I bought a hiking book called "Best hikes with children in Colorado" when we first moved out here 10 years ago and our kids were 4 & 6. We've continued to use it as a reference, more for me as moderate for kids in this book is about my speed/difficulty level. It lists old Ute trail tundra walk as moderate, .5-4 miles one way. Thunder lake trail to Copeland falls and calypso cascades is .3-1.8 miles and classified as easy to moderate with 700 feet in elevation gain. Fern lake trail is 1.7 miles to the pool or 3.8 miles to fern lake and classified as easy to challenging with 1400 feet in elevation gain.

Remember to drink extra water to help with the altitude and reapply sunscreen as you are closer to the sun when anywhere in Colorado.

Enjoy!

If you drive up Boulder canyon, and you like historic places, look into having lunch at the Red Lion Inn. We haven't been there in years, but it used to be a special place for dinners.

Or in Boulder, a good mid-priced (for Boulder!) restaurant is The Mediterranean ('the Med'). Great people-pleaser menu and lovely back patio. Near Canyon Rd.

The Red Lion Inn does not serve lunch.

Thanks, sylvia. I wasn't sure if it's still even open. Do you know if it is still well-cared for?

They have even expanded; plus a new bridge has been installed; the old one washed out a year or so ago. It's still a very nice place to have dinner.

Three of our current favorites for lunch in Boulder are

Oak at 14th http://oakatfourteenth.com/

Riffs http://riffsboulder.com/

The Kitchen http://thekitchencommunity.com/

All on or near the Pearl Street Mall--Boulder's downtown http://www.boulderdowntown.com/

Thanks again, sylvia.

Thanks wherearewe, i did look at your link but i misunderstood. I thought we'd have to take the shuttle since we'd probably be done hiking before 4. I even started researching hikes in the wild basin area to avoid the bear lake corridor. I'm glad I don't have to, because the more I read, the more I'm wanting to try to hit nymph, dream and haiyaha lakes with maybe a side trip to Alberta falls. Perhaps even mills lake or the loch if we're doing good on time.
Tabernash, I am so looking forward to the view from the lodge. That really sold it to me. That and the fact that I didn't find any available vacation rentals. I was able to get the ford cabin, I'm sure we'll be fine. I'm thinking of Adams and/or cascade falls; and either the rafting nearby (i have to check on Red Tail) or kayaking in grand lake. Want to also check out hot sulphur springs and now Winterpark. Only have 3 days here, so ill have to narrow it down.. I think we'll be a little to early to make it to the red lion, but I checked out the med, and it looks perfect. Have to see what they have for the kiddos, as I am lucky enough to be traveling with 2 or 3 of quite possibly the pickiest kids you could ever meet! This hasn't stopped us from traveling in the past I just need to check out menus before we go anywhere to avoid any last minute momma worries!
Tarfan, the Copland falls and calypso cascade along with ouzel falls is one of the hikes I was considering in the wild basin area. Have you hiked it?
martym, I think riffs is more suitable for our party, I'll have to check which is more kid friendly (riffs or the med.)
Thanks again to everyone. I'm reviewing all of your suggestions.

BTW, many of the Grand Lake Lodge lodging units were updated as part of the renovations that had them closed for a year or so recently.

mabella101 - we have not done those hikes. Just pulled the info from the book. If you like to have more info in hand after doing online research (my preference), I believe we purchased the book at one of the shops at RMNP. There are newer versions but we only do a few hikes a year and this one gives us plenty of options. Can probably find it online as well.
For local dining options, we are fans of roadfood.com and the food networks Diner's, Drive-ins and Dives (DDD). Have been to several of each over the last few years when we've traveled and have enjoyed them all. Don't believe DDD has been in that area though the show has been to several places in Denver and Boulder. Just checked roadfood and the closest coming up there is Sundance Cafe in Nederland. We ate there maybe 5-7 years ago and found it just ok.

Well, since we are on the subject of food, how about some recommendations for dinner in Estes park? Family friendly places work best for us. Btw,tabernash, I called Med, and their kids menu is perfect for us, so Thanks!,

Good to hear, mabella. On a nice day, the Med patio is great. Indoors is nice, too, and the overall noise level is perfect for families. Not that it's too loud, though.

Boulder has become a mecca for foodies, but some restaurants I wouldn't want to take kids, like the Kitchen, because the food is so extraordinary (and pricey) that it's better for adults IMHO.

I don't recommend Hot Sulphur Springs. It really isn't all that amazing, and it's in a tiny, tiny town. Don't waste time at Grand Lake to go there. You could visit Winter Park on your way back to Denver, taking Berthoud Pass over to I-70, instead of backtracking through RMNP.

PS If you like Mexican food, try Pancho & Lefty's in Grand Lake.

Regarding hikes, the Lake Haiyaha loop mentioned by WhereWeAre is hard to beat given your desire of a superb 3-4 hour loop. As noted you could also add a side trip to The Loch or Mills Lake from that loop, either of which is highly recommended.

Note that in late July you have enough time to do this hike after 4:00 PM when the Bear Lake road restrictions are lifted. You can do this IF (big 'if') the weather is cooperating. Doing the hike then has the advantages of fewer people, beautiful lighting for photography (the west face of Longs Peak will be brightly lit up, for example), and more wildlife activity. My wife and I have hiked this many times in the late afternoon and always enjoy it.

Just another option to have in your bag, but in any case that is a highly recommended hike.

It's tough to find a good meal in Estes Park, our current favorite is the small Nepal restaurant. You can sit outdoors near the Fall River walkway, which is nice.

More thoughts on the road construction:

Think of Bear Lake Road as 3 sections (lower (between Hwy 36 and Moraine Park), middle which is under construction, and upper which runs from the Park N Ride to Bear Lake).

The upper section really has no restrictions, in spite of what the wording on the park website implies. It says "Visitors in private vehicles who make the 9 am cutoff time will be allowed to travel eastbound throughout the day." It would be more accurate to say Visitors will only be allowed to travel eastbound through the construction zone throughout the day. You are free to drive back and forth on the upper section all day in either direction...however parking will be an issue as it always is, especially at Bear Lake. So plan on going early or late to avoid the 9am - 4pm restriction and all those delays, just know that if you're driving the upper section during the day you can go either direction if you want.

As for the hikes in Wild Basin, I would not spend the time on the hike you described. Copeland Falls is short and easy, it takes a lot more time to get to Calypso and Ouzel Falls and it's dubious as to whether it's worth the time. Most of that hike is in forest with limited views, so you'd take a lot of time just to see a waterfall and some cascades...and Calypso is really just a long stretch of water running downhill over some rocks. It's not a waterfall, not super exciting or dramatic and as far as I'm concerned, just not worth the time and effort unless you really want to go for a long walk in the woods with limited scenery. But since it sounds like you are driving to Estes via Hwy 7, you'll pass right by the Wild Basin entrance and you could take the time to drive in, stretch your legs on the hike to Copeland Falls, and then continue on to Estes. You'll also see St. Malo's Chapel on Hwy 7 which is always beautiful.

Ute Trail is very scenic, but pretty limited parking and totally exposed so you must do it in the morning and watch the sky for any bad weather. You'll be hiking mostly east so you will have to look behind you as most storms come from the west - and you absolutely have to be off the trail before a thunderstorm hits as there is zero protection from lightning. Rock Cut on Trail Ridge Road is a much shorter hike that is also worth your time, same story on the exposure though.

Cascade Falls on the west side is a similar hike to Ouzel - lots of hiking through the woods and not sure if it's worth the time. Adams is like Copeland, very short and easy. In general, you will have to hike farther on the west side to get to destinations and the views tend to be less dramatic. You have a reasonable chance of seeing moose over there. Holzwarth Historic Site is probably worth a bit of time. It gets a lot harder to recommend great hikes on the west side for first time visitors - a lot of people just skip it because it's not as scenic but it does grow on you if you give it a chance. Just expect less drama and more quiet moments.

Forgot to mention: I don't know how long a 15 passenger van is or if there are normally parking restrictions on a vehicle of that length. You may want to call or check to see if you'd be limited to parking in certain spots in each lot?

I asked the question on this post about the road construction and appreciate all the information. All the info on hikes is great!
I'm starting to get confused about getting out of the Park before 4 pm. I understand that if you make it to Bear Lake Lower Rd. in a private car before the 9am closing you are ok to proceed. What about the return say mid afternoon before the 4 pm opening? Is there a way to get back to Hwy 36?

You can travel eastbound (towards Hwy 36 and the park exit) on Bear Lake Road all day. There will be a couple delays but the road is open to private vehicles in that direction. You won't be trapped in the park.

"I don't recommend Hot Sulphur Springs."

I disagree. It has been revamped the past few years, and is a nice setting. Unless you don't care for, or about, soaking in springs, it's a novel place to go.

Yes, of course you can drive out through the park to US36; out the way you came, then east past Beaver Meadows Visitor Center. (West would be trail Ridge Road, 34.) You'll probably have to wait on Bear Lake rd. if you leave your parking lot while they are still working, but they let traffic through after a bit (after all, the shuttles are running in both directions throughout the day). Our longest wait so far has been 15 minutes, departing Morraine Park campground (to leave the park), the lower section.
You can ask questions directly at 970-586-1206

sorry, whereweare, was typing while you were answering the same question.