Family Camping Trip

D

DuckFarmer

New member
Apr 26, 2018
20
So after my first elk hunt last year in Colorado I have decided to take the whole family on a camping trip to some of the areas I hunted. We will be driving from Pa. Kids ages 11 to 18. In pretty good shape.

So my question- What are the can't miss sights or activities we should do? We do have a couple of days planned in and around Montrose/Ouray.

Maybe even do a little scouting! [emoji6]


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I don't know any places to hit, but enjoy your trip and take pics!  :upthumb:
 
Anyone know of any good zip lines that a family of 7 can do without spending a fortune? That's on the top of the kids to do list!

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DuckFarmer, what part of Colorado are you planning on heading to? You don?t have to get specific since it?s going to be near where you hunt, but a general idea will help.
 
We have a couple of nights planned in the Montrose/Ridgeway/Ouray area. We will be driving from the east to get there. RT 70 at least one way, but open to "scenic detours"


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The Gateway arch and space museum in St. Louis is pretty neat if you're looking for a break on the drive out.
 
So if you take I-70 through Colorado to Grand Junction and then go south to Montrose, you are going to pass through a number of ski resorts that are either right off of or near I-70 (Breckenridge, Keystone, Copper Mountain, Vail, and Beaver Creek to name a few). Breckenridge is an awesome town with a bunch of shops and they also have an alpine slide. That is right near the town of Dillon, which has a huge reservoir (Lake Dillon) as well as outlet malls (more shopping). You could definitely spend some time in that area and not get board with boat rentals, fishing, shopping, etc. If you wanted to camp, there is a bunch of national forest in the area as well as campgrounds all around the lake.


Vail is also an awesome town to spend some time in just wandering the streets. It's probably my favorite mountain town.


To throw a curve ball your way, you could also consider taking US-285 from Denver all the way to Montrose. That is a gorgeous drive that takes you through Bailey, Fairplay, Buena Vista, and Gunnison to name a few. Not as touristy on that route, but certainly beautiful. Once you get past Fairplay, you wouldn't have a hard time finding some national forest to camp at. Gunnison is a great little town to spend some time in and between there and Montrose is Blue Mesa Reservoir, which you could also spend some time fishing and boating at. If you wanted a quick detour, Crested Butte is just north of Gunnison and is a really cool town.


And Brad mentioned this already, but if you are in the Ridgeway/Ouray area, Durango could be an awesome area to check out with plenty to do. I'll also throw in Telluride, which is in the same area. If you do end up down in Durango and want to make your way back to the eastern side of the state, you can take US-160 back to the east and hit the Great Sand Dunes on your way.


Honestly, there are a bunch of different options, it just depends on what you want to do. But if it were me, I'd definitely choose one route out and a different route back so you can hit the different spots along the way.


Hope that helps!
 
hanging lake could be a good stop for you if you need to kill a couple hours and are traveling i70.


Also the sand dunes national park is a really cool area, and the kids could try sand boarding if they wanted to
 
Don't forget the bathing suits for the hot springs in/around Ouray!  Haven't been there for over 20 years but remember the hotel had small hot tubs around it that were welcomed after long days of hiking.


Lots of good recommendations below.  If you head down I-285 like Derek mentioned, post back as there's alot going on around Buena Vista and the Collegiate Peaks(arguably one of the most beautiful stretches of the Rockies)!
 
Assuming you travel thru Denver you can hit Red Rocks amphitheater as it's very close to I-70.  Might want to check their schedule as you can usually get in if your not too late in the afternoon.  Concerts most days in the summer would not allow you in if you're too close to the start time.  Also a great place to do a quick workout on the stairs as quite a few people do that!
Glenwood Springs hot springs is also a pretty popular place if you're travelling that way.
Many of the ski resorts also run a chair lift in the summer if you want to catch a good view!
 
Leaving in about 6 weeks. Looking forward to it, I'll let you know how it goes. Thanks!

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On our trip! Hit the Gateway Arch on the way out, Black Canyon near Montrose today. Ouray hot springs tomorrow! Having fun!
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