Off to vist family in Colorado!

[Tinkerbells mom]

Tomorrow we are leaving me, DH and DD (3) to visit family in Grand Junction, Colorado. My daughter thinks all planes go to Disney (She has been there four times so far and in three months she will be on number 5!) We will be traveling to Utah and Wyoming also. Anyone know some fun things to do in those areas. My daughter would love to go somewhere to have a pony ride and loves any amusement park. I will miss the Dis boards next week,
but I hope we will have a great time out west!

 

[foolishmortal]

Tomorrow we are leaving me, DH and DD (3) to visit family in Grand Junction, Colorado. My daughter thinks all planes go to Disney (She has been there four times so far and in three months she will be on number 5!) We will be traveling to Utah and Wyoming also. Anyone know some fun things to do in those areas. My daughter would love to go somewhere to have a pony ride and loves any amusement park. I will miss the Dis boards next week,
but I hope we will have a great time out west!

denver has six flags, lakeside & heritage square amusement parks.

there is also Water World which is a HUGE water park.

 

[WDWguru]

Where in Utah? I'm in Salt Lake. There's a ton to do, especially up here in the mountains (yes, even in summer) and down at the gorgeous state parks in the south part of the state. If you guys like to spend time hiking and checking out the great outdoors, you'll love it! Even if you don't, there's a lot to see here in the city and up around Park City.

 

[thelionqueen]

I would highly recommend Water World as a specific park to see. Out of the other amusement parks, I would only suggest Heritage Square. I do not like our Elitch Six flags, and you might need to pack some protection if you plan on going to Lakeside.

Otherwise take a short drive up to the mountains and have a picnic by the river, it's gorgeous up there right now. Welcome to Colorado!!

 

[Microcell]

How old is DD? My kids cannot stop raving about Colorado Springs (1 and 1/2 hours away from Denver) there at the base of Pikes Peak is the North Pole, which is a kiddie amusement park where you can see Santa year round and touch the "North Pole". Fun for kids under 10.

Pikes Peak is cool because you drive up the peak to the top, like 6000 feet. Just don't let your breaks get hot going back down! You can throw snowballs 2/3rds of the way up. The last 1/3 of the drive is dirt road (but it is really wide) and no guard rails and plenty of switchbacks. There are places to pull over and take pictures. I couldn't drive it, but if one of you has nerves of steel it can be done easily. They race up it each year and very few people have died racing it.

There are many little mountian towns near Denver- West of Denver. Maybe someone from Coloado can tell you how far west on I70, but maybe an hour west of Denver there is the Loveland Pass- on the continental divide. Just BEAUTIFUL views of the mountains. Breathtaking. There is also the Argo Gold Mine which is so much fun to tour also along I 70 between Frisco and Denver somewhere, but I am not sure where.

Oh, and be sure to take your coats! It may be warm in Denver, but it can be much colder in the mountains.

ETA:

I just looked to see where Grand Junction is, and it is not all that close to Denver! It is smack dab in the middle of the mountains. I would just explore the area! The closest town i have been to is Breckenridge, which is a cool mountian town, but I am not sure if it is worth the long drive there.

 

[Mary Ellen]

I wouldn't call Grand Junction "smack dab in the middle of the mountains" - it is on the OTHER side of the mountains from Denver and about as flat as Denver is too. Both have mountains miles from the city, but they are closer to GJ. My in-laws live about a hour from Grand Junction, so I haven't stayed there but we've been by it numerous times.

I just Googled "Grand Junction" +Colorado (not a hard thing to do ) and found http://www.visitgrandjunction.com/ and also found that TripAdvisor also has information: http://www.tripadvisor.com/Attractions-g33450-Activities-Grand_Junction_Colorado.html

 

[lilprincessnbuzz]

Hi,
Grand Junction is not close to Denver, but if you have a car and time there is a lot to see in Colorado. Down south you can visit the Four Corners, the only place in America where you can touch four state borders at once. The Sand Dunes are very cool. The North Pole is fun, it doesn't take long to visit, but Santa is there! Glenwood Springs is AWESOME, the best hot springs pool ever!!!! Mesa Verde is very interesting, educational and fun. The worse thing about Colorado is that it is too far from DL and WDW. Cave of the Winds in Colorado Springs is great and you can visit Garden of the Gods too, both are fun. Lots to do in Colorado

 

[Tinkerbells mom]

Thanks for all the suggestions!