Rocky Mountains with kids: 6 fun kids activities!

Are you going on a family tour of America? Then a visit to the Rocky Mountains – and charming Estes Park – should not be missed. This mountainous area in Colorado, which extends into Canada, is home to one of America’s most popular national parks. We visited the region from Estes Park and now completely understand why this park is so popular. In this blog, we share all the tips and information you need for an unforgettable vacation in the Rocky Mountains with kids.

Table of contents

Rocky Mountains with kids

#1 Trail Ridge Road

In our opinion, a real must-do while visiting the Rocky Mountains with kids is driving the Trail Ridge Road. This is a 77 km paved road through the mountains with varied scenery, beautiful views and a great chance of spotting wildlife!

This road is accessible both from the entrance on the west side of the park (Grand Lake), and from the east side (Estes). Because the road crosses the mountains and also reaches high altitudes, it is accessible only during the summer months (late May through October).

During the winter months, it is closed due to snowfall. When we visited the park during summer vacation, there was still snow in several places along the trail. A fun stop for the kids to have a snowball fight in the shorts between rides! Because of the rapid increase in altitude, you will find that the temperature also drops rapidly. So make sure you bring a cardigan/jumper. You’re going to need those along the way!

A great viewpoint along this route is the Many Parks Curve, a vantage point nearly 3,000 feet above sea level. You overlook mountain ranges with flat valleys. You can also see the park’s highest mountain from here. Our kids especially liked this viewpoint because there are many small squirrels walking around, which come very close.

There are several viewpoints where you can stop and where sanitary facilities are also available. Always look around, because along the trail you may see deer, elk, reindeer, squirrels, marmots and Bighorn sheep!

At nearly 3,600 feet above sea level, you’ll arrive at the Alpine Visitor Center, the highest visitor center of any national park in America. You look out over the mountains, tundra and glaciers. The visitor center features several exhibits about the park and park rangers are happy to provide additional information.

There is also a store and a cafe. If this point is still not high enough, you can make another small climb (via stairs) of about 300 meters (Alpine Ridge Trail). You have great views here, but the climb is a bit treacherous. Along the way you are warned about altitude sickness and many people suffer from it.

So read these signs carefully; what to look out for, what can you do, etc. By the way, our kids were not bothered by it; they set the sprint to the top. However, we had to stop several times along the way and catch our breath in the thin air.

If you drive a little further after the visitor center, you will come out at Milner Pass. Here you cross the “Continental Divide. They also call this “the backbone of North America.

What to do in the Rocky Mountains with the family

#2 Alluvial Fan Trail

If you’re visiting the Rocky Mountains with kids, there are many family-friendly hikes you can take to see more of the park. 1 of these hikes is the Alluvial Fan Trail. This is a hike of about 1 km (round trip), which takes you to a river with mega-sized rocks and a waterfall. The ideal place for the kids to climb over the rocks and paddle in the ice-cold mountain water!

If you are staying in Estes Park, you can reach this trail by driving toward Sheep Lakes and from there turn right onto Old Fall River Road. After about 800 meters on this road you will find the start of the route and there you can also park your car.

If you drive past Sheep Lakes early in the morning or later in the afternoon, chances are you will see reindeer bathing in the lakes or Big Horn Sheep crossing the meadow. Definitely worth stopping by and having a look!

#3 Bear Lake Road

Bear Lake Road is 1 of the most popular areas in this part of the Rocky Mountains. This road, as its name suggests, comes out at Bear Lake. A visit to this should not be missed during your stay in the Rocky Mountains with kids.

However, it can get crowded. Therefore, from the park, they work with time locks to access this route during the summer months. The reservation system opens every^1st of the month. Be quick because tickets go fast and without a ticket you really don’t get admission. There is a Ranger Post at the entrance to this road and strict control.

So we arrived a little before our time slot and we were allowed to turn right around until our time slot arrived. Through this website you can find all the information about the dates when a special reservation is needed, how to book it, what to look out for and what the costs are.

The ability to park near Bear Lake is small. Because it is so popular, the parking lot fills up quickly. However, you can also park a bit back and from that large parking lot, buses go every few minutes stopping at various places along the route and Bear Lake.

From these stops you can start various hikes. Along the road, signs also indicate if it is still possible to park at Bear Lake or if you have to use the other parking lot and the shuttle bus.

From Bear Lake, there are also several family-friendly and short hikes of between 800 meters and 5 km. Now should you have older children or kids who really enjoy hiking, there are plenty of longer and more challenging hikes to be found as well. At the parking lot, you will find an overview with various hikes and their levels of difficulty.

There are also maps of the park and overviews of hikes at the various visitor centers in the park and in Estes Park. We walked the loop around Bear Lake and this was definitely recommended. The trail is easy to access, you have beautiful views of the lake and what our kids really liked was that there were lots of Axolotls in the lake. So we did a contest of who could spot the most.

#4 Junior Ranger Program

In basically all of America’s national parks, they have a Junior Ranger Program. In many of the parks, you can ask about this at the Visitor Center. In the Rocky Mountains, they have a Junior Ranger Headquarters. You’ll find these if you drive into the park from Estes Park, drive past Sheep Lakes and head toward the Trail Ridge Road.

Here Park Rangers are on hand to explain to the kids everything they can do and discover in the park. If your kid wants to participate in the Junior Ranger Program, you can ask a Ranger about this. For each age group, they have activity books about the park. They are often assignments related to the various plants and animals they may encounter. A very fun way to learn a lot through play!

Depending on their age, they must complete a minimum number of tasks, which are checked by the Rangers. If the Rangers give their approval, the kids will receive a wooden badge after taking the official Ranger oath. Our kids really enjoyed doing this and it was a sport for them to collect as many different badges as possible during our tour.

#5 Estes Park

We stayed in the charming village of Estes Park during our visit to the Rocky Mountains. We found this to be a perfect base! It is convenient to visit the Estes Park Visitor Center. In fact, there is a lot going on in this town during the year and they can give you all the information about it.

In the summer months they have a Rodeo, wine festival, 4th of july, an Arts festival and every Sunday, Monday and Tuesday night there is live music at 7 p.m. in the square. The days we were there, there was a sing-along by 2 real cowboys. The village gathered with their own chairs in the central plaza/grass field and everyone could enjoy the music with a view of the Rocky Mountains and the setting sun!

On the outskirts of town you will find Estes Lake, a large lake with plenty of opportunities for water sports. Among other things, you could rent boats and canoes there and enjoy a day in the sun, by or on the water.

In addition, the town also has a mini amusement park and miniature golf. You will soon run out of time. Where we stayed in Estes for 3 days during our round trip, we noticed that many of the Americans quickly stayed in this area for 1 week, because there really is enough to do to have fun.

What is also convenient is that a free trolley runs within Estes from July through September. This allows you to reach the entire town without having to take the car. The trolleys run between 9 a.m. and 9 p.m. Shuttle buses also leave from the Visitor Center into the Rocky Mountains national park, which stop at various hiking trails and the Visitor Centers in the park.

#6 Big Thompson Canyon

Unfortunately, we had car trouble while in Estes. A stroke of luck was that when we picked up the new car, we had to drive through Big Thompson Canyon. We did not have this on our radar before our trip, but this is a beautiful canyon that the highway goes right through. The canyon starts in Estes and heads toward the town of Loveland.

You drive here in about 40 minutes. Through the canyon you ride along the river and have the high cliffs and trees all around you. Should you have time to spare when you are in this region, or happen to be nearby on your route, it is well worth driving through here. We were pleasantly surprised and getting the new car became much more fun than expected!

Family-friendly hotel Estes Park (Rocky Mountains)

There are several options for overnight accommodations in Estes Park. You can stay in the town itself or on the road toward the entrance to the Rocky Mountains National Park. You will find several charming hotels right on a river. We list below some of the best-reviewed family-friendly accommodations in Estes Park.

Budget accommodation: Nicky’s Resort

Mid-range accommodations: Estes Mountain Inn

Luxury Accommodation: The Estes Park Resort

Also check out the entire list of family-friendly accommodations in Estes Park.

Would you rather go camping? This is possible at several places in the park itself. Remarkably, we didn’t actually see any RVs in the Rocky Mountains, which you actually see in abundance in other parts of America. We suspect this is because the narrow and steep mountain roads are less suitable for RVs.

Rocky Mountains tips with kids

Family-friendly restaurant Estes Park

There are several family-friendly restaurants in Estes Park. All restaurants have children’s menus that are very accessible and at a friendly price. Among other things, we went to eat at Penelope’s, a household name in the area and known for its delicious burgers with fries.

Of course, a good hamburger should not be missed during your tour of America! Penelope’s is easily accessible and located on the main street of Estes Park. On that same main street, you will find several ice cream parlors where you can go for a “dessert” afterwards.

Best travel time Rocky Mountains

Estes Park can be visited year-round, however, you are most likely to have pleasant weather during the months of June through September. Temperatures average 21 degrees during these months, with evenings and nights cooling off considerably. Layering is recommended! During the day you have a good chance of sunshine.

During the afternoon, thunderstorms can occur frequently in this region; these showers are often short-lived. In the months of November through April, the chances of snow are high. Please note that some roads in the park will be closed then. The last road opens in July.

The Rocky Mountains and adjacent Estes Park host activities throughout the year to suit the weather conditions. From water sports on the lake, festivals and pleasant walks to sledding in the snow. So it’s just what you want to do, which time is most ideal then.

Transportation to and in Rocky Mountains

It is a long flight toward Colorado from the Netherlands. That is why most people choose to combine a visit to the Rocky Mountains with a tour of the United States. We chose to fly into Denver in our round trip.

From there it was a 1.5-hour drive to Estes Park. There are no direct flights to Denver from Amsterdam, Brussels or Düsseldorf. A tip is to book your plane tickets early, as they are often cheaper then. Through skyscanner.com or kiwi.com, you can easily figure out the best flights for your family.

At the Denver airport you can rent a car, for example through Sunnycars. Since distances in America are great (even within cities), renting a car is recommended. So look online to rent a car in Denver.

Other tips Rocky Mountains National Park

Some things that are important to know before visiting the Rocky Mountains with kids:

National park entrance fee: to visit national parks in America, you must pay entrance fees. If you are touring America and want to visit multiple parks, it is beneficial to purchase an “America the Beautifull” pass. It costs $80 and then gives access to all national parks (not state parks).

The pass is valid for 1 year. You can buy these online and have them shipped to the Netherlands. We found it more convenient to purchase it at the entrance to the Rocky Mountains (you can purchase the pass at any national park).

National park tickets: because the Rocky Mountains are popular and especially crowded during the summer months, you need a ticket to visit them. You can make a reservation through this website. Please note, this reservation is only required if you want to drive into the park between 9 a.m.-4 p.m.

If you are there before 9 a.m. or after 2 p.m., you can enter the park without a reservation. You always need a reservation for access to Bear Lake Road.