Mesa Verde National Park is located between Cortez and Mancos, Colorado. This National Park is a preservation area of incredible Native American ruins built into the sides of desert mountains. Just like all National Parks it beacons visitors from all over the world. The question is, what else is there to do in this southwest Colorado area?
Heading west you will find more desert and more ruins, while heading east with take you into the mountains and forest of Aspens. Either way is full of excitement, but one of Colorado’s hidden gems is located just north of the Mesa Verde area; Dolores, Colorado.
Dolores, Colorado is probably a town you have never heard of, which isn’t unusual based on its small size and remote location. Dolores is a mixture of desert, plains, and mountains. The town is built in a canyon like area surrounded by several large lakes/reservoirs. There are plenty of fun things to do in the area, but particularly there are quite a few fun kid-approved activities in Dolores, Colorado.
Fun Things To Do In Dolores, Colorado with Kids
Dolores Playground
Of all the playgrounds in the southwest Colorado area, Dolores has our favorite! Most of the playgrounds in this area are just your basic play structure, but the Dolores Playground has a fun theme to it. The theme is fantasy creatures and the majority of the playground is a giant green dragon! You can either slide down his twirly green tail or is bright red tongue!
Besides the fun slides and dragon to climb through, there are also many other fun things to play with. Climb up the ABC’s, swing on the double swing, play musical instruments, and so much more. This is my kids most kid-approved activity in Dolores, Colorado!
Location:
Eat Elk Burgers at the Depot
One thing I absolutely love about Colorado is how easy it is to find charbroiled burgers! I LOVE the flavor and juiciness or charbroiled burgers. The unique feature of this burger restaurant is not only does it serve the classic beef burgers, but elk and bison burgers as well!
Dolores not only has a burger joint that has these delicious burgers, it also has an adorable theme to it as well. The Depot is what it sounds like, an old train depot. It is just a fun place to eat, with delicious food. Be sure to grab a chocolate shake while your at it, they are amazing!
Location: 520 Railroad Ave, Dolores, CO 81323
Hours: Tues-Sat 10am-7:30pm, CLOSED SUN-MON
Hike the McPhee Overlook
It wouldn’t be a Colorado experience without adding a hike to the day. The town of Dolores is bordered by a McPhee Reservoir, which is a large beautiful lake. The McPhee Overlook Trail isn’t exactly the easiest trail in the area, but it is the most worth the effort! This trail takes you along the cliffside to overlook the reservoir.
The trail is very rocky, with little shade, and lots of steep areas, but even my toddlers were hiking the trail with little help. They actually loved the rock climbing areas! It is a long trail, so I did not do the whole thing with my kids, but even just a couple miles is worth the hike!
rail Information: 12.8 miles
Explore the Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center
Canyons of the Ancients Visitor Center is an extremely mini version on Mesa Verde. The visitor center has a very small museum that talks about the history of the area dating back to the ancient Native Americans that settled this area. The museum isn’t very interactive, but the Junior Ranger program involved with this museum makes it more interactive.
Be sure to ask the rangers about it before entering the museum so that you can grab the scavenger hunt for the kids to enjoy while in the museum. The museum is full of artifacts, articles, and exhibits of what life was life for the Native American people. The Junior Ranger scavenger hunt will give them a list of objects to find to receive their junior ranger badge at the end.
After visiting the visitor center, there is a quick 1 mile trail up the hill to the ruins. The majority of the ruins are just the outline bricks of houses that were once built, but it is overlooking the reservoir for a fantastic view! This Native Americans sure picked a scenic spot to build their village! The hike is up to the ruins and then back down to the parking lot. It isn’t steep, but it is not flat. It does help that the entire trail is paved, so you can take a stroller if needed!
Location: 27501 CO-184, Dolores, CO 81323
Admission: $7 adults, 16 and under FREE
Hours: March 1 – October 31: 9 AM – 5 PM Tues-Sat/ November 1 – February 28: 10 AM – 4 PM Wed-Sat
Swim at the Narraguinnep Reservoir
There are multiple lakes/reservoirs of the Dolores, Colorado area; but our personal favorite is the Narraguinnep Reservoir. It is smaller than the McPhee thus being less busy. There is a small boat ramp area at the entrance, but last I saw it is closed for actual boats. Boats may be excluded from this reservoir, but people are not.
Situated right next to the boat ramp area is a rocky beach, perfect for spending a day at the lake. The water is obviously cold because this is Colorado, but it nothing a wet suit swimsuit won’t make better. Besides the playground this was my kids second favorite thing to do in Dolores, Colorado. Not going to lie, relaxing floating on a lake was pretty fun to me too!
Location: 23337 CO-184, Dolores, CO 81323
Admission: FREE
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Fun Things To Do Near Dolores, Colorado
Mancos State Park– Hike around a beautiful lake or go paddleboarding!
Hovenweep National Monument– Another beautiful desert area to find incredible preserved Native American ruins.
Lowry Pueblo– A short 0.2 mile hike around and through some old Native American ruins.
Mesa Verde National Park– This National Park has an unlimited amount of hikes through canyons, desert, and mountainside built Native American ruins.
Final Thoughts On Dolores, Colorado
While this isn’t the most exciting town in the southwest Colorado area, I do think it is very overlooked. As I described it earlier, I do believe Dolores is one of Colorado’s hidden gems. Maybe I am just starstruck by the small town feel that it offers, but I have loved exploring it. If there is any flexibility in your schedule, I do suggest taking a detour to explore this little town. It is a unique beauty and one even your kids will fall in love with!
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