5 Night Colorado Adventure - Kid Friendly

Written By Melissa Marin

We took this trip back in late June 2021 so the sun was setting after 8pm. Juliana was 5 at the time and we had two other friends of mine join us.

Day 1

Taken from outside the Rocky Mountain View Gift shop

  • First flight out of JAX and landed in Denver by 10am MT and picked up our Budget rental car.

  • Breakfast at Snooze cafe while we waited for the rest of our travel crew.

  • Made a quick stop at Denver Pavillions around noon to pick up recreational goodies.

  • Headed to Estes Park approx. 1 hr and 35 mins away.

  • Checked into Apline Trail Ridge Inn by 3:30pm (15 mins outside of Rocky Mountain National Park).

  • Took a ride up the Estes Park Aerial Tramway by 5 pm and visited the gift shop at the top of the mountain.

  • Stopped by a food truck outside of the The Barrel beer garden on the way home for dinner.

DAY 2

Cute little stream that ran through the downtown area

  • Enjoyed breakfast at Notchtop Bakery & Cafe from 9:30am-11am and stopped by shop for rain gear.

  • Got to Estes Park Marina and Park by noon and rode paddleboats on the lake around 1pm.

  • Visited downtown Estes Park shops and hiked Knoll Willows Trail (.4 miles) where we caught a glimpse of the Stanley Hotel.

  • Took a break at our inn and then headed back out to Rocky Mountain National Park around 7pm for free entry.

  • With the sun setting soon we hiked Bear Lake Loop Trail (.7 miles) in about 15-20 mins.

  • Ended the night with pizza at one of the few place open for late dinner, Ben & Tony’s on Elkhorn Ave.

Day 3

  • Checked out by 10am and had some quality time with the ducks at Coffee On The Rocks.

  • Hit the road to Crested Butte approx. 5 hrs and 15 mins away!

  • Stopped in Buena Vista for lunch at House Rock Kitchen at 4pm.

  • Arrived at the Elevation Hotel & Spa by 7:30pm

  • Ended the night with a swim at the indoor pool and had dinner near at hotel.

Day 4

  • By 11am I had an apple cider mimosa in hand. However the wait was long at the Paradise Cafe, one of the few breakfast spots in town.

  • We arrived at the Judd Falls/Copper Creek trailhead by 1:15pm and were done by 3:05pm.

  • Strolled downtown Crested Butte from 4-6pm, grabbing some sweet treats and dinner.

  • Made it down to the hotel jacuzzi just in time for a lovely sunset.

Day 5

Sunset views by the jacuzzi

  • We grabbed a quick breakfast in downtown CB

  • Around noon we made our final drive to Denver approx. 3.5/4 hrs away

  • We checked into Hyatt Regency Denver a little before 5pm.

  • It was my birthday so of course we spent the rest of the evening at Punch Bowl Social (65 N Broadway) doing karaoke. We enjoyed dinner and drinks there as well!

  • Called it a night and headed to the airport first thing in the AM!

Melissa Marin