5 Days in the “Rockies”

The Best of the Rocky Mountains in Colorado

Day 1 (Day in Denver)

There are many things do in Denver, Colorado. For families, we recommend checking out the Denver Zoo, or Aquarium, which have many exhibits to check out. The zoo and aquarium typically tend to be more like a day trip, even though there is no hiking involved. For football lovers you can see the Broncos stadium, which is located in the city. Depending on when you are in Denver, you can possibly catch a football game. Lastly, another cool place to explore is downtown Denver, where you can walk around and shop.

Day 2 (Dinosaur Ridge)

Dinosaur Ridge, located in Morrison, Colorado is full of fun, hiking, and breathtaking views! Throughout the trails, there are various types of Dinosaur fossils dug into the rocks. The trails go around some of the mountains, providing you an excellent view of the “Rockies”. Red Rock park is located at Dinosaur Ridge as well. At Red Rock park, you explore different types of rock formations, and be wowed by the amazing surroundings. Red Rock is also used for a concert hall over the summer.

Day 3 (River Rafting in Golden)

Tubing is already very excited on its own, but the Golden Rapids bring a whole new level of thrill. In the town of Golden, which is about 45 minutes outside of Denver, there is a river that runs along the town. The river is fairly rough, with some “mini waterfalls”, making itself perfect for tubing. In case you don’t own or bring a tube with you, there are multiple tube rentals walking distance from the river. We would recommend checking out the river, and trying tubing. If you go tubing, there are different spots of the river where you can start, and some are definitely calmer than others. Also, the rapids ends in a calm smaller pond where you can return to land. However, we would advise that only older/middle aged kids try this because the rapids can be rough. Falling off the tube isn’t super common, but it happens and it actually happened to us one time. After tubing, there are many different restaurants to check out in Golden for lunch or dinner!

Day 4 (Boulder Shopping and Lookout)

We believe that Boulder has by far the coolest outdoor mall! Imagine thousands of stores, souvenirs, restaurants, and shows, all facing a grand mountain range. Go to the Pearl Street Mall and shop away. At Pearl Street, there are a variety of stores and restaurants to explore. We spent a whole day checking out stores, and found cool souvenirs, which were unique to Colorado. After we would recommend hiking up some of the trails in the mountains surrounding the city, for a breathtaking sunset to end the day.

Day 5 (The best for last, Rocky Mountain National Park)

Of course we saved the best for last: Rocky Mountain National Park! We believe that this park is the heart of Colorado. There are many ways to tour the park, and one that we recommend is doing to drive. At the park, you are able to drive up roads, which lead to various spots on the mountains. For instance, one of the first stops you can make is a little trail that brings to you to a lake, and an excellent view of the mountain range. The further up you travel, you will be able to see snow (even in July!?), wildlife, and eventually be at the same height as the mountains around you! Exploring this park will AT LEAST take you a whole day (obviously you can spend multiple days here), and it is so worth it. The views of the Rocky Mountains will leave you speechless, and provide an unforgettable life experience! One thing to take note, and it’s pretty obvious, there is no service in the Rockies, so it is very challenging to contact people during your adventure.