Rocky Mountain National Forest was incredible. I feel like you can get a bit of everything, especially depending on where you begin.
- You will not see it all in one visit.
- We spent 6 hours in the park and only scratched the surface. I believe we could come back to this national forest 4 more times and still not have embraced all its beauty, that said…
- Plan your corner of the park and stick with it.
- I found with littles, we didn’t make it as far as we expected, and that’s okay! We lingered, explained things, took snack breaks, searched for unique rocks (that we put back), and stopped on the side of the road like many of the visitors to check out the mama mouse and her child! Depending on who you talk to depends on their favorite part. I say stick with one thing you want to be true on the visit (see a creek, get as high as possible, find a scenic trail, etc) and be glad you did it. We pushed it with the 3 goals we had and almost didn’t stick to our timeline of getting back on the road before it was dark, as we stayed 1.5 hours away from RMNP.
3. If you’re not used to the altitude, do not visit on your first day in Colorado.
- If you fly into Denver, hop in your rental, and run off to RMNP for a hike, I’m afraid you’ll experience altitude sickness. We had been in Colorado for a week at that time, and our 2 year old had a bit of trouble in the Rockies. Ensure you’re drinking plenty of water and prepare for the altitude, because it can definitely be a shock to the system.
4. Get advanced passes.
- 7pm the night before passes are released. If you do not have these, you can not enter the park until 2pm!
5. Find the informational hosted by Park Rangers!
- We happened to stumble upon a park ranger giving a chat at one of the visitor centers and the kids were able to hear more about the park and pet furs, bones, and antlers! This enriched the visit and made for an organic homeschool moment!
Rocky Mountain National Forest will be a repeat visit for us over the years, what about you? Have you been? Is it on your list?
