Need help to plan Colorado trip from Oct 7th - 12th
 

First time visiting Colorado and I need help planning. We like nature, hiking and kids (11 and 13yrs) would like to see wild life. We are flying to Denver on Saturday, Oct 7th afternoon and leaving Denver Oct 12th early morning. So we will have 4 full days to plan.

My rough plan is -

Saturday afternoon visit Denver art museum and stay in Denver.

Sunday drive to Estes park, RMNP and return to Denver (or we can stay in Boulder)

Monday drive to Georgetown, Vail and return to Denver

Tuesday drive to Colorado springs return to Denver

Wednesday – may be Denver

What is the better area to stay in Denver considering everyday driving back and forth. We are looking at following options Downtown Denver, Lakewood area, Boulder area. Last day we are planning to stay closer to the airport.
Is it better to stay in Estes park for a night instead of staying in Boulder and driving to Estes park? Please let me know your suggestions..

I love the Denver Art Museum and it has wonderful Native American exhibits which might be particularly interesting to kids yours ages. But there is also the Natural History Museum. Not knowing what you may have in your home town, you can make that call better.
If you go to Colorado Springs, I might suggest you go to Woodland Park about 25 miles west and see their excellent dinosaur exhibit. They also have a lab there doing paleontologic research/cleaning/etc. It is small and worthwhile--moreso IMO than a trip up Pikes Peak, if that was in your minds.
If you stayed in Boulder you also (and your kids would have fun) go to the Celestial Seasonings plant there--especially the mint room. In Westminster, on the way to Boulder there is also a butterfly park (word escapes me!! What's the name!!).
There is really nothing in Vail--except a LOT of shops and looking at the mountain. AT Copper Mountain there is a facility called Woodlands where your kids could go for a couple of hours and jump into foam pits the way skateboarders and trick skiiers learn their tricks safely. And you could probably take a gondola or lift to the top of the mountain (as you could in vail) to see the wonderful terrain.
There is the train ride in the area of Georgetown and a gold mine tour that is fun for yours ages.
Frisco is a fun little town in that area with lots of restaurants and shops.
IMO "staying closer to the airport" just takes away activities and good places to eat in Denver (or wherever) on a quite short trip. It isn't that hard to get up and go to the airport from town.
If you decide to not stay in Denver you could stay in Frisco or even Breckenridge and get a nice taste of the mountains.

Gretchen has listed a lot of fun ideas for your kids. I wouldn't drive back into Denver each night, traffic is awful. Stay a night in Estes, you can spend a lot more time in the park and less time in the car.

I would not drive back and forth to Denver every day. Do you really want to have a fun day end in a car ride back to Denver every day? Just stay overnight wherever you spent the day and drive to the next destination in the morning.

Estes Park/RMNP is insanely busy on fall weekends - supposedly busier than summer weekends. Do not go there on Sunday unless you want to sit in traffic everywhere and be surrounded by hordes of people.

Better plan is to either stay in Denver on Sunday, or go to Colorado Springs that day.

Monday/Tuesday - split those two days between Estes Park/RMNP and the Georgetown/Vail part. Personally I wouldn't go all the way to Vail unless you have something specific you want to see there.

And be prepared for cold and snowy weather in the mountain areas. Boots, jackets, stocking caps, etc. Today we are getting heavy snow in the mountains down to maybe 7000 feet. A little early but not totally unexpected. Check carefully on the status of Trail Ridge Road though Rocky Mt. Nat Park. If you don't have a lot of experience with snow and ice, you might want to avoid that road if the weather is bad. The Rangers can advise you.

If you want to do day trips from a fixed base, I would look at the far west side of Denver off of I-70 - perhaps Golden. That would give easy access to the interstate system. However, Sunday afternoon along the I-70 corridor into Denver can be bumper to bumper traffic.

Personally I think it would be more enjoy to a couple of nights in different locations.

PS - Gretchen, it is silver mine on the Georgetown Loop Railroad.

Thanks everyone. When we booked the tickets last week, the average weather for 10 days was showing 70s and 60s. But now it shoes 50s and 40s. even snow forecast in Estes park and vail. We are not comfortable driving in snow/ice roads. So I don't want to book Hotels in different locations then cancel it. Right now only in Denver weather looks ok.

That's a lot of driving.

I suggest you not drive back to Denver every night.

Drive to Estes, spend the night in Boulder or Golden, because you can't count on Trail Ridge Road being open to drive to Grand Lake.

Drive to Vail or where ever. Spend the night in the mountains.

Skip Colorado Springs.

swtraveller, we were posting at the same time.

All I can say about the weather, is that it is so unpredictable all year long, that I wouldn't even try to plan around it. You just never know exactly what will happen, regardless of what they predict.

Make your plans and hope for the best.

I still stick to my recommendation above. Driving in and out of Denver every day is a waste of time and could be a problem, because the worst driving is going to and from Denver. The route to/from Colorado Springs can get icy and dangerous. I-70 to/from the mountains gets crowded.

Thanks MoBro for the suggestions. I booked a Hotel in Boulder to stay after Estes park visit. But still not sure about rest of the trip. I should have planned my Colorado vacation in summer. But thought there may be fall colors to see.

I would not stay in Boulder at night after visiting Estes Park/RMNP. You're going to want a full day in RMNP and you'll definitely want to stick around to see the elk rut in the meadows before dusk.

Then, do you really want to drive an hour in the dark on the windy roads? No. Just stay in Estes Park for the night and enjoy the scenic drive in daylight. And as I mentioned earlier, don't go to Estes Park on Sunday as you originally planned unless you enjoy crowds everywhere.

WhereAreWe, Only Sunday forecast looks sunny to visit Estes park during our stay in Colorado. Monday/Tuesday weather is 44, 46. We would like to visit Copper mountain or Georgetown if not Vail as Gretchen suggested. But weather is so unpredictable and we may change our plan/activities based on the weather.

Also there is shuttle services in Estes park only till Oct 9th.

OK, the gold mine tour is in Idaho Springs.
http://historicargotours.com/
Don't get too hung up on the weather--we all went to extremes to talk about it ONLY because "it might happen". It could equally be that 75* clear blue sky day I described and remember so well.

Vail is really NOT as much fun as other places at the time you are going.
You'll have a great time visiting Colorado and be wowed by what you see.

AccuWeather says 58 on Monday. Wait a couple days and the forecast will change again.

The shuttle only runs through the 9th....that should tell you about visitation numbers after the 9th. If it stayed busy enough they would keep the shuttle going later in the year.

You have a car, why would you want to ride the shuttle if you don't have to?

I thought riding the shuttle is convenient because of mountain terrain. We are arriving in Denver at 2pm. Is it possible to drive to Estes park the same day? at what time it will get dark? Thanks for all the helpful information.

Let me explain how weather works in this area. It is very dependent on altitude for obvious reasons - the higher you go the cold it gets. When you see weather reports, the temps are from the reporting cities and are only good for that immediate area. We are in the change over season. The low areas around Denver (5,000 feet) are still warm from the summer but cooling down. Probability of snow in and around Denver, along the front range is low unless a deep cold front comes down from Canada.

The local forecasts will reference snow down to 9,000 feet or 8,000 feet or like yesterday to 7,000. So it is raining in Denver but snowing in Estes Park at 7500. But -- since Trail Road is 12,500 at the max, it was snowing hard for most of the road. CDOT is good at keeping it open but will give up something in Nov. And will be closed from time to time depending on the snow.

So next week will be generally nice with some rain. If you go into the mountains you will/might actually see snow on the side of the road at higher elevations and not in the sun. We had 5" of snow at the tunnels and that is roughly 10,000 feet. By the time you get to Frisco in the valley the snow is probably gone. You will not have snow everywhere.

As far as Estes Park, I am not a big fan. It is basically a tourist town with t-shirt shops. It is reasonably scenic but many places in Colorado as just as scenic if not more so. If it didn't sit at the entrance to RMNP and Trail Ridge Road, no one would go there. If you are not going to drive Trail Ridge Road and go into the park, there then is no reason to go to Estes Park.

We don't want to frighten you about the weather but just to forewarn you of possibilities so that you are prepared with jackets and gloves.

As I type this I am hearing a tease on the TV for the 10pm weather about heavy snow in the mountains. Nothing in the city.

You should make Estes before dark if there are no unexpected delays. Note that Highway 34 from Loveland will be closed, if that was on your radar, so you have to go up 36 from Lyons. Best way is probably up I-25 to exit 243, highway 66.

The mountain terrain that the Estes shuttle runs on is easy to drive. When the Park is crowded the shuttle is the only option.

Ditto what was said above: definitely spend the night in Estes (sounds like you are going to) because early AM wildlife viewing is also excellent.

Also as noted the current long range forecast is not worth planning a trip around. There are no major changes on the horizon, so the day-to-day stuff a week out doesn't carry much weight. Good idea to keep an eye on it though.

In RMNP the little Moraine Park Discovery Center will be enjoyable for you and kids, I think. You could see a herd of elk from the porch. Bring binoculars.

Good luck.

Sunset is 6:30.

As Nelson said, the roads the shuttle services are pretty easy. The only part that's sort of steep/windy is the last 0.5 mile going to Bear Lake. Everything else is simple.

https://www.nps.gov/romo/planyourvis..._bus_route.htm

Most of the park is not serviced by the shuttle, just the busy Moraine Park and Bear Lake corridors. If you're going to visit those areas, plan to go late in the day or early morning. Sprague Lake or Bear Lake is perfect for sunrise.

You don't have to take the shuttle, but most parking lots along the shuttle route will fill on the weekends between 9 am and probably 4 pm. So...basically you have to take the shuttle if you're planning to access locations along the shuttle route during the day. Be prepared to wait 30 minutes for a shuttle, and if you're at the Park 'n' Ride it might be even longer than that.

Moraine Park is generally great to view elk, especially in rut, but it will be a zoo in late afternoon on the weekends. The road will be lined with cars and people watching elk - same goes for most of the prime viewing areas. Don't let that stop you from going to watch but expect to sit in some traffic as you exit along with everyone else.

Nobody has mentioned the altitude and acclimation yet. General recommendation is to spend the first night in Denver or Boulder to somewhat adjust to the altitude. Drink lots of water (more than you think you need), you will feel tired and probably have a bit of a headache for most of your trip.

Extended forecasts for Vail/Georgetown/Estes Park are relatively similar in terms of temperature, cloud cover and chance of rain/snow.

REally good point about the water--just carry a bottle with you and drink drink drink. Also sun screen!

I am being over cautious about the mountain weather being in Texas for a long time. Thanks everyone for taking the time to respond. Lot of useful information for a first time visitor like me. I really appreciate it.

One thing I know about living in Colorado: don't pay attention to weather forecasters. They are wrong 99% of the time. Bring layers and be prepared, but don't stress about it.

I agree about Estes not being my favorite. In fact, with the time you have, I would skip it and just head up I-70 on the day you arrive. Spend your time in the mountains-- Summit County or Grand County.

Stay in one place and let the weather help you decide on day-trips.

That is not fair. The weather forecast are really quite accurate for 24/48 hour range. You need to pay attention to the forecast if you are headed into the mountains Cannot believe how miserable our weather has become -- cold, rainy and maybe snow down to 5,000 feet tonight.

I don't care much for Estes either but, RMNP is wonderful. Personally, I wouldn't miss it just because of the town of Estes. You could stay at the YMCA of the Rockies just outside of Estes.They have cabins of all sizes and are very nice if not luxurious.

Not a fan of traveling I 70. I do it, but don't much like it. You might also have a look at Evergreen. It's a few miles up the interstate and, I believe, has several nice places to stay as well as restaurants. It would give you a feel of being in the mountains without having to trek up to a ski town.

BTW, I really like Boulder too. It can be messy if CU has a home game but otherwise a good place to stay.

The OP says this first: <i> We like nature, hiking and kids (11 and 13yrs) would like to see wild life.</i>.

If the kids want to see wildlife them RMNP and Estes quickly jumps to the top of the list. While Estes might not be as nice as some other mountain towns, that wildlife requirement is best met there, or in Grand Lake, I would think.

Staying at the Estes YMCA is a great option.

Weather looks reasonably OK for the coming weekend. Keep an eye on that and also Trail Ridge Road conditions.

Good luck.

Estes park forecast looks rain/snow coming Sunday and Monday. It might change too.Saturday weather is good but we can not do much since we are arriving at the airport at 2pm.
have Hyatt points to use in Denver/Boulder/Colorado springs. Which area would you recommend in Denver? Downtown/Lakewood/cherry creek/Tech center..please advice..
Thanks again

Downtown is fun. Tech Center gets you out of town easily if you are going to do a day trip (really take a look at Woodland Park) particularly south.
I wouldn't choose Lakewood (and I know the area because had kids live there). Just not much going on.

Now it's looking pretty clear that a cold front pushes in Sunday night. Ahead of the front they are predicting strong winds Friday and Saturday, in my view even more unpleasant than cooler temperatures and maybe light snow. Your flight might have some turbulence as you land in Denver, not uncommon.

So diving up to the mountains on Sunday morning is still looking OK. There may be some overnight snow but if it's a normal Colorado situation it will be mostly gone and off the roads by Monday.

All subject to change of course!

Good luck.

Always subject to change.

You are not having any luck. Looks like a decent weekend but first of the week returns to cold, rain, and perhaps snow. While it does you no good, this is a little unusual for this time of year.

The ski resorts are loving it as it is laying down a good base without the snow guns. Tomorrow my skis go in for the annual tune up. Start looking today for all the ski gear that I didn't put away properly last spring.

Thanks all for the updates. I was so looking forward for my first Colorado trip but no luck. We have only Saturday evening and Sunday to enjoy the mountains before cold front. We are driving from Boulder to Estes park Sunday morning and I was wondering if we can drive through peak to peak high way. Another option would be driving peak to peak highway Saturday around 4pm on the way from airport before checking in to the Hotel in Boulder. Any best place to spot wild life(Elk) in RMNP? Please let me know your suggestions.
I was about to book hotel in Lakewood and after coming across Gretchen comment, glad I did not book it.

I'll stick my neck out and suggest the weather is not looking as bad as you fear.

Bring layered clothing.

Some of the best places for elk: Moraine Park, Horseshoe Park, the area near the Beaver Meadows entrance and Bear Lake road junction, and the Estes Park golf course.

It does not make sense to drive Peak to Peak on Saturday. Just head for Boulder and enjoy that. Go to the Flatirons. Not sure what NCAR's visitor hours are but the kids might enjoy that. Worth heading over there in any case, there could be wildlife around there as well, and beautiful views of Flatirons. It's a windy spot however.

Drive Peak to Peak on Sunday by heading up Boulder Canyon on your way to Estes.

Keep in mind that the so called, "Peak to Peak Highway" is not the same as Trail Ridge Road that starts in Estes and goes through Rocky Mt National Park. Two completely different roads. Trail Ridge Road should be open - Rangers at the entrance to RMNP can give you s status report. The areas just inside the park should have the best opportunity for wild life.

Since you are in Boulder, Sunday may be the best day, and you want to see a lot of mountains, you could a long loop into Estes Park from the west. You start with Boulder canyon to Nederland, south to Blackhawk, Idaho Springs, short run on I-70 to US 40, Winter Park, Grandby, enter RMNP from the west side, Trail Ridge Road to Estes Park. It would be a long day but you would see a lot of mountains. On your Monday return to Denver, to could do the Peak to Peak to Boulder and back to Denver.

PS -- Forgot about the kids --- that would be a long day in the car for them. Sorry.

I've often found there are more Elk roaming around the town of Estes than there are in the park,;)

Nelson's suggestion of driving Peak to Peak from Boulder to Estes is good. Great scenery but not so long as to get boring.

You are pretty much guaranteed to see elk in RMNP or Estes Park. You really don't have to go to any specific location but Nelson's list is accurate for the larger herds.

As for the weather in Estes Park, Sunday is 60 and sunny, Monday is 38 and chance of snow showers, Tuesday is 45 and mostly sunny, Wednesday is 55 and sunny. I wouldn't just throw in the towel and say that you only have 1.5 days to enjoy the mountains because of a cold front. Honestly, fresh snowfall on the mountains looks amazing, just wear some gloves and hats and bring several layers of clothing.

If it was me, I'd do this:
Sunday: go to Georgetown/Vail - you could even head there Saturday afternoon...
Monday/Tuesday morning: do the indoors stuff in Denver since that seems to be the coldest/snowiest day
Tuesday afternoon: drive to RMNP and spend a few hours there
Wednesday: spend most of the day in RMNP, head to your airport hotel before it gets dark

You'll avoid the massive crowds in RMNP on Sunday. You'll also avoid driving out of Estes after an overnight snowfall. I know you probably won't take my advice but I'm going to throw it out there one last time. There's virtually no difference in the weather between Sunday and Wednesday for RMNP and I don't see the need to slam that trip in on the weekend simply because it's going to snow overnight Sunday and a bit on Monday.

It will be interesting to see what the weather actually does.

Well, two days ago I believed the forecast enough to winterize our patio, drain and cover the fountain until spring. Sigh.

Now sitting out here enjoying a beer in a t-shirt.

The OP should be in Colorado now, and regardless of chosen route, will likely have three of the four seasons in the next 30 hours, not uncommon this time of year. But autumn again by Tuesday.

Hope they have a good trip.

It is 83 - what was forecast -- we will have dinner on the deck with friends tonight. We face west for get the advantage of a setting sun. Head to a wine tasting party on Sunday pm. Have also prepared for winter. Some plants tossed and a couple moved to the garage for the winter. Still have two big pots outside but they are on wheels so they can be quickly rolled into the garage. Later will move the deck furniture to the covered part of the deck just case the three inches shows up on Monday. Took the skis in for tuning yesterday so we are ready to roll. Let it snow, let it snow.

.....It will be interesting to see what the weather actually does......

Unfortunately it did exactly as forecast. 83 on Saturday, mid-70s on Sunday with strong winds towards evening. Woke this morning to 30 and couple of inches of snow on the ground. We now have 6 inches and still about 30. We live at 6,000 feet so probably will a couple inches more snow than Denver. Twelve inches and more is common in the foothills. Will taper off this evening. The heavy snow on trees with leaves is causing some problems in the older sections of Denver. Several areas of power outages. Hard freeze tonight but 60s by Wednesday and snow will be gone by the weekend. Typical October snow storm -- not frequent but not uncommon either.

Sorry, swtraveller, that Denver didn't put its best weather foot forward. Hope that you adjusted some and still enjoyed your visit.

As usual most of the snow has melted here in Denver ( Hilltop ) clearing, warming and rest of the week looks excellent. Friday was nice, Saturday very nice and, personally, Sunday was perfect here. I don't imagine roads were a problem unless you were out early this morning or in the mountains late yesterday.