I’m planning on a week long trip - flying into Denver from Philly and renting a car. I visited/camped Rocky Mountain National about 40 years ago and plan on going back on this trip. I’m going with my wife and daughter (who can’t do strenuous hiking or biking). They’ve never been “out west” so I’d like to maximize the outdoors experience without going broke. I’m thinking about a trail ride but don’t have anywhere specific in mind. I’ve seen rafting but don’t know much about water levels in late July. Any train rides that I should check out? Garden of the Gods is on my daughter’s list. Normally, we prefer to just wing it but want to plan this trip a little more as I’m not that familiar with the area.
Edit to add - I know there are a million options. I’m looking for possibilities that Dopers have had personal experiences with. Maybe specific activities or companies/vendors to avoid or seek out. Trip Advisor etc. give some ideas but I don’t always trust them. Thanks.
Whenever I go to central Colorado I go to Breckenridge which is close to I-70 and not far from RMNP - almost half of a day’s travel but it would be through some great terrain. In summer there is the Breckenridge Fun Park which has an all-day pass that includes unlimited rides in the alpine slide, miniature golf, and alpine coaster. Unfortunately I don’t remember how much it is and their website is still configured for the skiing season. But the nice thing about the alpine slide for non-hikers is that you can enjoy the experience of going up a mountain and seeing the peaceful mountainside without exertion when you’re on the ski lift. There are also some nice short trails in and/or near town but you’ll probably experience better ones in RMNP - the great trails in the Breck area are medium-length but strenuous. I’d say that another disadvantage is that it is all at 8000 feet and above, but you’ll already be experiencing this with RMNP.
The classic train ride is the Durango to Silverthorne RR. I was going to mention the Pikes Peak Cog RR but apparently they’re closed, probably for good. You can always drive to the summit.
looks like we are going this summer as well. I am the youngest of the group at 60. Not sure what we will be doing since hiking is out and I am concerned about breathing problems for my parents in the thinner air.
It may not be exactly “outdoors” but Cave of the Winds is pretty nice.
Colorado Springs has lots of walking/hiking trails besides Garden of the Gods. The Broadmoor Hotel offers horseback riding up in the mountains.
[Moderating]
Advice, not art. Moved to IMHO.
There are a ton of neat little music fests in summer at the ski areas. Jazz, Bluegrass, blues, Dixieland, whatever you are into. Some are casual free drop in and listle, some are serious three day camp-in affairs. But one you have your dates down, you can see if there is any fests going on in stuff you like.
I don’t mean to knock your suggestions, Pikes Peak is great, but as for drive-to-the-top 14ers, I greatly prefer Mount Evans. The top of Pikes Peak is a parking lot, while the parking lot on Mount Evans is a bit below the summit. You park and hike up the last bit, so you get an idea of what exertion at 14,000 feet is like, and you aren’t dodging RVs while you enjoy the view.
Mount Evans is close to Denver, so combining a Garden of the Gods and Pikes Peak trip into one day might be easier for the OP.
You’re unlikely to encounter a snow storm in the summer, but even so, if at all possible, try to avoid weekends and holidays when traveling west of Denver on I-70. The traffic can be brutal during peak times. For example, 3-4 hours to go 90 miles.
Catch a show at Red Rocks. Amazing place!
Drive-By Truckers will be there July 28-29. Highly recommend!
I was looking at Pikes Peak because of the RR, so I mentioned the road when I found that the RR was closed. I’ve also been to the top of PP, but not to the top of Evans.
I’ve had excellent adventures in Ouray, Telluride, Aspen, Leadville, and Crested Butte but those have all been hiking or skiing vacations.
This was going to be my recommendation for low exertion out doors. Easily one of the best concert venues in the world.
Pikes Peak: Mostly paved road to the top, a charge to drive it. At the top there is a restaurant/souvenir shop with actual flush toilets, hot chocolate, donuts, and a big parking lot. On the way down they will measure the temperature of your brakes and, if they’re too hot, steer you over to a parking area where there is another chance to buy souvenirs/food.
Mt. Evans: National forest, I think it’s $10 for a day permit these days. Road is paved all the way but it is narrow. When you get to the end of the road it is still something like 50 feet to the summit, so you can hike it and when you get to the top, reflect that if you were climbing Everest you wouldn’t even be at the base camp yet. It doesn’t have much in the way of facilities–not like Pike’s Peak–but great views.
If you do the Mt. Evans thing, the Buffalo Bar in Idaho Springs is right there when you get down the mountain and is a fun place. Also there is an old gold mine you can tour. There used to be a horseback ride right next to the gold mine, where you could go up a suitably thrilling (but actually quite safe) mountain with minimum effort on a horse, but I think it is either gone, or moved. Georgetown is a few miles down the road and it’s touristy but fun. Old hotels, lots of places to eat, quaint kind of old western town. Not particularly cheap. If you want a train ride, that’s the place for the Georgetown Loop RR. It’s about a three-mile trip. I’m not sure when they run but July is peak season so probably often.
Actually Idaho Springs has food, hot springs, waterfalls, gold mines, and rafting tours, so it’s a popular summer place.
Royal Gorge is south of Colorado Springs and has a certain charm, although it’s only a tourist attraction. The bridge goes from one side of the gorge to the other and its whole reason for being is, tourist attraction. But you can also ride a weird little cog rail down to the water and back up. Kind of pricey IMO but worth doing once. (I mean the whole Royal Gorge experience, the cog RR is relatively cheap once you’ve already paid to go in and drive or walk across the bridge.)
Breckenridge is also a cool place and has an alpine slide that’s fun. Another alpine slide at Winter Park, which I think is the best one. Alpine slides are cool because you ride up on the same chairlift as the skiers take in the winter and then slide down as fast as you want.
As for rafting, water levels are still pretty high in July from runoff (at least we hope so if we want to water our golf courses here in Denver).
Estes Park is also a fun place. They have something that goes up a mountain, but I think it is more of a sky ride than a cog railway (it’s been awhile). You can tour the Stanley Hotel and look for ghosts. This puts you right at the gateway of RMNP or you can drive over Trail Ridge Road, which I’ve seen billed as the highest road in the world that’s part of a highway. Goes from Estes Park to Grand Lake.
Wherever you go in Colorado, wear sunscreen and drink lots of water. Altitude sickness is a real thing and the cure is to get lower.
However, that might be pricey since there is a charge for even entering the hotel and when my uncle went a few years ago IIRC it was between $10-$20. Not sure if there is a family discount or not.
Hah! Those stairs nearly killed my wife! 
Yeah, I was going to say. Depending on what “low exertion” means to you, Red Rocks might not fit the bill. You can’t discount the effect of the altitude on people who aren’t used to it. Even Denver’s measly 5280’ can kick some people’s butts, so when you start heading into the mountains it (obviously) gets more and more difficult. But Red Rocks is definitely an amazing place to see a show.
Do you know where you’re going to stay? Some of these suggestions are sending you all over the map, and Colorado is a big state with congested highways. You’re going to be doing a lot of driving.
Well, yeah you can’t just go roaming through the hotel. They have tours. I think the one we went on was $25 and included lunch.
I’ll recommend Mesa Verde as being very worthwhile. But it’s way down in the SW corner of the state.
Things I have done in COS:
Olympic training HQ
May Natural History Museum (lots of insects) You can skip the space museum, as it is just a bunch of stock NASA photos and soem models
Numismatic Museum
Brian