Enrollment Note: Official enrollment opens for the Colorado Rockies 2022 adventure this coming spring of 2021. You can use the form linked here and below to be the first to get notified when enrollment opens. And...by sending in the form - you have first dibs for one of the spots. There is no application, no deposit, and no commitment whatsoever at this time. But...send in the form - and a place will be waiting for you if you want it.

Colorado Rockies / 10 Days
July 17-26, 2022

Doing our part to help the environment by "holding up" this boulder at Garden of the Gods.

Big Mountains - Big Adventures

We can't wait to get back to the Rocky Mountains. It's been a while since we've been out to these BIG mountains and we know from past trips that this adventure will be one to remember! (Of course, we say that about all of our adventures, close to home and far away.

We'll bag at least one 14,000 ft. mountain on this trip, but not by foot. We'll get to the top of 14,110 ft. Pike's Peak via cog railway. You'll love this special "train" and the cog system is the only way the train can make it up something this steep.  The views going up and down are spectacular.

We'll make base in two main areas during this trip: Manitou Springs (next to Colorado Springs) and either Estes Park or Granby which are on opposite gateways to Rocky Mountain National Park.

As with all of our trips, we stay in motels/hotels and have our dinners in sit-down restaurants. It's the way to travel!

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What will we do?

Our activities vary each day, and each day is different than the day before. That's just one thing that sets a program like this apart from all others. And even though we're busy...we still save time to relax and just take in the scenery and enjoy the friendships. Each evening we'll return to our comfortable motel, with swimming pool of course.

Some of our planned activities include:

• Hiking in Rocky Mountain National Park where we'll take several hikes into the heart of the park to discover this natural wonder where the valleys are about 8,000 feet above sea level and the peaks rise several thousand feet higher.

• Take the cog railway up to the top of Pike's Peak where we'll enjoy a cup of hot chocolate and a couple of their famous donuts before making the journey back down.

• Experience the incredible rock formations at Garden of the Gods.

• We'll travel 1,000 feet below the Earth's surface to explore the Mollie Kathleen Gold Mine in Cripple Creek.

• We'll visit the Colorado Wolf & Wildlife Center in Divide, CO where we'll have the chance to have a "meet & greet" with a wolf. In addition, we'll see entire packs of wolf rescues and other wildlife.
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• Tour the United States Air Force Academy including an inside look at the stunning chapel.
  
  
• Have a snowball fight in the middle of July along Trail Ridge Road in Rocky Mountain National Park. This is the highest paved motor road in the U.S.
  
  
• Get a chance to do a zip-line or an adventure ropes course depending on where we base our RMNP portion of the trip.
  
  
• You'll get to tour the Olympic Training Center in Colorado Springs.

• We'll visit the historic district of the old mining town of Victor. From there we'll scout out some real ghost towns.
  
  
• Enjoy a horseback trip (optional) for an hour or so along the edge of the national park.
  
  
• Enjoy an authentic chuckwagon dinner and cowboy show at the Flying W Ranch. This ranch was closed for years after a devastating wildlife in 2012. They are reopening in the spring of 2020 and we're so looking forward to going back. (Yes, even boys will like this.)
  
  
• We'll kayak on Grand Lake (flat water) on the western edge of the national park.
  
  
• Experience an old-fashion penny arcade in downtown Manitou Springs. This place has plenty of classic arcade games, many dating back half a century or more. Kids love it.
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• See lots of Western wildlife with opportunities to see Rocky Mountain bighorn sheep, elk, deer, coyotes, and maybe even a black bear.
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• We usually find a way and place to have one our famous MindStretch Travel Adventures bowling and/or mini-golf tournaments.

• And other activities still in the planning stages.

More You Should Know...

This isn't a camping trip though we'll enjoy all kinds of camp-type activities during the days. But it's wonderful knowing that in the evening we'll return to our motel for a relaxing swim and downtime before heading out to dinner in a sit-down restaurant. Boys even get to order what they want from the menu. We'll often prepare our own trail lunches depending on the planned activities and breakfasts are usually continental style. Read the frequently asked questions page for more on how our trips operate and more about what a boy might expect.

You'll love exploring Rocky Mountain National Park. There's a good chance you'll get to have a snowball fight in July.

Getting saddled up for an optional horseback ride.

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We'll participate in either a zip-line, ropes adventure course, or both - depending on which base we use in the Rocky Mountain National Park area.

Click to start the adventure!

We'll descend over 1,000 feet before the Earth's surface for a gold mine tour.

You'll get your chance to view Olympians in training at the US Olympic Training Center.

The cog railway ride up to the top of Pike's Peak is an enjoyable way to take in the scenery at over 14,000 feet above sea level.

We'll visit and tour the US Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs.

An elk will be just one of the animals we'll be looking for during our travels.

Ever wanted to pet a wolf? We'll give you the chance.

You'll get a view of an active mining district right outside of Cripple Creek. The observation deck is actually the payload bed of a hauling truck. It's massive.

Yes, occasionally this does happen!

Check out this video of our boys howling to the wolves in 2017.
​We're going back to this place in 2021.

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Are you ready?
Send in this "interest" form now and you'll be the first to know when enrollment officially opens.
The adventure starts here!