The infamous Bear Lake to Grand Lake hike has been on our list for years, but we never had the logistics in order to do it. This time, we had the 3 cars and interested parties on board to take on the hike across Rocky Mountain National Park with the Beintums and John, from near Estes Park to Grand Lake. Bear Lake is a really popular area to hike, and many people hike the 4.5 miles up to Flattop Mountain on the Continental Divide, and then back down, but whenever we have a way to do a one-way hike, we are all in. This would not be easy, as crossing this trail to the North Inlet Trail would be over 18 miles.
We left Snow Mountain early to drive to the top of Trail Ridge Road and across to the Bear Lake shuttle area. On the bus to Bear Lake, Kristin realized she left her phone in the outhouse and had to go back.
The rest of us hung at the trailhead while Kristin hitched a ride back for her phone. While it was a later start than we had hoped, we were on the trail in no time.
The first 4.5 miles was a quick ascent, but the kids flew right up the mountains.
Before we knew it, we were above treeline. Up top, we ran into mule deer, marmots, wildflowers, and snow.
We took a quick stop on top for lunch, and the kids were ready to go. The adults were definitely in worse shape than the adults, but we followed their lead.
Kristin and I had to race down to keep pace with the super six, and Chuck kept the girls out front.
After all the effort to go get Kristin’s phone, it ended up cracking on the way down anyway after a short fall. Her phone was just not meant to make it through the day!
Further down, we all regrouped at a bridge after crossing paths with a ranger taking care of a girl who had ended up with severe altitude sickness. They attempted to revive her, land a helicopter, etc, and ended up having to hike a rescue team in to take her out on a stretcher. She was on a youth group trip with total strangers, and we ran into her mom and dad back at the trailhead who were so worried about her! It is a reminder that the mountains are nothing to mess around with. We were quite fortunate to get our group up and over with few issues.
We made another quick stop at the falls on the way down while the guys attempted to get ahead. We caught them quickly with these amazing little hikers.
Our group walked right into downtown Grand Lake for ice cream while the guys drove John’s car up Trail Ridge Road to get the other two cars.
Kristin and I were amazed again with the energy of these kids on the beach while we waited for our ride.
Just as the sun set and dusk set in, the guys made it down with our rides back to the campground at Snow Mountain. Maybe an annual hike?! We shall see 😉
For the first time ever, we met up with more friends than we ever have at SMR… with a grand total of 62! Also for the first time ever, we stayed for 3 weeks, so spreading out the visitors helped a bit, but we met most of them during our first week there. The first night, we were able to get together with the Marsiceks and Rogers, and it was so good to see them!
Only in Granby do they have a parade like this… and we were able to hang out with the Rogers for a bit, help them plant a new tree, and do a little neighborhood 4 wheeling.
The next day, we were able to connect with the Grahams on their boat. The kids loved hanging out with their pup, and learning how to wakeboard.
Of course, we had to play a few games before heading back to Snow Mountain to greet our next visitors.
We had been talking about Snow Mountain with the Cossas for years, and were so excited they were finally able to make it out. We had the most epic game of golf ever, along with hanging with the huskies, visiting the cave, and a hike to the waterfall before more friends arrived.
As more friends arrived, we took a hike up 9 Mile Mountain with the Lumings, Cossas, Rogers, and Beintums to put a few prayers in God’s mailbox.
The new addition at Snow Mountain is an amazing park complete with mini zip line, rock climbing wall, and more.
The Kiva was a great place to gather together in the evenings. By now, we had the Smiths and Maldonados, two cross country families, in addition to the Yuns, a family from Chuck’s school!
Some of our favorite Kiva activities include roller skating, basketball, human Hungry Hungry Hippos, and the loft full of games.
We played lots of mini golf too, and sometimes night golf after the Kiva closed for the day.
The summer tubing hill is a great place to gather with large groups, as each session fits 80 individuals.
Snow Mountain has always been laid back about bears visiting the dumpsters, but just a few years ago, the garbage cans in the campground were upgraded to the “bearproof” variety. Here’s what the bear thought of that this time around!
One of our favorite hikes is the Adam Falls/East Inlet Trail out to one of the most beautiful meadows.
One of the best parts of this hike is heading back to Grand Lake after for ice cream and beach time!
If we let them, the Hoffs might choose to spend the whole vacation in the craft shop working on ceramics. Here are some shots of what we worked on this year.
Weekly bingo in the craft shop is always fun too.
Ethan was set on making a shelter this year for one of his scout merit badges, and the kids convinced us they should sleep in it. Most of them made it out there all night! In the morning, we went out to invite them back into the camper when we heard thunder. Crazy kids!
One of the highlights of our trip is taking the sled dogs for a hike with our friend, chaplain, and musher Steve. I think it’s safe to say this was a highlight for everyone who joined us this time!
The Beintums were so excited about bringing the truck out this year just to have everyone jump in the back to head across camp, and boy did the kids have fun with that!
The older the kids get, the more fun we have playing games with them. The library is a great place for gathering together for a puzzle or game when a summer storm comes through.
Campground life was fun as always, and the big camper makes everyone feel right at home. The kids loved taking over the camper with their crew and favorite games, but we pulled them away to play in the trike park, gaga ball, and more.
I’m sure the kids will hate me for this someday, but we always have to take an annual trip down to the homestead to dress up in the old fashioned clothes 😉
When the Marsiceks came back up, to Rick’s amusement, he was able to pull out a tooth for each twin, Laney’s at the beginning of the summer, and Ellie’s at the end.
We made one more trip to the East Inlet Trail with the Kinsellas, and hiked up well past the meadow this time. Unfortunately, we weren’t able to head to the lake as we fought for daylight.
We love seeing Hawkquest at SMR, and this year was no exception. The kids love posing with the eagle.
We were able to check out a new ranch in Grand Lake, and the kids got such a kick out of the pigs and goats.
We also snuck down to the homestead again for lollygagging with llamas. The kids are getting better at keeping these sassy guys on the right path after a few years of walking them, although the biggest attraction were the sweet golden retrievers who came with to drop off the llamas.
We took an amazing sunset hike up Nine Mile Mountain, and found the berries in prime season, so we made sure to take a partial trek up daily to retrieve more berries each day.
Rock climbing continues to be one of our favorite activities, and we were able to climb outdoors and indoors with some afternoon storms one day.
The Kinsellas, Marsiceks, and us also made a trip up Snow Mountain, but stopped at Peak 3 to avoid all the loose rocks up top.
After most of our friends left, we were fortunate to run into the Silders, who had seen info on SMR on our blog and fell in love as soon as they arrived. They were able to snag our favorite campsite, and the campground hosts had the kids painting birdhouses, rocks, and all kinds of things before they left. It was so nice to meet them!
We all went to the Fraser Rodeo one night, which was a nice change of pace.
Ethan used part of his vacation souvenir money to rent a flat tire bike for a couple hours, and was in heaven on the new course.
After everyone left, we decided to try a new hike. Robert convinced us to head up to Meadow Creek Reservoir, head down to Monarch Lake, and jump in his boat in Lake Granby. His original intention was to boat us to his car, and then shuttle us back up to Meadow Creek. However, when we got down to Monarch, we invited him to hike back up to Meadow Creek, and we dropped him off with his friends in Fraser. What’s another 12 mile hike, right?! We bribed the kids with unlimited Wendy’s, which they were more than pleased with 😉
Because our summer stay was longer at Snow Mountain than back at home, we participated in the summer reading program in Grand County. The big kids received free day passes to Winter Park…. how cool is that?! So, the last day of our stay was spent on the alpine slides and more. The little ones stopped by to take a run too.
That evening, we loved spending time with Steve back at his house. The kids went on a bone hunt, finding an astonishing number of bones in his yard, and managed to get lots of cuddle time in with the dogs.
Last but not least, we were able to film a little mission moment with Gretchen about why we love Snow Mountain so much. I don’t care for myself on video, so I won’t share the link, but good luck finding it 😉 (travel dates 7/14-8/2/18)
The last time we stopped at the Great Sand Dunes National Park was quick and amazing. We left the kids begging for more… the sun was shining, the sandy shallow creek was filled with people, buckets, critters, and more, and all we wanted to do was be there. However, we had been on our way to Santa Fe with no time to relax, so off we went.
We promised the kids we would be back, and this was our big opportunity. Due to our adjusted itinerary, we would now only have one night here, which ended up being fine. It’s amazing how different a place can feel with different circumstances. The creek had dried up with the drought, do there would be no playing in the water, and the wind was howling. We spent awhile in the visitor center earning junior ranger badges before heading off into the dunes.
The crew wasn’t exactly pleased about getting pelted by sand as we began climbing the dunes, but suddenly, we ran into the Smith family! What are the chances?! Well, we knew we would be meeting up with them in a couple days at Snow Mountain a couple hours from here, but we hadn’t realized our itineraries aligned prior. Suddenly, the kids were happy again, and the boys took off on a run with Devin through the dunes, while we caught up with the rest of the crew.
We ended up not taking the big hike we had planned, but the kids had more fun jumping off the dunes anyway. Who do you think won the big air contest?
By the time we left, the sun was setting, and the wind was picking up even more. Us adults had sunglasses to block the sand, but the poor kids had to cover their eyes just to walk across the dunes. Next time, we sure hope we don’t get that wind again!
We spent the night at the Sand Dunes Recreation Springs where we were able to enjoy the hot springs for a quick dip. A thunderstorm rolled in quickly, and we were able to get a refund on our hot springs visit thankfully! One more place to revisit for more time on another trip! (travel dates 7/13-7/14/18)
On the way to the Sand Dunes, we made a quick stop at the Black Canyon of the Gunnison, yet another amazing canyon national park in the southwest. We also planned to stop for a quick dinner in Gunnison or Crested Butte to meet up with old friend Ben, but after being invited to visit him at his home in Crested Butte, we changed up our plans to spend some quality time with Ben. We had already hiked a 14er in Silverton, so we decided to bypass our plans of spending a couple days in Buena Vista this time around to get the opportunity to spend some time with Ben.
Ben told us to pull in to his parking lot, take the trail, cross the suspension bridge, and then take the next trail to his house. How can you beat that?! It was everything he described when we got there… and more!
The boys enjoyed taking runs together, we were able to spread out and evaluate some camper issues, learn how to fly fish, and spend lots of time in the creek swimming, throwing rocks, tubing, and kayaking. A quick dinner turned into 2 nights of pure relaxation with Ben and his girlfriend Anna.
The night before we left, Ben took the kids out rock climbing/bouldering at Lost Canyon, which was absolutely amazing given he guides kids climbing all the time. Thank you Ben!
After getting all our relax time in, we were ready for the last stretch of our trip before settling in at Snow Mountain in a couple days. Thank you Ben and Anna for the hospitality! (travel dates 7/11-7/13/18)
We had planned to stay at Ridgway State Park for 3 nights, and use it as a base camp for some time in Ouray and Telluride, but after the mudslide, we were limited to one night there. We were able to park our camper in the Ouray Hot Springs parking lot, which was a perfect setup for us since we could eat a hot lunch right out of the camper. The hot springs, water slide, and obstacle course were great, and we thought of it as a big reward for our tough hike the day before!
Later that evening, we pulled into our campsite at Ridgway. We have loved staying here in the past, especially the great kid activities they have at the visitor center. A few years ago, the kids favorite summertime activity was dissecting owl pellets at the visitor center… you just never know what is going to leave a permanent impression on these trips!
The next morning, we ditched our camper by the Ridgway visitor center and snuck off to Telluride for a few hours. It was too quick, but so nice to return to this magical place! We have a great shot from this rock several ago… please stop growing up kids!
One of our favorite activities in Telluride is taking the gondola up to Mountain Village. The kids love climbing on the boulder up top, checking out the nature center, and walking around the shops. Next time, we will definitely allow a full day here to spend more time in town and do the waterfall hike we have done in the past (this year, unfortunately and fortunately, it was pretty dried up, so we didn’t miss much this time)! (travel dates 7/10-7/11/18)
Silverton is an amazing little town, and we couldn’t wait to stop there on our way from Mesa Verde to Ouray. The rain was finally coming down after severe drought, and as it flash flooded Havasu Canyon only a week after our departure, we encountered our own natural disaster here in Silverton. We were having a blast on what was supposed to be our “quick” stop in Silverton, shopping for souvenirs, eating fudge samples, running through the rain, and drewling over funnel cakes. Finally, we headed off down the Million Dollar Highway towards Ouray.
At some point, traffic stopped, but we didn’t think a thing about it because of the road construction signs. Suddenly, all the cars ahead of us started turning around, which we knew was trouble. Even though we were within only a few miles of Ouray, you would have to go hundreds of miles to get there any other way. A woman pulled down her window and told us there was a mudslide up ahead, and that the road was washed out. We waited, debating whether to set up camp along the highway, knowing it would be very difficult to turn our big rig around on the small two lane highway with steep dropoffs on either side. Finally, some emergency workers who had been fighting fires in Durango helped us turn around and we headed back to Silverton to rethink our plans. Since it would be hundreds of miles to get to Ouray the other way, we opted to spend more time in Silverton until we had a better idea of if the road would reopen. It’s strange to have the entire summer planned out, and then find no way to get to one of the places, potentially changing the path of the rest of our trip.
After speaking with some locals, we opted to camp down Mineral Road in the National Forest Service Campgrounds. There are several campgrounds down this road, and better yet, they are free! We are used to reserving sites 6 months in advance, so it was a welcome sight to pull in to Kendall Campground at dusk and find a site. The next morning, the boys went running and found more desirable campgrounds right on the river, so we hitched up and pulled the camper further down the road to Golden Horn Campground. The kids had a blast with the open space, exploring along the water. Sometimes, the best thing is a little change to the plan we have mapped out.
It was supposed to rain again, so we had decided not to try climbing a 14er, but as the morning progressed, there was not a cloud in the sky. After a visit in town talking to more locals in the adventure stores, we knew we had our window of opportunity. We raced back to the camper to grab hiking gear, and headed out of town to climb Handies Peak, our first family 14er. While we did not choose the shortest route (due to the tough four wheel road), we knew this was one of the easier 14ers to summit. That is not to say that it was easy. While this hike was “only 9 miles,” it was probably the hardest 9 mile hike we have taken. In addition, none of us had mentally prepared to do this on that day, so it was challenging (to say the least) to get everybody on board with the mission. This was one of those days that mindset became everything. We had to summit a 13er (which you will swear has to be the top), only to climb down 1500 feet only to climb back up… and beyond. Yikers!
Now, starting a 14er mid afternoon is usually not recommended, but what a treat it was under these circumstances! It was a beautiful afternoon, the trail was covered with wildflowers, and the kids were in peak shape after the Grand Canyon and Havasu. The trails were as steep as these pictures look, yet there was no time for breaks. We knew that in order for us to make it back down before dark, we needed to move quickly. These guys never cease to amaze me!
We have never had the privilege to witness a 14er sunset, but this may qualify as the most spectacular sunset we have seen.
The kids are definitely in better shape than me, and even after running that morning, Ethan carried my heavy pack so that I could keep up 😉 As we raced down, we ended up on a side trail to summit another 13er and had to back track to get down. This was a costly mistake, but this pic says it all! While it was dusk coming down, we made it back to the car just in time. What a day!
That evening, the road reopened, but we stayed down Mineral Road so we could drive the Million Dollar Highway (with million dollar views) the next morning. It’s truly amazing what these road crews can do in just a day to get these highways reopened! Mountains are nothing to mess around with. After making it through several restored mudslide areas, we were on our way to Ouray! (travel dates 7/8-7/10/18)
We had finally made it back to Colorado, and were so fortunate that the stars aligned once again, and the Davids would be meeting us at Mesa Verde after a business trip up to Durango. This time, we were excited we had reserved an electric site at Mesa Verde, but the site was so tight, it was the most difficult spot we have ever had to get into.
After setting up camp, we purchased tour tickets for the following day. We did Balcony House with our 7, and planned to meet up with the Davids at the visitor center for lunch, followed by a trip to Spruce Tree House and a tour of Cliff Palace.
It’s pretty amazing how close to the edge they decided to build, as hanging around for the hour tour gave me anxiety with 5 kids along! Thankfully, none of our kids have a fear of heights, and I trust them, but accidents happen all the time, so you can never be too careful! Balcony house had 40 rooms.
This tour requires visitors to descend a 100 foot stairway, climb a 32 foot ladder, crawl through a 12 foot, 18 inch tunnel, and then climb an additional 60 feet of ladders. The kids had a blast of course!
Before meeting up with the Davids, we took the car tour around the loop at the end of the road, and stood in amazement at the locations of some of these cliff dwellings. We couldn’t imagine choosing to position a home in these places!
After meeting the Davids, we took a short hike to see Spruce Tree House, which tourists are no longer allowed to enter.
Finally, we finished our sightseeing for the day by taking a tour of Cliff Palace, which has 150 rooms and 23 kivas, housing 100 people at one time.
The kids fit better through these crevasses than us, so it’s no wonder the natives were much smaller than modern day Americans.
Back at the campsite, we decided to take a little hike, and were pleasantly surprised by the amazing views.
Back at the campsite, down time is so important. Just to illustrate that the Hoffs don’t always get along, here’s a shot of Ethan and Ellie in punishment mode for a buddy hug. One of them looks happier to be hugging than the other, don’t you think?
Before leaving for our next adventure, the kids were excited to earn their next junior ranger badge. Throughout the summer, we have our kids working on bridge books, in addition to reading time in the car and junior ranger activities in the park. Travelling is such a great time to learn!
Mesa Verde, we will definitely be back! (travel dates 7/6-7/8/18)
If you want to see some of our nation’s most amazing cliff dwellings, Navajo National Monument is a great place to do it. Our original plan was to backpack to Keet Seel here, one of the most well preserved cliff dwellings. The National Park Service allows for a certain number of permits to do this daily, and we were fortunate enough to have one, but we decided to cancel it after getting an additional night at Havasu. Because you have to hike in with all your water, we decided that the kids had earned a break after doing Havasu, so we didn’t want to push them so much by taking another backpacking trip.
We opted to spend the night in the amazing Sunset View Campground. Did I mention that it is free?! Amazingly, it was one of the nicest campgrounds we have stayed in! We pulled in well after dark, with plenty of available spots.
After a quick night of sleep, we signed in to the visitor center for the first guided tour of Betatakin (there are only 2 tours each day because it is very hot there, so we knew the first tour would be best). The tours to Betatakin are also free, and extra special because the native Navajos who share this land with the National Park Service give the tours. We learned so much about plants, nature, and their culture on this tour! It is a short 3 mile hike roundtrip. However, the trail goes down 700 feet to the bottom of the canyon floor, where Betatakin sits. Because they are trying to keep Betatakin well preserved, you are not able to walk into the dwelling, but the information on the tour was so very interesting.
Braden was amazed that they only used the area for a couple hundred years before leaving for unknown reasons. It was also interesting that they threw their bones in the area, which you can still find today, along with many pieces of pottery. Ethan found it fascinating that the plants could be used as medicine or tea, and that some plants if used in excess, could kill you. In this ancient society, they marked their territories using their tribal animal symbols.
At the end of the tour, the guide offered to let people go up at their own pace due to the difficulty and number of steps, and of course, the Hoff kids did not disappoint. They went racing up the steps, closed up the cliffside tour door, got sworn in as junior rangers, and got ready to head off to our next destination.
This was a great stop, and we will be sure to head back to backpack Keet Seel someday soon! (travel dates 7/5-7/6/18)
As we left Havasupai and the furthest point on our trip, we were ready to start heading east very slowly. It was the fourth of July, so we decided to spend our last night with Dave and Jess in the quaint town of Williams, the gateway to the Grand Canyon. We have taken the Grand Canyon Railway to the Grand Canyon from Williams, and the kids loved the music and train robbery on the way. This time, we decided to spend the night at the Grand Canyon Railway RV Park and Hotel, which accommodated us well with our laundry and shower needs, as well as Dave and Jess with a good night of rest in the nice hotel before their plane trip home. We found a great restaurant for dinner before the 4th of July parade, as well as some zip lining through town. It is quite the town!
The fire danger was so high, there would be no fireworks anywhere nearby, which is often the norm on our travels, but the yummy restaurant, parade, and zip lining more than made up for it.
One of the benefits of staying in this Grand Canyon Railway RV Park is the use of the beautiful hotel pool and hot tub, which the kids loved.
The next morning, we headed over to the town shoot out. Ellie was so proud to be taller than the resident midget.
Since we didn’t get to spend much time on the south rim due to our car issues, we headed straight north from Williams to say our goodbyes. It was a great afternoon in the park!
The big boys and Chuck decided to take a run on the village trails while Gav, the girls, and I headed west along the rim trail to get our last views of this amazing place. We even managed to come across a resident elk on the way.
Ironically, we ate dinner at the pullout where our car had died, this time with no stress. Having a camper makes a dinner stop so easy, and we had an amazing sunset view before we continued on our way.
As we left the Grand Canyon once again, we realized what a successful trip it had been. The kids asked when we could go rim to rim to rim, which we absolutely loved! (travel dates 7/4-7/5/18)
