Disclosure: This shop has been compensated by Collective Bias, Inc. and its advertiser. All opinions are mine alone. #RoadTripTreats #CollectiveBias
Jeremy and I are both Colorado natives but there are so many parts of Colorado that neither of us have experienced. Last year when we were discussing this sad fact we decided that we wanted to make sure that we saw all of our beautiful state and take Jude and Teagan with us on these trips. When summer approached we started looking at our weekends and decided that our first family adventure would be The Royal Gorge Bridge in Cañon City Colorado. Last weekend, we packed up the car and hit the road! The trip was so much fun and now we cannot wait for our next Colorado road trip!
Tips for a Family Road Trip to the Royal Gorge
Since we have returned from the gorge I have been thinking of a few tips for others to use while planning a family road trip to the Royal Gorge Bridge. I hope that as the summer winds down that you and your family are planning at least one more road trip! Get out there, see things, go places, explore and make memories!
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Tip 1 – Plan ahead: I am a planner by nature but when traveling with the kids I feel like we have to plan even more. I am not one that wants to miss an attraction due to traffic or run out of gas in the middle of the mountain highways. When we started planning this trip we decided on how long we would be traveling and what stops we would like to make. Also, make sure all of the extra stops you are hoping to see along the way are going to be open. These smaller towns have weird business hours. Some attractions and restaurants are closed on Sunday and Monday.
Tip 2 – Car activities: We are very lucky that our kids do not get car sick, so we do not have to be picky on what we bring on our road trips. We always pack a bag of books to read, small activity pads, and stuffed animals. This road trip, we were lucky enough to be in a car with a DVD player so the kids were able to watch a few movies during our trip. It is important keep the kids busy so parents do not have to hear “ARE WE THERE YET” one million times! It is a sanity saver people!
Tip 3 – Clean the car: Before your road trip, clean your car. Get it nice and comfortable for everyone. This is the space you will be spending hours, so you want it to be comfortable and clean. Every time you stop for stretch breaks or gas, make sure you clean the car out again. This will keep your car nice and clean but also help you not have so much work to do when you return home.
Tip 4 – First Aid kit: Pack a first aid kit for your car. Do you know how many times a 4 year old can ask for a band-aid while you are driving down a deserted highway for a tiny paper cut? You don’t want to know. So, pack that kit for the road trip and also for while you are exploring the bridge. The Royal Gorge Bridge and Park has many dirt hills and broken walkways that will possibly result in scratched up knees.
Tip 5 – Take in the sites: The whole reason for this trip was to see different parts of Colorado that we have not seen before. When we saw a town, a pretty landscape, a giant rocking chair (yes, its real), or a beautiful running river we would stop, let the kids run, explore and see the sites. Above is a picture of the Arkansas River that runs through the Royal Gorge, it was fun to sit at the bank of the river and watch kayakers doing tricks. Plus this was a true educational moment for the kids – yes, that river is the same river we saw from the bridge! MIND BLOWN! Mom for the win!
Tip 6 – Pack snacks and treats: For everyone in the car snacks and treats are important. I love finding great road trip snacks like the Sour Patch Kids found in a 1.9 pound bag that is resealable. It really is the perfect treat for road trips. The kids and Jeremy LOVE Sour Patch Kids so it was a great buy for the trip. I am always wanting something salty on the trip. My new favorite snack is the RITZ Crisp&Thins, so good! They are crispy and yummy plus 50% less fat per serving than the leading regular fried potato chips!
Tip 7 – Water, water, water! I cannot say this enough, you must pack water for your trip to the Royal Gorge. During the actual drive, we all enjoyed our favorite Sunkist® Soda and guess what, we didn’t have any spills thanks to the resealable bottles that are the perfect size for a refreshing road trip drink. But, let’s also talk about water you must bring when visiting the bridge. It gets super hot in this area. Due to the heat and altitude, it is very important to drink water the whole time you are visiting. Simply put some in your backpack for the whole family. The staff at the Royal Gorge Bridge and Park will refill your bottles for free.
Tip 8 – Take a ton of pictures: I have a habit of leaving my DSLR camera at home but for this trip I brought it. This whole trip I found places to take amazing photographs. From the moment you get to the park you will find scenes to take pictures of. A few years ago, there was a huge devastating fire that destroyed a lot of this park area so when you are driving into the park you will see some burned old trees still from the fire. While it was sad to see it was also breathtaking. Seeing the heat of that fire on the trees was something you do not see all the time. I also found myself taking silly pictures in the car; fun selfies, pictures of the kids sleeping, singing and laughing. Oh the memories!
Tip 9 – Walk the bridge, even if you are scared of heights: Okay, I am terrified of heights so I had some high anxiety for this trip but I knew I had to get on that bridge. So, we took the gondolas over to the other side and then walked back over on the bridge. It was amazing. Yes, it moves with the wind but I survived! When you get on the bridge you will see every state flag, stop and find your state flag and take a picture. It was fun for the kids to look at all of the flags on the bridge too.
Tip 10 – Ask the locals for tips: Now that you have made the trip to the Royal Gorge area it is time to get in with the locals. Cañon City Colorado has a lot of great restaurants and places to visit and the locals will tell you what to explore and experience. Its okay to be a tourist and act like a local!
You can find these great road trip snack options at your local Walmart. To make family road trips even more enjoyable have the kids go with you to pick our their snacks and treats. What a special treat for them!
Don’t forget to Enter to win over $3,400 in prizes for your family’s summer road trip! Enter sweepstakes here.
What family road trips have you enjoyed this summer?
Road trips are so much fun! This place looks awesome 🙂
mia2009(at)comcast(dot)net
WE just got back from Colorado and we were right by there but just didn't have enough time to see everything in one trip. I already want to go back and it has only been two weeks since we were there for the first time. We did see a lot while there from Rocky Mountain National Park all the way to Colorado Springs, Loveland, Denver, and everything in between in just 3 days!!! So crazy, now you make me want to go back!!! lol
How fun! I am glad you came for a visit. Colorado is amazing. We love living here and we are excited to be exploring more now that the kids are older!
I do NOT like heights, and that bridge looks seriously intimidating. Good job being so brave – that would take a whole lot of persuading for me to cross it! #client