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Family Travel in Rocky Mountain National Park





Bear Lake Shuttle, Rocky Mountain National Park
Photo: Kids climb off the Bear Lake Shuttle Bus in Rocky Mountain National Park. The Shuttle is the easiest way to get to some of the park's most popular and beautiful spots.


Rocky Mountain National Park, Emerald Lake Trail
Photo: Families enjoy a waterfall and an amazing view on the trail to
Emerald Lake, in Rocky Mountain National Park.
As the sun rises over the edge of the Great Plains, its golden rays illuminate Rocky Mountain National Park’s high peaks. In Colorado, about 30 miles south of the Wyoming border, the park lies smack in the middle of the state from east to west. It takes one and a half or two hours to drive there from Denver on generally northwest-trending US Highway 36.

This national park is shaped roughly like a rectangle blob, 20 miles wide and 26 or so miles from north to south. View from Trail Ridge RoadThe Continental Divide, the high ground separating the Atlantic and Pacific Ocean drainages, runs through the park from north to south. Cutting across the park from west to east, Trail Ridge Road scales the divide. Like a squiggly jump rope, the road swings up into the sky between heavily visited areas in valleys on either end. 

Highlands gather around giant peaks, which rear up in the center of the park.  Thus, a long band of stony summits divide Rocky Mountain National Park into the east side and the west side. Tiny lakes sprinkle the mountainsides, and rough and tumble creeks splash between them. Eventually these creeks join, forming important western rivers. They plunge through deep valleys, thousands of feet below the mountaintops.

The east side of the park sees the bulk of the three million visitors annually. A network of trails connects campgrounds, picnic areas, and scenic drives. South of Estes Park, Colorado State Route 7 (the Peak to Peak Highway) parallels the park boundary and offers hiking access to The Twin Sisters, Wild Basin, and Longs Peak. 

On the west side, Trail Ridge Road drops down into the Kawuneeche Valley, where it runs along the baby Colorado River. Colorado River in Rocky Mountain National ParkThe road provides access to a campground, picnic areas, historic sites, and hiking trails before it leaves the park near the town of Grand Lake.

Giant swaths of the park are designated as wilderness areas, and as such can only be accessed via foot trails. (And much of the territory isn’t even touched by those.)

Next Page >>> Best Family Attractions in Rocky Mountain National Park


Rocky Mountain National Park Travel Guide for Families:

BEST FAMILY ATTRACTIONS IN ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK

RANGER PROGRAMS FOR KIDS IN ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK

ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK PICNIC AREAS AND RESTAURANTS

 CAMPGROUNDS AND LODGING IN ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK

TOWNS NEAR ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK

ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK QUICK GEOLOGY GUIDE

ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK QUICK WILDLIFE GUIDE

ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK QUICK HISTORY GUIDE

TRAVEL INFORMATION FOR ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK

CONSIDERATIONS FOR FAMILIES IN ROCKY MOUNTAIN NATIONAL PARK




Related Articles:

Colorado National Park Directory
Colorado State Park Directory

Camping in Colorado with the Kids

Ten Tips for Road Trips with the Kids






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