Colorado Vacations
Vacation Planning Guide for Visiting Colorado with the Kids
Colorado's Best Scenic Spots for Traveling Families
Colorado's Most Scenic Spots
Our list of the prettiest places in Colorado for families to visit:
1. Pikes Peak from the Garden of the Gods
2. The Million Dollar Highway
3. The Maroon Bells
4. Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park
5. View from the deck of the Far View Lodge in Mesa Verde
Our list of the prettiest places in Colorado for families to visit:
1. Pikes Peak from the Garden of the Gods
2. The Million Dollar Highway
3. The Maroon Bells
4. Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park
5. View from the deck of the Far View Lodge in Mesa Verde
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Did You Know? Two famous Colorado mountains were named for early explorers to the area. However, Stephen Long never climbed Long's Peak, and Zebulon Pike never climbed Pikes Peak! |
Photo: Lupine are among the many wildflowers that bloom in Colorado.
Photo: View of the Gore Range from a meadow near the top of the Eagle Bahn gondola on Vail Mountain.
Colorado is a gorgeous place, and it’s hard to pick the most scenic spots from a stateful of beautiful views. Also, when planning family travel, some of the most rugged places in Colorado may not be practical to visit with kids.
So we created a very subjective list of our favorite knock-your-socks-off pretty places that are accessible to munchkins as well as their parents.
Happy sight-seeing!
Photo: Pikes Peak from the visitors center deck at Garden of the Gods Park in Colorado Springs.
Pike’s Peak from the Garden of the Gods
Colorado Springs is one of the prettiest cities in Colorado for this reason: it lies at the foot of Pikes Peak. The Garden of the Gods, a park with striking orange rock features, creates a foreground for mountain views that make a photographer’s head spin.
Photo: The town of Ouray, Colorado lies high in the San Juan Mountain Range.
Million Dollar Highway
Colorado’s Rocky Mountains can be divided up into several sub-ranges. The San Juan Range, in the southwestern part of the state, is about as pretty as a group of mountains get. Winding through this colorful high country is the Million Dollar Highway, named for the riches in gold and silver mined there.
Photo: The Maroon Bells are one of the prettiest sites for families on Vacation in Colorado.
Maroon Bells
Named for their shape and the distinctive color of their rock, these two 14,000-foot peaks lie at the head of the Maroon Valley, near Aspen, Colorado. Maroon Lake acts as a reflecting pool at their feet. Quite possibly, these are the most photographed mountains in Colorado, and for good reason.
Photo: Colorado vacations in Rocky Mountain National Park should include a trip to scenic Bear Lake.
Bear Lake
Backed by rugged mountains on the Continental Divide, Bear Lake in Rocky Mountain National Park has an easy hiking trail around it. Photo opportunities of the kids playing in nature abound.
Photo: Far View Lodge in Mesa Verde National Park is well named.
Far View Lodge
Built on a high point in the already elevated Mesa Verde National Park, the Far View Lodge lives up to its name. Each room has a private balcony and a large picture window. Vistas stretch into the next state, and at sunset the changing shadow patterns in the canyons enchant adults while the kids watch for deer and wild horses browsing in the landscape, below.
Photo: Remote Colorado Highway 92, to the North Rim of Black Canyon of the Gunnison has some of the prettiest scenery in Colorado.
Hermit's Rest, Curecanti National Recreation Area
OK, this trip is admittedly a stretch for families traveling with young children. Colorado Highway 92 passes through some enormously remote country between Blue Mesa Reservoir and the teeny town of Crawford.
But this route to Black Canyon of the Gunnison's north rim winds through a quintessentially Coloradan landscape: dry, rugged, soaring, and snowcapped all at the same time. Glimpses of the plunging Black Canyon of the Gunnison just add to the drama.
Photo: Mt. of the Holy Cross from the Wedding Deck on Vail Mountain
Wedding Deck on Vail Mountain
As the Eagle Bahn gondola rises from the town of Vail, Colorado, layers of mountains peek from behind the ones right in front of you, until at the top of the ride, a vast panorama spreads itself for your enjoyment.
Take a short walk along a path that winds through wildflower meadows and you reach the wedding deck . The view of Mt. of the Holy Cross and her sister peaks is pretty impressive. You sit in the stone amphitheater and can't imagine a prettier back drop for a wedding.
Then you turn around and see what the bride and groom are looking at while they take the plunge ...
Related Articles at FamilyTravelColorado.com
Transportation In and Around Colorado
Lodging for Vacations in Colorado with the Kids
Colorado National Parks Directory
Check out our site map for a well-organized list of over 130 articles on great Colorado vacations for families.