Colorado Vacations
Vacation Planning Guide for Visiting Colorado with the Kids
Vacation Planning Guide for Visiting Colorado with the Kids
Best Spots to See Colorado Fall Color
Families planning a fall trip to see the aspen changing colors, can find gold close to Denver as well as in the heart of the Rockies.
You can catch the height of the fall color in a day trip or on a weekend getaway.
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Did You Know? Colorado is famous for its quaking aspen trees. It is said that local American Indians referred to them as spirit trees because their leaves seem to always move.  A member of the poplar family, the aspen's leaf stalk is flattened perpendicular to the plane of the leaf. This allows the leaves to flutter in the slightest breeze. The Latin name for this tree is Populus tremuloides. It is this tremulous quality that causes aspen-covered hillsides to shine with such an unusual, glimmering light. |
Photo: The View of Pyramid Peak from the Cliffhouse at Buttermilk Ski Area. Of all the ski areas at Aspen, Colorado, Buttermilk caters the most to families skiing with little kids.
Article: Skiing Aspen with the Kids
Article: Skiing Aspen with the Kids
Photo: The antique steam locomotive of the Georgetown Loop Railroad plunges
into a grove of golden aspen trees. Families ride in open air cars
and get a scenic dose of Colorado mining history.
into a grove of golden aspen trees. Families ride in open air cars
and get a scenic dose of Colorado mining history.
Frosty nights and warm days bring fall colors that flow through the forests like rivers of gold. Traveling in Colorado is never better than in the autumn. It is the perfect time for a quick family getaway.
The high country is full of places to see the changing aspen trees, but a few spots stand out. Here are our recommendations:
Aspen:
Where better to see the aspen trees change color than in Aspen, Colorado? This traditionally pricey town is quiet and surprisingly inexpensive in the fall. Check out the Maroon Valley to Maroon Bells.
Photo: A family spies on fish swimming in Maroon Creek,
near Aspen, Colorado.
near Aspen, Colorado.
Mueller State Park:
Forty-five minutes from Colorado Springs, on the west side of Pikes Peak, Mueller offers families great hiking variety, wildlife viewing, and shimmering gold hillsides. It doesn’t hurt that one of America’s most famous mountains rises majestically above the park.
Photo: Boys hike through forests laced
with shimmering golden aspen trees
in Mueller State Park, just west of Pikes Peak.
with shimmering golden aspen trees
in Mueller State Park, just west of Pikes Peak.
Sylvan Lake State Park:
Stretching through mountain valleys west and south of Vail, Sylvan Lake State Park offers hiking, caving, historical ranch buildings, an excellent visitor center, and a jewel of a little lake tucked beneath drifts of aspen trees. Don’t forget your fishing pole!
Photo: Peaceful Sylvan Lake State Park
offers beautiful views and great family activities
in the mountains southwest of Vail, Colorado.
offers beautiful views and great family activities
in the mountains southwest of Vail, Colorado.
Georgetown Loop Railroad:
Within an hour and a half of Denver, the Georgetown Loop Historic Railroad gives visitors a taste of Colorado’s mining past, along with heavy servings of scenery, and Victorian villages. Impressive engineering is tossed in for spice.
Photo: Kids give the conductor their tickets on the
historic Georgetown Loop Railroad.
historic Georgetown Loop Railroad.