This park really is a marvel. The magnitude of the mountains make for a stunning backdrop every season. The whole trip is very kid-friendly and just a short 2-hour drive from Denver. We could get there in about 80 minutes from our house so would go often, and there’s so much you can do along the way to mix it up if you’re visiting multiple times.

• Rocky Mountain National Park:The park is amazing. There are two main entrances from the Estes Park side and the North one tends to have far shorter lines in our experience. It routes you up over the town and most people go through the other way. This can save a good amount of time getting in. It also takes you to a few smaller trails, one we love in the winter because it is pretty flat and we bring the kid sled and go for a hike. Parking is pretty easy and there’s a bathroom with flush toilets as well. The other entrance has a big visitors center there with a gift shop which we usually exit through. Inside the park it is very easy to drive to most of the scenic spots in a day. The lake hike is VERY short and exceptionally kid friendly. There are hikes for every level of ambition. We did a few winter hikes and loved those as well, they are a little more strenuous when slick and snowy, but our daughter had a blast playing in the snow and the Colorado sun makes it feel much warmer even when its cold. Wear sunscreen, unless in a shady trail, it’s a lot of direct sun.

• Estes Park: This little town is full of nick-knack shops, places to eat and touristy type places. Its fine to walk around and there are cute candy stores, your standard t-shirt shops and a “Christmas all year” shop near the watermill. We would stop there when company came to town, but for our own time, we’d prefer to get lunch at the Pie shop on the drive in (they have incredible homemade pies, chili, seasonings and pot-pies-definitely worth the stop!). Estes Park prices are what you’d expect at a mountain-town tourist shop and the crowds can be tiring. There’s a grocery store right around the curve from the main drag, so if staying awhile, that makes eating easier to get stuff to have at your hotel/lodging.