Heather Mundt - Colorado Family Outdoor Adventure: An All-Ages Guide to Hiking, Camping, and Getting Outside

An All-Ages Guide to Hiking, Camping, and Getting Outside

HEATHER MUNDT

University of New Mexico Press Albuquerque

2022 by Heather Mundt

All rights reserved. Published 2022

Printed in the United States of America

ISBN 978-0-8263-6377-0 (paperback)

ISBN 978-0-8263-6378-7 (e-book)

Library of Congress Cataloging-in-Publication Data is on file with the Library of Congress.

Founded in 1889, the University of New Mexico sits on the traditional homelands of the Pueblo of Sandia. The original peoples of New MexicoPueblo, Navajo, and Apachesince time immemorial have deep connections to the land and have made significant contributions to the broader community statewide. We honor the land itself and those who remain stewards of this land throughout the generations and also acknowledge our committed relationship to Indigenous peoples. We gratefully recognize our history.

Cover photo by Michael Mundt

Maps by Mindy Basinger Hill

Composed in Minion Pro and Gotham

THANKS TO MY ADVENTURING FAMILY:

My mom, Kathy, for sending me outside as a kid
and always being my biggest fan.

My husband, Michael, for sharing
your adventuresome spirit; its made me braver.

My mother-in-law, Linda,
for nurturing your sons love of travel.

My beloved boys, Brody and Colin,
for serving as the inspirations for every word of this book.
Im a better writer and human for being your mom.

I m proud to be a third-generation Coloradan and was lucky enough to grow up and remain in Longmont, situated along the Front Range within view of the Rocky Mountains to the west. My parents were born and raised in the plains and farmlands of northeastern Colorado in a tiny town called Peetzwhat Ive nicknamed Barely, Colorado, roughly 25 miles northeast of Sterling and 1 mile from the Nebraska borderwhere they learned to appreciate the outdoors.

And while we werent an extreme backcountry family, my mom and dad were always taking my sister and me outside. There are lots of 1970s-era photos of us playing in the dirt and swimming or fishing in mountain reservoirs where my parents would be camping or hunting with friends.

We might not have spent every summer weekend hiking Colorados Fourteeners (14ers)peaks topping 14,000 feet or more in elevationor backpacking toward remote campsites. But any time we hosted out-of-town visitors, we made sure to visit Estes Park, the eastern gateway to Rocky Mountain National Park just an hour from our home. And while we may not have spent winter weekends skiing or snowshoeing, we were most certainly out sledding and playing in the snow at every chance.

My parents provided just enough experiences as a child for me to foster a greater love for outdoor adventures as I grew older (although I have yet to develop a true love of camping, if Im being honest). So by the time I was in high school and college, I was hiking and mountain biking in those Rocky Mountains. As I entered my twenties, I was snowshoeing to those backcountry huts with my husband, Michael, and learning to ski. And now as parents, were getting a taste of it all as we explore Colorado with our two sons, Brody and Colin, fourth-generation Coloradans.

And thats really the whole point of this book: to inspire parents and grandparentsanyone, reallywho want to travel with children in Colorados outdoors in whatever capacity suits them. Whether thats climbing or driving to the top of a 14er, schussing the slopes or sledding them, glamping or camping, this book is for you. Young or old, American or foreign, outdoor adventurer or couch potato, a first-time visitor to the state or a resident seeking a new spot to explore in the Centennial State, I promise theres something here for you.

T hanks to my Outdoor Families Magazine friends Jennifer Fontaine, founder and managing editor, and Erin Kirkland, chief editor, who hired me in 2014 following several years away from freelancing. My work for you is what got me this gig; thank you for taking a chance on me. Thanks to all the convention and visitors bureaus (CVB) that helped check facts and offer area highlightsparticularly Colorado Tourism and Visit Denver, which helped me create part of Denvers sectionand to Lindsay Diamond from VistaWorks, who educated me on parts of my state I never knew to visit. To my friends and neighbors who love me after ignoring them for months, thanks for your encouragement. (Thanks to Annie, Becky, and Jen for reading sections.) To my husband and boys, Im grateful for your contributions to this book (especially Michaels proofreading and photography skills!). Finally, thanks to my favorite University of Colorado at Boulder journalism professor, Doug Cosper, who told me one day in my first news-writing class in 2000, You know, youre pretty good at this! I feel indebted that you believed in my writing before I did.

F amily travel is equal parts adventure and education, offering a living classroom for the children who join us on vacation. I kept that in mind as I wrote, offering some historical context because kids love learning, especially when they dont know its happening! After all, for me, the goal of family travel goes beyond making memories (although thats important too). It is also to provide context for our kids so they can appreciate their experiences and grow into good stewards of the lands theyre experiencing.

The prospect of writing Colorado Family Outdoor Adventure was daunting with so many wonderful places to see. Its also the first Colorado title in the Southwest Adventure Series to publish and the only family-travel guide for the state. I tried to get it right. But I cant be an expert on every Colorado city, so I focused on offering the very best options for the average traveling family, like mine.

For instance, were not a backpacking family with extensive backcountry experience, although weve gone on excursions that require both. In other words, you wont find any hardcore mountaineering advice here.

And while we love to ski, were not skiing experts, so Ive offered only the most basic information on Colorados ski resorts, noting my familys favorites in sections throughout the book. The same goes for hiking and camping, both of which my family loves, although we wouldnt consider ourselves experts in either.

I wanted to offer readers the most distilled information that I can, focusing on those places and activities Ive experienced myself or know about as an institution in Colorado. (Everything I include in this book is an activity or destination Ive either experienced or would experience with my own kids.) Basically, I tried my best to give a wide variety of adventures, from soft to extreme, in an array of places to serve a range of families, including some indoor options.