Now that the kids are out of school for the summer, do you feel like the walls of your home are getting smaller and smaller? If you are ready to break free from the confines of your home and get the kids out and about, take them on one (or all) of these five totally kid-friendly hikes around Colorado:
1. Paint Mines Archeological District (Calhan)
Flickr/mark byzewski
Located just outside of Colorado Springs is the exciting and oh-so-colorful Paint Mines; a whopping 750-acres that are thought to have once been home to Native Americans around 9,000 years ago.
Flickr/Bryce Bradford
The area offers a total of four miles of walking trails through unique ecosystems, but you can roam whatever distance best suits your little hikers.
You’ll find the Paint Mines Interpretive Center at 29950 Paint Mine Rd., Calhan, CO 80808
2. Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge (Commerce City)
Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge (PC: Rich Keen) / Facebook
If your kids like animals, they will love a hike around the exciting Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge! Featuring nearly 15,000 acres, Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge boasts trails with woodlands, wetlands, and prairies that are home to over 330 species of animals.
Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge Facebook
There are nine Grassland Trails range from 0.3 miles (the Army Historic Trail) to 1.5 miles (Rattlesnake Hill Trail).
Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge Facebook
There are three Wetland Trails: Havana Ponds Trail (0.2 miles), Lake Mary Loop Trail (0.6 miles), and Lake Ladora Loop Trail (1.8 miles).
Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge Facebook
As well as two Woodland Trails: Woodland Trail (0.4 miles and Rod & Gun Club Trail and Wildlife Viewing Blind (1.2 miles). You can find more detailed trail information here.
Rocky Mountain Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge is located at 6550 Gateway Rd., Commerce City, CO 80022.
3. Helen Hunt Falls Trail (Colorado Springs)
TripAdvisor/Jim L.
Not to be confused with the Academy Award-winning actress, the Helen Hunt Falls Trail is a stunning 0.8-mile hike that ends with – you guessed it – a cascading waterfall!
AllTrails/Karen D.
The Helen Hunt Falls Visitor Center is located at 3440 N Cheyenne Canyon Rd., Colorado Springs, CO 80906.
4. Dotsero Crater (Dotsero)
Wikipedia/Lee Siebert, Smithsonian Institution
“What did you do this summer, Billy?
“Oh, not much… just hiked a volcano!”
Epic, right? Spanning 2,300 feet wide and 1,300 feet deep, Dotsero first erupted roughly 4,200 years ago and can now be visited via a short 1.5-mile hike.
GoogleMaps
The Dotsero Crater is located one mile north of the town of Dotsero along Hwy. 1-70.
5. Adams Falls Trail (Grand Lake)
AllTrails/Peter J.
Last but certainly not least is my personal favorite hike in my favorite town, which is that of the short and sweet Adams Falls Trail in Grand Lake! Spanning 0.6 miles, Adams Falls boasts not only an easy hike but also ample wildlife and a gorgeous waterfall.
TripAdvisor/Daniel F.
The trailhead to Adams Falls is located on West Portal Road near Grand Lake, CO.
