Family vacation itinerary pointers
 

We’re getting closer to our October 15 arrival in Colorado and would love feedback on our itinerary. I’m the only one who has been to Colorado, but that was 20 years ago. Family of four with children ages 7 and 10. Love the road less traveled.

Day 1 (Thursday)
Land in Denver at 8:30am pick up rental car
• 11am Tour Sports Authority Field
• Walk Denver Pavilions/16th street/State Capitol area
• Explore Boulder (some of these)
o Celestial Seasonings
o National Center for Atmospheric Research
o Pearl Street Mall
• Sleep at North Boulder Hampton Inn

Day 2
Estes Park – drive by The Stanley Hotel & Rocket Fizz (we don’t have any in MN)
• RMNP
o Bear Lake
o Sprague Lake Loop
o Trail Ridge Road
o Coyote Valley Trail
o Sleep in Grand Lake

If TRR closed
• RMNP
o Bear Lake
o Sprague Lake Loop
o Copeland Falls
o Sleep at Black Hawk Casino

Day 3
• Visit Georgetown – possibly Georgetown Loop Railroad and Energy Museum
• Maybe drive Loveland Pass
• Visit Breckenridge or Vail - Colorado Ski Museum
• Glenwood Springs
o Glenwood Hot Springs
o Hanging Lake Trail
o Glenwood Vaudeville Revue
• Sleep in Glenwood Springs

Day 4
• Caverns Adventure Park (they are 99% sure thrill rides will be open)
• Aspen
• Independence Pass (what are chances this will be open Oct 18?)
• Manitou Springs - Arcade Amusements Inc.
• Sleep in Colorado Springs

Day 5
• Air Force Academy
• Red Rocks
• Lookout Mountain
• Coors Brewery Tour
Sleep near airport

You do realize that you are covering significant distances and will be spending the majority of your time in a car. Mid Oct can be iffy - probably should be great on the very back end of the leaves changing at the lower elevations. And it could be snowy so be prepared for both especially on the higher passes. Whether Trail Ridge and Independence Pass are open is totally dependent on snow fall.

You don't have enough time for day one. The 16th St Mall, Pavilions, are commercial shopping areas. Not much appeal for 7 and 19. The children's museum would be a better choice. Or skip the whole area.

Most of your days do not allow for the travel time to get from one attraction to another.

I think you would be far better off to spend a couple days in Estes Park, move to somewhere in Summit County and call it a week.

I'm no Colorado 'expert' -- only been a few times and there are many others who (hopefully) will see your thread and help or 'pile on' . . . But I think this is a dreadful itinerary. <u>Especially</u> w/ young children stuck in the back seat . . . in <i>October</i>.

A road trip is great for two people who mainly want to rack up miles. But a family of 4 -- driving so much and packing/moving every day wouldn't be fun in my book.

Thanks. I understand there's a lot of packing up each morning. We could skip Aspen and CO Springs and add a day in Summit Co.

fmpden, thanks for the reality check on the commercial shopping area. We aren't big shoppers anyway. Maybe we'll drive by the capital and head to Boulder. We'll have been up since 2am Denver time and will want to relax.

janisj, wow dreadful.

Most days have less than 3hrs travel time between towns. With stops, along the route, wouldn't this be a pleasant day? Boulder to Grand Lake 2hr 25min. Boulder to Black Hawk 2hr 31min. Black Hawk to Glenwood Springs shows a 2hr 20min trip.

Someone here said Estes Park was touristy.

First of all most of the on-line mileage calculators underestimate drive times. They give you best case times -- no traffic or construction, no 15 miles on a mountain road stuck behind a slow RV.

But, even if google maps gave accurate drive times, no, a 3 or 4 hour drive isn't 'dreadful. But (just IMO) five straight days of 3 or 4 hour drives would be.

I have said it many times and so do many locals, Estes Park is very touristy. It is one of the top tourist attractions in the state and frequently promoted as such. It is not my favorite place in Colorado because it is full of candy shops and tourist. BUT the drive over Trail Ridge is terrific as is the park. Around your time the Elk runt will be underway sometimes the roads are so packed with cars that is nearly impossible to drive through. But that is a dice roll.

Not sure where you are getting your drive times, but they are very favorable. Driving can be slowly especially when you leave the I-70. And you are not accounting for what can be potential bad weather. Remember many of the ski areas will be opening by the end of Oct or earlier if we have a couple of early snow storms. The potential for snow is always there after the first of October.

On Day 3, you will be driving from Grand Lake or Black Hawk, and plan to do all this:

• Visit Georgetown – possibly Georgetown Loop Railroad and Energy Museum
• Maybe drive Loveland Pass
• Visit Breckenridge or Vail - Colorado Ski Museum
• Glenwood Springs
o Glenwood Hot Springs
o Hanging Lake Trail
o Glenwood Vaudeville Revue
• Sleep in Glenwood Springs

Have you looked at a map?

I also wondered if a map had been consulted. The whole trip seems a "drive-by".
And just in case, do not waste time or money on the Children's Museum--a trip to the Art Museum for its wonderful native American exhibit would be a much better stop, IMO.
I always mention the possibility of dinosaurs to folks traveling to CO with young children. Woodland Park just outside CO Springs has a wonderful museum and exhibit IF you decide to include CO Springs area.
And as I have also mentioned in the past, our son was married October 12 on a gorgeous 75* Colorado blue sky Saturday. On Sunday there was 6 inches of snow on the ground and when we got to Breckenridge for our little respite it was 17* and 10 inches of snow!! It was wonderful!! LOL
I do think you need to pare down the itinerary a LOT. For 5 days, have a good time and taste of the beauty of CO.

Tabernash2, that's my usual line...Have you looked at a map? Haha. I agree need to pair down activities.

Gretchen, thanks for the drive-by reality check and keeping positive.

fmpden, I'll keep the Elk runt figured into the planning.

A few questions....If one can't/doesn't want to hike the top of Hanging Lake Trail, is it worth going 30 min in?

Grand Lake to Silverthorne via 40 and 9, is it scenic? I've heard there that driving I70 on Saturday is busy, so if we came south into Silverthorne we could avoid traffic. If we skip Aspen/Colorado Springs and create another day in Summit County we could hit Loveland Pass and Georgetown on Monday.

Has anyone been to Woody Creek Distillers in Basalt, CO? It's a top rated vodka and we'd love to fit in - maybe a day trip from our nights near I70. Unfortunately they aren't open Sun and Mon, which are our days nearby.

Would Mount Evans have the same chances of closing as Trail Ridge Rd? Both places on Google maps say Closed Winters.

A few answers

....If one can't/doesn't want to hike the top of Hanging Lake Trail, is it worth going 30 min in?......

I think you can make Hanging Lake in 30 minutes. But it has been several years so my memory of time is a little fuzzy. But the whole Glenwood Canyon is more than worth it. It is great for bike rides but that is mostly a day activity.

.....Grand Lake to Silverthorne via 40 and 9, is it scenic? I've heard there that driving I70 on Saturday is busy, ....

It is scenic in a very general way that all of Colorado is - mountains and trees. Nine follows the Blue Rive but nothing unusually scenic. I-70 into the mountains on Saturday will be loaded with skiers in the winter but not so in October.

If spending another day in Summitt Cty I would try to catch Leadville and depending on the weather the Mineral Belt trail or even the train in Leadville. It is a diesel so it is not same experience as the narrow gauge on the Georgetown Loop. However, the Georgetown Loop may only be running on weekends in October. Check the web site. Loveland pass is just a high mountain pass. Again, not anything unusual.

......Would Mount Evans have the same chances of closing as Trail Ridge Rd? .......

Absolutely and even more so. Trail Ridge is actually a major road that crosses the divide so CDOT tries hard to keep it open as long as possible. Mt. Evans goes nowhere. Just a road to the top so the tendency is to closed with the first heavy snow. Closing Mt. Evens does not create any inconvenience except for tourists and local sightseers.

Just as a reminder of what the weather can be like in the mountains. Yesterday (Aug 10) we had two inches of snow at the Eisenhower-Johnson tunnels. And the tunnels are relatively low in comparison to the mountain passes. So just be prepared.

Ditto what fmpden said.

Like the weather, the RMNP elk rut viewing depends on luck the draw, but it's a world-class event if you hit it right. You can minimize crowds by avoiding weekends or going to the popular sites (Moraine Park or Horseshoe Park) early in the morning instead of late afternoon. There is not much activity in the middle of the day, but I've heard the eerie bugling calls drifting up those valleys well after dark or before dawn.

You do have way too much planned for five days, but you can decide which to cut out on the spot depending on weather and road conditions. You should have no trouble finding lodging a day in advance that time of year.

My $.0.02: If you have a choice then drive either Independence Pass or Trail Ridge Road, but not both. From me a slight nod to TRR due to miles in the alpine tundra and probable better wildlife sightings, but either is fantastic. Drop Colorado Springs unless you need to escape stormy mountain weather and it happens to be nice down there.

Good luck, have a great trip.

Oh my goodness, snow, fmpden! Mineral Belt Trail looks so interesting.

Thanks Nelson - glad for the confidence on short-notice lodging. Colorado Springs is almost officially dropped.

Just watched YouTube videos on Elk Rut. Crazy tourists. It would be fun to see Elk, but I'd rather keep away from the prime viewing areas. Are they everywhere in RMNP? We'll be going through RMNP on a Friday.

Does anyone have recommendations on what type of vehicle to rent for this type of trip? I was leaning toward a SUV, but some rental companies don't guarantee 4-wheel drive (Ford Escape and maybe RAV4). Ford Fusion and Chrysler 300 are options for a car-type. We don't want a small vehicle as we'll be getting a cooler when we arrive.

With altitude are there car features we should consider (i.e. 6-Cylinder)? Thanks!

Don't worry about four wheel drive. More than overkill. I don't recommend it in winter UNLESS you are very experienced with driving four wheel. All modern engines run well at altitude.

Just watched YouTube videos on Elk Rut. Crazy tourists. It would be fun to see Elk, but I'd rather keep away from the prime

C;mon googs, you can hardly get a 5 day trip together in a time frame. EVERYONE wants to see the elk. EVERYONE wants to do this or that.
Plan your trip--allow for "tourists" (oh, wait, I think that is what YOU will be and for a very short period of time).
Rent a car come to Colorado enjoy your stay.

Just to be clear and fair. We go a lot of places--AND we ARE tourists. Make NO mistake. That is the name of the game.

Re: the rental car-- get 6-cylinder if you can. A 4-cylinder will not have enough power to climb the mountains, especially loaded with passengers and luggage.

You don't really need AWD, but you might want the roominess of an SUV. No sense in being uncomfortable on the road. And the hatch makes it easier to access your cooler and stuff.

Again, on the weather, yesterday (11th) it snow heavily on Pikes Peak. Don't worry about engine size. Four cylinders in a van or big SUV could be a problem but not in a standard car even with passengers. And probably cannot find a SUV with four cylinders. We drive a small SUV with four cylinders through the mountains all the time with no problems.

Wowie - all the Colorado weather related stories on national news last night. I feel for the residents of Manitou Springs and nearby. I hope the terrain bounces back.

Thanks for the car talk.

Did TRR close yesterday?