10 days in Colorado (1 Viewer)

[UGA LEE]

Our family is planning a 7-10 day road trip though
CO this summer.

We are just gonna cruise around checking it out.
Maybe swing to the Grand canyon for a day or two.

Go when we want to go, Stop when we want to stop
kinda thing.

Any suggestions or ideas. Things that would intrest a 9 and 5 year old.

We plan on KOA for the nights. Will it be warm enough for tents in mid july?
Thanks for any tips.

 

[rgsiii]

SW Colorado has an amazing number of trails. You could spend weeks and have a great time. Throw in some kids and things might change. Some place like Ouray is a good base for exploring the area. It is beautiful in the summer.

Some links to get started

4X4 Adventures in the San Juan Mountains of Colorado

Home | Durango & Silverton Narrow Gauge Railroad Train

http://www.alpineloop.com/HTML/index.html

I am sure you can tent, if you have the right sleeping bags.

You are not terribly far from Moab--I have never been there in the summer.

 

[Mike Shull]

Go to Ouray or Telluride Colorado...The kids will love it!

OR! Durango - Silverton train

Animas Forks ghost town above Silverton is always fun...tons of trails!

Mid July to June is best here d

 

[rgsiii]

Go to Ouray or Telluride Colorado...The kids will love it!

OR! Durango - Silverton train

Animas Forks ghost town above Silverton is always fun...tons of trails!

Mid July to June is best here d

I agree with Mike, except I think he meant mid July to August. Many areas may be impassable due to snow in June.

 

[1tontoy]

Mid-July should be OK for tent camping but it can get nippy at night especially if you are above 10,000'. Check the US Forest Service for fire restrictions.

SW Colorado is my favorite part of the state. Mesa Verde cliff dwellings are fascinating. The Ouray hot springs are great for kids and adults, and you are at a trailhead for the Alpine Loop which can take you to Telluride (if the pass is open) or to Lake City.

Hotels in these small mountain towns fill up FAST in the summer, partly b/c there is usually some event or gathering going on like FJCruiser convention or a Jeep convention. This part of Colorado is known for its 4x4 trail runs, so groups plan trips based out of Silverton and Ouray.

I love this part of Colorado so much I named my german shephard Ouray

 

[Sno bored]

X2 on Mesa Verde it's a really cool place to check out. Try to do a half day raft trip, I don't know how old kids have to be. Some of the trips are class 2 which is pretty flat water, if they have a couple of class 3 sections it makes things more exciting. There are lots of areas that have mine tours which are interesting. BTW there is an Alma, Colorado which is right over the hill (continental divide) from Breckenridge, but there is not much there.

 

[1tontoy]

Funny, I know Alma well. I rented a house in Placer Valley one winter, while living in Evergreen.

 

[nuclearlemon]

i'll also mention ouray...beautiful area....hopefully, the anti access jerks won't get it shut down they are trying hard, which will take the beauty away from many and severely cripple the economy in the small towns of the alpine loop area. if you plan on wheeling, you might want to pick up charles wells guide to colorado backroads. there are two volumes, the original and the "northern" edition. you want the original. it covers the alpine loop area (Ouray, Silverton, Lake City, Telluride)...here's a link to where you can get it https://forum.ih8mud.com/merchandise-storefront/350925-wells-mapbooks-t-shirts-more.html

mesa verde is also beautiful, last i heard, they were limiting a lot of the walk throughs and you couldn't get inside any of the kivas anymore, but it's still awesome to see. last time i was there was right after the bircher and pony fires destroyed about half of m.v. ntl park. the bridge to the long house was burned, don't know if it was ever rebuilt, so you may only be able to see that from a distance now.

my point with all of this...see as much now while you can

 

[Mike Shull]

I agree with Mike, except I think he meant mid July to August. Many areas may be impassable due to snow in June.

Yes That is what I meant...Thanks! Don't come in June...ha!

August is the best...I can't wait!!!