There isn’t a state more family-friendly than Colorado, and here are a few of our favorite things to do with kids:
Take them rafting
Enough with the phone calls to the outfitters asking them, “Is the water still too high?” The water is perfect. It’s always perfect! If you haven’t been down a river yet this season, what are you waiting for? From gentle floats to waves crashing over the boats, there’s a trip for you and yours. Visit to pick the right river and outfitter for your skill level and location.
Take them fishing
We’re famous for our trout fishing, which you can find in waters all over the state — Rocky Mountain National Park is a nice place to start, particularly for first-timers — as well as kokanee salmon, walleye, perch and bass. The Colorado Division of Wildlife has come up with an interactive map and list of 101 places to take your kid fishing; you can download the map and print it out too. Visit wheretogo/101places.
Take them to a hot springs
The great thing about hot springs is that not only are the kids happy, but the adults get to feel like they’re getting something out of it too. A few of our top picks: Mount Princeton Hot Springs resort in Nathrop (15870 County Road 162, 888-395-7799, ), for its creekside, natural “hot tubs” alongside spring-fed pools; Glenwood Hot Springs in Glenwood Springs (401 N. River St., 970-947-2955, ), with its kid-pleasing water slides; and the well-varied (from hot to “jetted” to intimate) Pagosa Springs Hot Springs in Pagosa Springs (165 Hot Springs Blvd., 800-225-0934, ).
Take them to a festival
If it’s a weekend in Colorado, there’s a festival (or 40) somewhere — for sure in Telluride, and probably in one of the other mountain resorts, as well. They can skip the beer bashes, of course, but the musical events almost always offer something cool for kids, and the hot-air- balloon, harvest and cultural fairs usually mean the kind of bad-for-you food kids love and lots of great people-watching that can mean good conversations about behavior later. Coming up: Crested Butte Arts Festival July 31 and Aug. 1 (); Basalt River Days Aug. 13-15 (); the Palisade Peach Festival Aug. 19-22 ().
Take them to a dude ranch
The horseback riding alone makes a weekend or longer at one of our unique ranches worth checking out, but many of them also offer such diversions as fly-fishing, gourmet food, spas and stunning views to sweeten the deal. From no-frills to the ultimate in luxury, with rates to match, dude ranches aim to meet your family’s getaway needs. Most offer daily kids programs and nightly optional activities, and with everything all-inclusive, it’s one of the best ways to kick your boots off and really kick back. Visit .
Take them on a train
Kids aren’t the only ones who get the magic of a train ride — parents are usually equally enthralled with the process, and it’s often the adults who can’t be pried away from the windows. Two top ones for tykes: The shortie Georgetown Loop Railroad (100 Mountain St., Silver Plume. 888-456-6777, ), which goes over the Devil’s Gate Bridge, and the Royal Gorge Route Railroad (Santa Fe Depot, 401 Water St., Cañon City, 888-724-5748 or ), where kids might glimpse bighorn sheep standing alongside the tracks as the train winds through the canyon. Check out our guide to the best the state has to offer at .
Kyle Wagner
Take them camping, sort of …
The weekend was going to be a scorcher. We wanted mountains and cooler temperatures, and we wanted to sleep in a tent.
Work had been crazy, though, and we weren’t willing to deal with that aspect of the camping experience that demands so much time, energy and organization, and claims so much space in the minivan and the campsite: the cooking. We didn’t have it in us.
So my wife, Annie, suggested we go “pizza camping.”
I asked what that meant.
“Let’s just eat something cheap, like pizza, for dinner at a restaurant. In the morning, let’s head to town and get breakfast burritos. We can bring along snacks.”
The weekend on U.S. Forest Service land outside Winter Park? Glorious.
Pizza camping? Brilliant. Douglas Brown
