A Rocky Mountain National Park Family Getaway
National parks make a great multigenerational vacation choice. Grandparents can spend time with their grandkids and help them earn their junior ranger badges (emerginghorizons.com/become-a-junior-ranger-at-any-age/), while mom and dad can take the afternoon off and enjoy mother nature. And nothing beats a family campfire in the evening. That said, planning a multigenerational national park adventure can be a challenge, as you to need consider a wide range of ages, abilities and interests. And then there’s the lodging issue. On the plus side, if your itinerary includes Rocky Mountain National Park, Estes Park Center (ymcarockies.org/Locations/Estes-Park-Center) makes the perfect wheelchair-accessible home base for the whole family.
Spend the Night
Although Estes Park Center has a variety of lodging choices, the hotel style lodges are a good choice for large families traveling together. Each family can have their own room, and there’s also a comfortable lobby with a fireplace in each hotel style lodge. So you can have you privacy, or be a social butterfly — the choice is entirely yours.
Longs Peak Lodge, which is just a short drive from the office, is one of the most accessible choices. There’s plenty of accessible parking in front, with level access up to the lodge entrance. Accessible Room 8101 is located one floor down and is accessible by elevator.
The room features wide doors and good pathway access, and it’s furnished with two 26-inch high queen-sized beds, with an access aisle between them. A table and two chairs are also included; and a single floor futon mattress is available upon request. There’s level access through a wide door to the oversized bathroom, which is equipped with a roll-in shower with a hand-held showerhead, grab bars and a fold-down shower bench. Toilet grab bars are located on the back and right walls (as seated), and there’s also a roll-under sink in the bathroom.
And for a nice family meal, head over to the Aspen Dining Room. Although there’s a path down to it from Longs Peak Lodge, it’s a bit steep and rocky. Best bet is to drive down if you have mobility issues. There is level access to the dining room, which offers a breakfast, lunch and dinner buffet. There are also a lot of large tables, so it’s a great family dining option. Even better — breakfast for two is included with each room.
Activities Galore
Part of the YMCA of the Rockies, Estes Park Center is located on 860 pine-studded acres, and surrounded on three sides by Rocky Mountain National Park. A popular reunion venue, this family oriented lodge has plenty of activities for all ages. And although the lodge is open to everyone, YMCA of the Rockies members get a discount.
Lodge guests can take advantage of the YMCA’s Day Camps, which offer a variety of programs for kids from 5 to 17 years old. And with advance notice, they are usually able to accommodate children with access needs in the day camps. It’s a good opportunity for kids to bond, learn a little bit about nature, and get some exercise.
And then there are those day trips to Rocky Mountain National Park. Sprague Lake and Bear Lake are good choices, as they both have wheelchair-accessible trails and are just a short drive away. In the end, there’s really no shortage of activities for Estes Park Center guests, where the motto is, “boredom is simply not an option.”
