Rocky Mountain National Park is a beautiful National Park that is great for the whole family! It is big and even though it can get crowded, there is plenty of space. We enjoyed spending a weekend there doing lots of hiking and camping. In today’s post we are going to share some of the highlights of the trip and what you should put on your agenda when you go!

Day 1:

On your first day at Rocky Mountain National Park, make sure you get checked in for your campsite. We stayed at Glacier Basin campground and loved the location and convenience to get to plenty of hikes as well as getting into town. You will want to have reservations if you are planning on camping in the park.

Since we drove quite a ways to get to the park, our first day was just spent setting up camp, visiting Estes Park, and taking a short sunset hike around Lily Lake.

Day 2:

This was our first full day in Rocky Mountain National Park. After a camp breakfast, we packed up our hiking gear and went out for some hikes. Our first hike of the morning was Sprague Lake. This hike was super easy and Lucy was able to walk the whole thing. She was 2 at the time. It is flat and very easy to navigate.

Our next hike of the day was Bear Lake. This was probably on of my favorite hikes that we did in Rocky Mountain National Park. Still fairly easy for most families, this one has more elevation gain than Sprague or Lilly Lake, it circles around a beautiful lake with lots of amazing trees and wildlife. Since we were able to find parking at Bear Lake, we just left our car there and took the bus down to our next hike.

Our next hike was Alberta Falls. This was also a really fun hike and was more than just a loop around a lake. The falls were beautiful and we enjoyed stopping at the top for a small snack picnic. We hiked all the way back to our car near Bear Lake. You can also start the hike to Alberta Falls from Bear Lake, it just adds some distance to the overall hike.

After having a quick lunch, we decided to drive in hopes of Lucy taking.a nap. So we drove up Trail Ridge Road. This road takes you basically up to the very top of the peaks in Rocky Mountain National Park. You are up very high and the roads are narrow and winding. I was driving and wasn’t nervous but Ben was kind of nervous on the actual drive. Once we got to the top, we spent time at the visitor’s center and Ben and his mom hiked up a short trail there to get up even higher.

We ended our afternoon back in Estes Park to look for some souvenirs before heading back to our campsite for dinner. The next morning we took down camp and headed back home!

Sum Up:

Rocky Mountain National Park is a great family friendly destination. There are plenty of family friendly hikes and sites to see within the park. Estes Park, which is the town right outside of Rocky Mountain National Park, has lots of fun shops, restaurants, and treat shops. If you’re planning on camping, make sure you get a reservation.