We are about to book a 3-5 day stay at Lane Guest Ranch in Estes Park, Colorado in mid-July. We have two young sons, who will just have turned 5 and 3. It is a bit expensive, and I am wondering if we should wait until they are older to get the full benefit? Also, if anyone has stayed here, are the accommodations okay? Any suggestions appreciated!

At such a young age, will your boys really enjoy the amenities of an expensive ranch? Is there babysitting so you can enjoy it? I know some of the guest ranches we've visited have not been set up for little ones, and weren't kid-proofed so there's some fairly dangerous stuff they can get into. I think I'd wait.
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YES!!!!!!!!!! Although I do believe LGR only books weekly stays. We went to LGR with our boys when they were 3 and 5 and went back when they were 5 and 7. LGR is a fantastic place for kids, especially at the ages of your children. it is very family friendly. The kids' program runs all day from after breakfast to before dinner. Our guys loved it. They went horsebacking riding, swimming, fishing, hiking, and to play minigolf. They did arts and crafts and played on the swingset next to the kids' cabin too. On 2 nights, the kids' program feeds the kids dinner and has an evening activity like tye-dying tshirts while the adults get to eat a more leisurely dinner. You can have your kids attend as much or as little of the kids' program as you like. You can also hire some of the workers to babysit your kids off hours. We didn't do that, because we felt like we had plenty of adult time just using the established kids' program.

The cabins are simple but clean and comfortable. We had a private hottub and a hammock hung outside ours. The food is very good with several options for each meal as well as lots of kid choices. The house wine and beer is included.

For adults, there are plenty of planned activities each day with horseback riding, hiking, fishing, jewelry making, trips into Boulder and Estes Park, photography classes, etc.

What I really liked is that you can do your own thing. There is no pressure to do their planned activities. We took our kids to Rocky Mountain National Park nearby on a couple of days to do some short hikes and to see wildlife (we saw deer, elk, a moose, bighorn sheep).

I think LGR is one of the best vacation options for a family with kids ages 3 and 5. It's restful, relaxing, fun, and worth the money. My boys are currently 9 and 11, and they have now been to 26 states and 15 countries. They still talk about how much fun LGR was.

If you have any more questions, please post again, and I'll try to reply.

ttt

padams421:

Thanks! That was the reassurance I needed. One concern is that they only have 1 bedroom units available now. I know we are booking late, but will this be enough room? I'm thinking it will have a sofa sleeper or something that our two boys can share. Also, should we book a 3 day or 5 day visit? We were contemplating just doing the 3 day and then saving some money and staying at a condo nearby the last two days and doing our own thing in RMNP. Lane Guest Ranch will run us about $500 a day, so this would save us a bit. Thoughts?

If it were me, I'd go with the 5 day because I'd rather stay in one place and not unpack, pack, and unpack and pack again during the trip. I also enjoyed on the days we drove to RMNP having breakfast and dinner at LGR. We didn't have to look for places to eat. When my guys were younger, I liked keeping it as simple as possible.

However, I understand the cost issue. If you decide to stay for 3 days, I'd look for a place near the entrance to RMNP in "downtown" Estes Park. It would likely be cheaper and more convenient to the park. When you go to RMNP, go directly to the ranger station and get a trail map. There are many doable hiking/walking options for your family. The trail ridge road drive is also interesting, even for little kids.

As for a 1 bedroom at LGR, I'm not sure what that is compared to what we stayed in. As long as LGR understands that you're bringing 2 children, you should be fine. They are very accomodating for families. Our cabin had a little "front" room when you walked in. The boys slept here. There were bunk beds in the room. When they were 3 and 5, I asked that the bed be "unbunked" because they had never slept in bunk beds and I decided we wouldn't try it for the first time on a trip. It was a tight fit with the twin beds separated but it worked with my little guys. At 5 and 7, they loved the bunk beds. Behind the front room was a bigger bedroom with a king size bed. We had one bathroom. I'm not sure if I would consider what we stayed in as a 1 bedroom or a 2 bedroom.

Thanks again for your tips. We booked a four day stay at Lane Guest Ranch. We're staying in Denver one night at the beginning of our trip, and at the end of our trip. We'll visit an old friend there and try and take in the Aquarium.

Any idea, where's the best place for a family to stay in the Denver area?

"horsebacking riding, swimming, fishing, hiking, and to play minigolf"

A 3 year old?

Yes. An average 3 year old can hold a fishing pole, hit a golf ball with a putter, hike or walk on a trail, sit on a horse around a ring, and swim (mine wore a life jacket or "floaties"), at least mine could.

I would skip the Aquarium in Denver & go to the Museum of Nature & Science instead. I also question a 3 year old horseback riding, swimming, fishing with hooks?. I hope there is great adult supervision!

Mine too, padams421. I don't see why a 3 yr old can't fish. Most of the excitement for the 3yr old lies in holding the poll, watching the bobber and reeling in the usually fishless hook. My kids had a blast doing this when they were that age. They were also able to swim at that age and do short hikes.

I'm not a big fan of the Aquarium, but I think your sons would enjoy it. If you decide on the Museum of Nature and Science, instead, there is a fun interactive water feature on the west side of the museum. It shoots out dancing water spouts to a drum-like rhythm. My kids loved it when they were younger & still do now. Bring towels!

We did do some of this when my kids were younger. I recall my 3-5 year olds having a short attention span, though. Hiking for 30 minutes then asking to be carried the remainder. Fishing for a little while then actually having to find something else to do. Ditto with horses.
I suppose if you are paying someone to attend to your kids at a ranch, it is their job to move on when they become bored and maybe kids programs are designed specifically for this... we never could afford such luxuries when our kids were that young.
As for us, we elected to wait a while before doing any day long camping, fishing or hiking.
We'd spend 1-2 hours driving and get started only to be foiled by a tired, bored or dangerously unfocused toddler... for lack of better words.