Colorado Summer Vacation?

I agree that Estes Park is a great place. My family used to rent a large cabin at the YMCA of the Rockies. There are tons of activities to do at the Y and in the Estes community. There are several cool places to do day trips to as well.

I also love the Colorado Springs area and I believe there are several guest type places for large groups to stay. If you plan to go down there it might better to fly into that airport.

Book as soon as you can. Especially for a large group. Places fill up fast!!

My family has been vacationing in Colorado for over three decades and one of our favorite places is Estes Park. It is about 1 1/2 hours from Denver and adjacent to Rocky Mountain National Park. There are a lot of cabins/houses that you can rent but our favorite place to stay is YMCA of the Rockies. There is something for everyone! I like to describe it as a cruise on land....lots of activities for all ages and all abilities that are included when you stay there like mini-golf, hiking outings, concerts, family sing-a-longs and other programs, crafts, and activities for kids like orienteering, water discovery, beaver walks, nature walks, etc. For a fee you can also do fly fishing, horseback riding, river rafting excursions, etc. Basically, there is enough for everyone to choose to do things together, do their own thing and a combo of both. We love it and my kids have been going there since they were born!

Here is the website in case you want to check it out:
http://www.ymcarockies.org/

We stay at the Estes Park center in the summertime. They also have Snow Mountain Ranch, which is in Grand Lake (other side of the mountain) and while they have activities, they are much more low-key and don't offer as much in the summer (they are great in winter though and close to skiing!)

Main thing to know is they book early so have some dates in mind when they open up summer registration so you can hopefully get your first choice. You can stay in lodges (like hotels) or reserve cabins where you can cook your own meals, etc. (or you can still go out or take advantage of the cafeteria they have there). Good luck!

Drowsy Water Dude Ranch. Granny, Colorado. The BEST vacation EVER. It is family owned and run. When we were there there was a family there just like yours. Little ones to late 70s. On a scale of 1 to 10 it is a 15!

Look at Park City, UT, too. We vacation there in the summer. Probably more to do then than in winter.

The mountain towns are about l.75 to 2 hours from DIA. You might want to look at getting a condo up in the mountain towns (much cheaper in summer)...Vail has lots to do in the summer - especially around July 4th. You might want to check their website for events.

It's a longer drive, but Steamboat Springs is a nice area in the summer too. Condos are cheap in the summer because it's off ski season in all the mountain towns. Aspen is also very nice, but again, a longer drive. Aspen is known for it's nice restaurants, concerts, etc.

Can't go wrong anywhere! Breckenridge is one of our favorites. Very family friendly. Not sure of your budget, but One Ski Hill (a Rock Resort) rents condos (VERY NICE) and also backs to the summer fun "hill". Alpine slides, bungees, "roller coaster" etc for kids. Can take the gondola to town (free) so you don't even need to drive. I think Breckenridge and Aspen have mroe to do than some other areas in the summer more of a town than a place like Vail for example. Enjoy!!!!!

Estes park is awesome. Breckenridge is amazing with their alpine slides etc. Obviously lots of hiking anywhere you go in the mountains. Most resorts are 1 to 2 hours from Denver international airport, but there are some airports in the mountains, just much smaller, but you can try and check them out. We have stayed with YMCA of the rockies and there is so much to do for everyone! Horseback riding, different sports, hiking, etc.
Aspen is gorgeous but very expensive. The weather is just perfect in the mountains in the summer.
The air is VERY THIN here! Keep that in mind for anybody with breathing problems, altitude sickness problems etc.

Good Luck!

Durango is a really fun town. Rent a big house there and you can go rafting one day, hike some amazing trails, go to the really great Children's museum, ride the train (they have day trips and they also have shorter trips for young children). You can rent bikes one day and bike along the river.You can't really go wrong...it's a fun place.

Check out Ouray (pronounced YOU-Ray) Colorado. It's near Telluride and Durango. It's in a box canyon and is called the Switzerland of America. My family and I spent some time there when our kids were young. Looking at the website now makes me want to go back! It's beyond beautiful, and it is close to so many neat things to do. Jeeping, horseback riding, hiking, waterfalls, natural hot springs, gold mines, The Durango-Silverton railway, and there are hummingbirds and chipmunks everywhere. I could go on. Just google it. If you don't actually stay there, you should go through it just to see how pretty it is.

One of our favorite family vacations ever was to Colorado Springs two years ago! There is so much to do! We went up to Pike's Peak, shopping and sight seeing through Manitou Springs, hiking through the Garden of the Gods and 7 Falls, and we went white water rafting about an hour away. It was a wonderful trip!

Have fun wherever you go! :)