GF74

We're from the Northeast and each summer we usually go to the beach or VT. This year, I asked my daughters (age 10 and 6) what they would like to do for vacation and they both said "Mountain vacation with views!" Any suggestions? Could be outside of the U.S. too!

marvelousmouse

Colorado? The Canadian Rockies? Idaho? What do they want other than mountains? There are dinosaurs,indigenous cliff dwellings, hot springs and a historic railroad in Colorado- that would have been my dream destination as a kid

michelhuebeli

Colorado comes to mind immediately.

Book a few nights in Estes Park, only about 90 minutes from Denver which is a big city (not in the mountains, comfortably on the flat but just close enough to the mountains).

Estes Park is the gateway town for the Rocky Mountain National Park. Very popular, gets lots of visitors. Read up on it. https://www.nps.gov/romo/

Many more possible places, of course, further into the mountains than Estes Park which is high up on the first range of mountains from the plains. Telluride is great.

Visit the Sand Dunes - you can practically ski on the sand, great fun: https://www.nps.gov/Grsa/

If you want to mix big-city items like zoo, sports events, amusement parks etc. in with mountain experiences, you could just pick lodgings in Denver and make day trips by rental car; one day Estes Park and the RMNP (getting up very early), another day drive up to the "fourteener" Mt. Evans, another day to the Garden of the Gods (best before sunrise), drive up on the other drivable "fourteener" Pikes Peak, and on and on.

happytrailstoyou

Colorado has loads of mountains and some historic little towns that would probably appeal to your daughters. Colorado borders Utah, which has a very different kind of scenery.

HTtT

GF74

@michelhuebeli Thanks!The girls also like swimming and biking. My husband and I enjoy hiking and we're still working on them!

Tabernash2

Look at Devil's Thumb Ranch, Tabernash, CO.
http://www.devilsthumbranch.com

It has everything you'd want, for kids and for adults. A very special place.
Cabins are most expensive; lodge rooms are less; bunkhouse rooms are least expensive.

HappyTrvlr

We have done many summer vacations in Beaver Creek, CO, also in Steamboat Springs, Vail. Lots to do!

Gardyloo

Vancouver BC and Whistler. Foreign but not too, great exchange rate, fab city and fab country.

https://www.tourismvancouver.com/
https://www.whistler.com/activities/summer/

starrs

Colorado, in general.
Rocky Mountain National Park, specifically, if you want to stay in one place.

If you want to drive to another location on the same trip, take them to Mesa Verde NP also.

tomfuller

We have some pretty nice mountains in Oregon too (Cascades).
Fly to PDX and you are less than 2 hours from Timberline on Mt. Hood.
Several ski resorts in Oregon still have over 90" of snow now. I hope it melts slowly or we will have bad floods in a few places.
Another thing that Oregon has going for it is that you can get from the mountains to the Pacific Ocean in less than 4 hours.

HotWheels

Yellowstone National Park - views, geysers, wildlife, not to mention activities such as rafting, hiking, boating, etc.

Or, if wishing to stay on East Coast, how about Blue Ridge Mountains in Virginia/North Carolina?

kelliebellie

I'm from Michigan and we were in Arizona last Christmas. Tucson and Sedona are beautiful and SOOOO different from what we have here. If they are looking for unique, Sedona has it.