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Top Ten Things to Do with Kids in Rocky Mountain National Park

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Rocky Mountain National Park was the first park the 1920s National Park to Park Highway visited, and for good reason. It’s proximity to Denver and long history of tourist development in Estes Park makes it one of the most highly visited parks with more annual visitors than both Yellowstone and Yosemite.

On our trip we spent most of our time on the east side of the park, as do a lot of visitors. If you have time explore both the west and east sides of the park, there’s so much to see!

Visit the Moraine Discovery Center – With exhibits on the geology of Rocky Mountain National Park this museum in the wild has something interesting for everyone. We went during Discovery Days, a special program for kids that runs on select days throughout the summer. Check the park newspaper for more information.

Camp at Glacier Basin Campground – With easy access to the free shuttle system, a mini ranger station, excellent bathrooms and over 100 campsites, this campground was a great home base for exploring Rocky Mountain National Park.

Ride a Horse – Several trails in Rocky Mountain National Park are open to horseback rides, in fact there’s a livery stable near Sprague Lake.

Become a Junior Ranger – Rocky Mountain National Park has a great Junior Ranger program complete with a dedicated Junior Ranger Station at Hidden Valley.

Hike around Bear Lake – This popular hike is handicap accessible, although steep in certain sections. The tots (including their cousin E) loved scrambling on the giant boulders around the lake and giving the bear paw post markers high fives as they passed.

Swim at Sprague Lake – This shallow lake is great for a cold swim, or rather wade. A sand bar through the lake allowed Mountain Dad, Tio Monte and the tots to walk out to the center of this glacier lake. We also saw canoers and fly fishermen.

Drive Over 12,000 Feet – For a taste of road travel from the 1920s take the 15 mile per hour, unpaved motor nature trail up Old Fall River Road to the Alpine Visitors Center. This one way dirt road gives you a taste of what the 1920s National Park to Park Highway group had to deal with on a daily basis. Complete the trip over the continental divide by driving down on the Trail Ridge Road which connects the east and west sides of Rocky Mountain National Park.

See Snow in July – It’s not every day that you can explore a snowy tundra in mid-July. While driving the Trail Ridge Road be sure to get out and explore the tundra trails up above the tree line. Little G and Cousin E spotted yellow bellied marmots and pikas from the Gore Range Overlook and we loved exploring the area around the Alpine Visitors Center until frozen rain forced us back to the car.

Search for Wildlife – Whether its spotting elk fom the Trail Ridge Road, marmots on the tundra or hummingbirds in the trees, Rocky Mountain National Park is home to a wide variety of animals. My favorite was watching the yellow bellied marmots scuffle on the tundra. Good thing they have furry coats – it’s cold up there, even in summer.

Ride the Free Shuttle – Avoid traffic and parking hassles by catching the free park shuttle from Estes Park or the Park and Ride from inside the park. There’s even a bus stop at Glacier Basin and OTHER campgrounds.

Rocky Mountain National Park Photo Journal

Rocky Mountain National Park was the first stop for the 1920s National Park to Park Highway Tour. For us, it was our first Colorado National Park and the one at the highest elevation – you can drive over 12,000 feet! It felt so refreshing to be cold in the mountains in the middle of summer (don’t worry, not too cold). Here are some of our favorite photos from Rocky Mountain National Park. Enjoy!

Bear Lake

Big Mountains, Beautiful Sky

Little G and her Cousin E look for marmots on the tundra.

Elk grazing on the side of the road.

Me and Baby L splashing in the river.

Little G climbs on a log.

Sorry Chipmunk, no food for you!

Alberta Falls

Glacier Gorge

Elephant sized boulders and child size explorers.

Bear Lake

Brother and Sister exploring the river

Hiking Sprague Lake

There’s nothing so beautiful as an alpine lake with mountains in the background.

Get Off the Beaten Path in Yellowstone

For most of the parks we visit on the National Park to Park Highway I will be posting our top ten picks of kids activities, but Yellowstone is a special case. The first National Park is so huge and so popular (especially on Independence Day weekend when we visited) that instead of a top ten list I decided to share some off-the-beaten-path adventures with you instead. As always, follow @mountainmomtots on instagram for daily updates and to see what park we’re visiting right now.

First some tips:

If you’re traveling to Yellowstone save your gas money and choose just one area a day to focus on in the park. Whether it’s Old Faithful, Mammoth or Canyon areas, it’s more fun to get out and explore than hurry back to your car.

Get out of your car and onto a hiking trail. There’s a statistic out there that more than 90% of visitors to Yellowstone never go farther than a boardwalk, road or visitors center. Even if it’s just half a mile off the road, you can find solitude and nature away from the crowds.

Try less well known areas like the ones we visited here:

Firehole Lake Drive – Between Old Faithful and Madison Junction

This short, one way drive off the main road offers great geyser and hot springs viewing, not to mention a surprise spring. The features are similar to other geothermal areas in the park but the crowds are minimal.

Bike off of Fountain Flat Drive –Between Old Faithful and Madison Junction

Fountain Flat Drive is a short road that dead ends at the trail head for a primitive bike trail and hiking area. This gravel bike path is flat and easy to maneuver (except when your son gets a flat tire in the parking lot). Features to see along the 9 mile path include Ojo Caliente Spring, Goose Lake, Sentinel Meadow Trail, Fairy Falls Trail, and the Firehole River Crossing.

Ojo Caliente – 0.3 miles from the end of Fountain Flat Drive

We loved this little hidden hot spring not only for its secluded, off the beaten path location, but also because the hot water empties into the Firehole River. Touching water in the hot springs is not allowed (not to mention its a terrible idea) but you can swim in the river downstream from the spring. Can I just say, it was like sitting in a hot tub in the most beautiful place on earth.

Junior Ranger Station – Madison Junction

We loved this little gift shop and information station. The hands on exhibits of animal furs, skulls, antlers and horns are great for little (and big) explorers plus you can look for wildlife with their spotting scope. Stay for a ranger talk which happen every half hour throughout the day and enjoy the beautiful views.

Beaver Ponds Trail – Mammoth

Because the Mammoth area of the park is so much further north than the rest of the park fewer people are on the roads to get there so pull over at some scenic overlooks. Once you’re at Mammoth try hiking to the Beaver Ponds Trail to get a view of the hot springs from behind.

Swim the Boiling River – Mammoth

This is a popular swim spot since the hot springs empty into the river. It is not off-the-beaten path but it is still worth visiting, especially if you can catch a glimpse of elk munching across the river like we did.

Do you have any favorite off-the-beaten-path locations in Yellowstone? Share them here.

Yellowstone National Park Photo Journal

Yellowstone was the second park on our National Park to Park Highway tour, but the first National Park ever created. On this Independence Day I wanted to share some of our favorite photos from this large and beautiful park. For daily updates follow @mountainmomtots on Instagram.