YMCA of the Rockies
Perched at the gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park is quite possibly America's most impressive YMCA. This sprawling compound of log cabins, open meadows and recreation facilities has a sweeping view of the continental divide, a children's summer day camp and year-round family recreation activities.
Estes Park Center
YMCA of the Rockies
2515 Tunnel Road
Estes Park, CO 80517
970-586-3341
ymcarockies.org
Three Mile Creek Trail
In about six miles of trail in the Mount Evans Wilderness, you can ford streams, romp through wildflowers, pass through a forest and emerge onto tundra. If you park a car at either end, it makes a doable day trip. Alternately, bring your bedroll and stove and turn it into a long weekend's backpacking trip.
USDA Forest Service
Pike & San Isabel National Forests
2840 Kachina Drive
Pueblo, CO 81008
719-553-1400
fs.fed.us/r2/psicc/recreation/trails/spl_three_mile_trail.shtml
Sundance Trail Ranch
Where some dude ranches cater to adults only, Sundance specializes in family vacations, and only accepts seven families at a go. Some activities are for the whole gang, while others are split up by age. While the kids go off on a wilderness scavenger hunt, there's time for the adults to have a conversation on the porch. This small ranch also offers rock climbing, white water rafting, fly-fishing, archery and cowboy poetry programs.
Sundance Trail Guest Ranch
17931 Red Feather Lakes Rd
Red Feather Lakes, CO 80545
970-224-1222
sundancetrail.com
May Farms
On its 200 acres, the May Farms "agri-tainment" venue grows wheat, potatoes, corn, sunflowers and pumpkins. Goats, sheep, chickens and members of the May family live on the farm. They offer walking trails, school field trips and harvest attractions family, like hayrides and a grass maze. Plus, it's only about a 40-minute drive east of Denver, but is far enough away from the city gives kids a taste of high plains farm life.
May Farms
64001 U.S. Highway 36
Byers, Colorado 80103
303-822-5800
mayfarms.com
Article Written By Stephanie L. Smith
Stephanie L. Smith is a Los Angeles-based freelance writer and editor. She got her start in 1996 while still a student at Harvard, researching Let's Go travel guides to California and New Zealand. Since then, she's written and edited travel, lifestyle, health and fitness content for a variety of print and online publications, including Citysearch.com, Pilot Getaways magazine, and Channel One News.
