It’s hard to believe we are already planning our 2026 summer travel and I haven’t yet gotten around to posting about our 2025 travel. One of my goals for the year is to catch up (and stay up to date) better this year! So let’s start with our summer trip to Colorado in 2025. Our family spent a week with my brother and sister-in-law, who live in the Loveland, Colorado area. During our six-day visit, we explored Loveland and Fort Collins, and visited Rocky Mountain National Park. At the time, our kids were 3, 5, and 7. Most of our activities were short hikes, drives, parks/playgrounds, and meals. In this post, I’ll break down those activities by area.

In/Around Denver

On this particular vacation, we didn’t spend much time in Denver. We’ve visited the city a few times in the past (see previous posts here and here), and for this trip, we wanted to spend more time with my family. On our way from the airport to Loveland, we stopped for a break from our long travel day to drive through at the Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge to look for bison and prairie dogs. While we didn’t see any bison, we had fun spotting the cute prairie dogs and learning about the history of the refuge. The history is fascinating – the area was once a military site used for weapons production and later became an environmental cleanup site.

If you have an hour, drive the 11-mile Wildlife Drive, and listen to the Wildlife podcast along the way. If you have more time, you can hike one of the short trails in the refuge.

In/Around Loveland

Hikes

At the Devils Backbone Open Space, which is less than 10 minutes from Loveland, we hiked the easy 2.4 mile Wild Loop trail to see the Keyhole and beautiful views of the surrounding area. The Devil’s Backbone is a geologic feature formed over hundreds of millions of years by layers of sedimentary rock that have eroded unevenly over time, resulting in an impressive sight of rock raised vertically out of the ground in the middle of a plain. The area is popular for hiking, running, horseback riding, and mountain biking and gets busy in the summer months, so it’s advisable to arrive early to ensure parking. Entrance permit is $10/vehicle and there are restrooms at the trailhead.

Parks/Playgrounds

The Benson Sculpture Garden at North Lake Park is a great place for kids to run around. There are over 178 sculptures throughout the park, mostly along a paved walking trail. Our kids enjoyed searching for their favorite sculptures (being from Florida, they loved the alligator). After, they played on the playground and we rode the Buckhorn Northern Railroad, an authentic miniature replica of a steam train. Tickets for the train are $1 each, cash only (closed Monday).

Shopping/Activities

We dealt with on and off rain during our visit and passed the time with a few indoor activities. We visited Scheels, a large sporting goods store, that has several in-store experiences to enjoy. We rode the 65-foot indoor Ferris wheel (tickets are $1 each), viewed the 16,000-gallon aquarium, spotted local wildlife on the 22-foot tall wildlife mountain, and saw an animated Thomas Jefferson. There is also an arcade and mini bowling game. We didn’t bowl at Scheel’s but we did bowl on another rainy afternoon at Sweetheart Ten Pin Bowling and had a great time! What is better on a rainy day than bowling with your family?

During one of our hikes, my nearly 20-year-old hiking boots finally bit the dust and so I had to buy a new pair. Fortunately, there is an REI store in the area where I was able to find a new pair from a large selection of options (and I even snagged them during a Memorial Day sale!)

Food/Drink

We drove to downtown Loveland one night to eat dinner at Urban Field Pizza + Market. We are fans of nearly all pizza in our family, but this pizza was something special. They offer a thinner round pie and a deep dish square pie. We got one of each to share, along with a salad. Everything was fantastic, especially the pepperoni (and I’m not usually a pepperoni gal!). I knew the restaurant was different right away when they brought Wikki Stix for the kids instead of crayons – what a creative idea to keep the kids occupied!

After dinner, we had dessert down the block from Urban Field at Mary’s Mountain Cookies. The create-your-own cookie ice cream sandwiches are to die for! 

In/Around Fort Collins

Hikes 

At the Horsetooth Mountain Open Space, we hiked the easy-to-moderate 2.5 mi round trip trail to Horsetooth Falls, enjoying beautiful views along the way. The 2,886-acre open space is a popular destination that offers 29.5 miles of trails for hiking, mountain biking, and horseback riding. Entrance permit is $10/vehicle and there are restrooms at the trailhead.

After our hike, we drove a short way to a lookout point over the Horsetooth Reservoir. If you want to spend more time at the reservoir on a warm day, you could swim at one of the beach areas, rent a boat, go fishing, or have a picnic.

Another area for a short hike is the Gateway Natural Area. This area is hidden off of the highway on the site of the City of Fort Collins’ old water filtration plant. It’s a great place for a short hike, kayaking/canoeing, fishing, a picnic, or a playground visit in a beautiful setting. We took the 0.3 mile climb up the Overlook Trail to the ridgetop for views over the canyon. The trail is short, but steep. For another vantage point, you could take the moderate Black Powder Trail to a more expansive view over Poudre Canyon (0.8 miles to the top). Entrance permit is $8/vehicle and there are restrooms at the trailhead.

An option for free hiking is at the CSU Environmental Learning Center. The center is a 212 acre natural area along the La Poudre River. The area features two loop trails, 0.6 and 1.2 miles through several different ecosystems: riparian, cottonwood forest, wetland, and grassland. There are several educational signs along the walks to learn about the natural environment of the area.

Parks/Playgrounds

Our kids loved Twin Silo Park and I could tell it is a local favorite as it was filled with children of all ages playing. The playground features two real silos that are connected by a large slide to honor the area’s farming history. The playground has slides, climbing features, swings, and even a zipline track! If your kids are craving playground time, don’t miss this! There is also a nice walking track through the park.

Activities

One of the highlights of our trip was taking a farm tour at Morning Fresh Dairy. Morning Fresh is a fifth-generation family dairy that offers local delivery in Northern Colorado. Farm tours are only $6 per person and are around an hour to an hour and a half. We learned so much about the local farming industry and saw how the cows live (very well, I might add) at the farm. We were able to meet and pet calves before the tour ended with a tasting of Morning Fresh milks, as well as Noosa yogurt. After the tour, you could have lunch or pick up snacks at the Howling Cow Cafe. Sign up here.

Food/Drink

If you’re visiting Fort Collins, a unique spot for lunch or dinner is The Exchange. A variety of food and drink offerings are served from shipping containers surrounding a lovely green space. It’s a great place to go with a group so everyone can get something they like. We sampled various dishes from Italian to Mexican to Colombian, and all enjoyed ice cream from Old Town Churn for dessert.

While there are several breweries in Fort Collins, Odell Brewing Co rises above with its beautiful patio and mountain views. We spent an afternoon enjoying a few beers while the kids greeted every dog on the patio. It was extra fun to return to Odell because we had visited 12 years ago for my birthday when my brother was in grad school in Boulder!

If you’re a bagel lover, don’t miss breakfast at Gib’s NY Bagels. The authentic New York bagels offered by Gib’s for over 20 years are a local favorite for a reason. A fun feature if you visit is the gumball machine. For a quarter, you can buy a gumball and if you get a green one, you get a half dozen free bagels! Our kids wanted to try and my oldest got a green gumball on the first try. He was thrilled and we enjoyed…more bagels!

In/Around Rocky Mountain National Park

Useful Info

All of America’s National Parks are gorgeous, but Rocky Mountain National Park is one of the best. The 415 square miles of protected park land includes meadows, alpine lakes, towering mountain peaks, and abundant wildlife viewing. Because it offers so much, it is also very popular. If you’re visiting between late May and mid-October, check if you need a timed entry reservation to the park. If so, you’ll need to purchase a timed entry reservation ($2) to either the park or specifically the Bear Lake Road area (a 9.2 mile stretch of road that is home to some of the most popular trails), as well as a park pass.

The timed entry reservations are released in advance of your visit date, according to the chart below. Additional reservations will be released first-come, first-served on Recreation.gov at 7 p.m. MDT on the night before your desired arrival date. Because I wasn’t sure what date we would visit the park, I grabbed reservations for every day of our trip for more flexibility.

We ended up using our Bear Lake Road reservation for between 8-10 am the day after Memorial Day. While we arrived close to 8 am, we were the first car turned away from the Bear Lake parking lot. We were sent back to Glacier Gorge, where we took the shuttle to Bear Lake. While I was at first annoyed about having to park farther (having small children, it’s nice to be near the car so you don’t have to carry every layer or snack for every kid), it ended up working out just fine. The shuttle system is easy to use and runs frequently.

Hikes

With over 300 miles of hiking trails in the park, we barely scratched the surface in our day in the park, but we enjoyed all of the hiking we did. Once we arrived at Bear Lake on the shuttle, we started with the 0.6 mile loop around Bear Lake. The views were beautiful, but in late May, the path was still covered in deep snow. The kids enjoyed seeing all of the snow, but it wasn’t easy for any of us to walk on with regular gym shoes and hiking boots.

Once we returned to the Bear Lake Trailhead, we set off to Nymph Lake, a 1.1-mile round trip. At the lake, we ate snacks, while enjoying the view. This path is one of the most popular in the park, and even though we arrived early, it was still quite busy.

After returning to the trailhead, we took the shuttle from Bear Lake back to our car at the Glacier Gorge parking area. From the Glacier Gorge trailhead, we hiked 1.8 miles round trip to the beautiful Alberta Falls, where we ate our lunch. The falls were roaring and there were many rocks and logs for the kids to climb on as we took in the view.

At that point, it was early afternoon and the parking areas were starting to clear out as people finished their morning hikes. We took our chances and drove to Sprague Lake, where we found a parking spot. We walked the easy 0.7 mile loop on the stroller-friendly boardwalk. Shortly after we started our walk, we spotted a moose calf eating a little ways off the trail. It was a highlight for all of us!

Visitor Centers/Scenic Drives/Wildlife Viewing

After leaving the Bear Lake area, we stopped at the Moraine Park Discovery Center. There is a small museum upstairs with exhibits on geology, glaciers, and wildlife. While the exhibits look a bit dated, the information is very interesting! There are also two areas upstairs where kids can read nature and wildlife books. One of the areas features beautiful panoramic views, which you can enjoy from rocking chairs. During our stop, the kids became official Junior Rangers by taking the ranger pledge there. Moraine Park is definitely a worthwhile stop on your way out from Bear Lake!

If it’s open during your visit (check @rockynps on instagram for the most up to date information), you’ll want to drive some or all of Trail Ridge Road, a 48-mile road between Estes Park and Grand Lake. Trail Ridge Road takes you to the Alpine Visitor Center at nearly 12,000 feet elevation. The road has several short and unique hikes in the alpine region. Because there was still significant snow, Trail Ridge Road was not open for us. However, we were able to drive part of the road to Deer Ridge Junction and Horseshoe Park, where we snapped photos of gorgeous mountain vistas and spotted several elk and deer.

As we were heading out of the park through Horseshoe Park toward the Fall River Visitor Center, we lucked out at Sheep Lakes and saw several bighorn sheep crossing the road to drink water from a pond there. Sheep Lakes is an excellent spot for wildlife viewing and has a small information station staffed by a ranger. The parking lot is small and frequently full so if you can’t find a spot, you’ll be directed to keep driving.

We made one last stop at Fall River Visitor Center before leaving the park. This visitor center is small and I would say only worth a stop if you need to pick up a map or talk to a ranger, or if you’re looking for a souvenir to take home on your way out of the park.

We filled our time in Colorado with a lot of family time and nature and had a wonderful week. Thank you to my brother and his wife for hosting us!

Fortunately for me, I got to stay a few extra days and enjoy more mountain time – my husband and kids went home and my college roommates flew out for a girls’ weekend in Boulder. Stay tuned for my next post about Boulder!