and Royal Gorge and stay near gorge
Mon - Drive 1 hr to visit Great Sand Dunes NP then drive 3.5 hrs to and stay night in Durango
Tues - Drive 1 hr to visit Mesa Verde NP then stay night in Montrose 3.5 hrs away
Wed - Visit Black Canyon of the Gunnison NP then drive 4.5 hrs to Glenwood Springs or longer to Breckenridge - stay there two nights
Fri - Return to Denver to visit and stay with sister then fly out next morning.

Pretty much a large loop to see 3 national parks and some other sites along the way taking it easy toward the end of the week. Any suggested changes?

That's mostly one-nighters:
Denver,
Gorge,
Durango,
Montrose,
Glenwood or Breckenridge (maybe 2 nights?)
Denver

My family would rebel. So much packing, unpacking, checking in, checking out, . . .
Plus finding all the lodging and driving everywhere.
Not relaxing, IMHO

If it were me, I'd drop at least one destination, and focus on one area of the state.

IMO you've chosen some really lesser sites when compared to Mesa Verde, for instance. And 'way 'way too much moving!!
Garden of the Gods and Royal Gorge wouldn't be on my "A" list.