Colorado’s national parks: best bets for family vacations

March 17, 3:05 PMDenver Family Travel ExaminerCarolyn Sutton

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Rocky Mountain National Park's Fall River Visitor Center has a great Discovery Center for kids.

Colorado's exceptional national parks should be at the top of any agenda when a family is trip planning. But how does a family choose which national parks for spending limited vacation time?

To help you choose, here’s a quick summary of Colorado’s national parks, plus a completely subjective take on the attractions we liked best in each park.

Rocky Mountain National Park

Rocky Mountain National Park is a 266,000-acre patch of jagged highcountry that combs the clouds and then plunges into deep, forested valleys. Famous for its outstanding scenery and the massive grandeur of its peaks, the park also offers traveling families the opportunity to learn about geology (mountain building, glaciers), about history, and about wildlife from mountain lions to cute little pikas.

One of our favorite things to do in Rocky Mountain National Park is to go camping with friends in any of the five campgrounds. Attending ranger hikes and hiking on our own runs a close second to camping. Rainy or cold days find us in any of the great museums (at the visitor centers and at Moraine Park.)

Families who want to experience and learn about the Colorado Rockies can’t lose at Rocky Mountain National Park.


Mesa Verde National Park

In the southwest corner of Colorado, green Mesa Verde rises above the more arid lands at its feet. Erosion has dug deep canyons into Mesa Verde, and the walls of these canyons hold the quiet remains of ancient cliff structures. A showcase for ancestral Puebloan culture, Mesa Verde is a World Heritage Site.  

First, families should stop at the Far View Visitor Center. It has maps and rangers with excellent advice. Plus, it is where you must go to purchase tour tickets to the more popular cliff dwellings. Cliff Palace has become an icon for Mesa Verde, and Balcony House offers kids the chance to climb really tall ladders. The Mesa Loop drive is excellent for a little more depth of understanding. And if you have time, take the time, make the time to venture out to Wetherill Mesa and take the Wetherill Mesa Tram to the Long House tour.

Families who travel to Mesa Verde National Park have a unparalleled opportunity not only to tour ancient buildings, but also to learn about archaeology, how archaeologists work, and why it is important to understand the people who went before.


 Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park

In west-central Colorado, the Gunnison River runs out of the Rocky Mountains and down into a deep, deep, narrow canyon with really dark walls. With the tallest sheer cliff face in Colorado, this place offers one heck of a geology lesson (and it’s a pretty thrilling sight, too!)

If you are on the South Rim, the South Rim Visitor Center has a great video describing the processes that made the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, plus other displays. Check out the Chasm View and Painted Wall Overlooks along the South Rim Road. But hang on to your kids’ hands. It’s a long way to fall. On the North Rim, the North Vista Trail is a good hike, but the overlooks are even more exposed (no guardrails, no signs, nothing between you and a 2000-foot drop.)

Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park gives me the creeps. It’s such a steep, deep canyon. But it is beautiful, too. And in spite of the fact that the place terrifies me, we went there, more than once, with the kids and had some of the best hikes we’ve ever had.


Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve

Tucked beneath the Sangre de Cristo Mountains in south-central Colorado, the Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is possibly the national park where kids can have more fun than anywhere else in Colorado. A heap of sand, towering 700 feet high and covering 30 square miles, these dunes are a giant sand box for traveling families.

Medano, Castle, and Mosca Creeks tumble down out of the mountains and run along the base of the dunes, providing a most excellent place to build sand castles, dig water diversions, and generally construct bodacious engineering projects. On the other hand, it’s also fun to climb the dunes, but then the creek is nice to return to for cooling off toes toasted on the hot sands. The campground is nice, too, but the best part is the trail from the campground to the creek, so you can head down to play in the sand and water at the base of the dunes.

The Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve is one of the most complex and beautiful natural systems in the world. And by being there, kids can't help but learn some really cool stuff about wind and rocks and wildlife. But the best part is how much fun it is to play there.

 

Explore the State
All together, Colorado’s four national parks offer parents and kids a chance to explore the variety of the state’s personalities. In addition to the favorite attractions mentioned, each national park has a Junior Ranger Program and Ranger Talks to help your family understand and enjoy the parks more. Whether you are traveling on a budget or traveling first class, Colorado’s national parks offer family vacations like no others.