The Grand Mesa is honestly Colorado’s best kept secret! Why it isn’t a national park, I do not know!? This gorgeous mountain is a breathtaking mountain range spotted with hundreds of lakes. It is overflowing with elk, chipmunks, bears, moose, and deer. During the winter it is popular for its ski slopes and cross country ski trails. In the summer it is a colorful ocean of breathtaking wildflowers. Can you tell that I am absolutely in love with this place? Not gonna lie, my husband and I almost bought some land here once upon a time, just because I love it so much!
As a mama of 3 kiddos, all 3 years old and younger, my hiking experiences are very limited compared to what they used to be. Our hikes are limited to max of 3 miles in a day, with lots and lots of stops and breaks. Lets just say hiking with toddlers is an adventure in itself. If you are curious as to how I hike with 3 kids check out this article here!
As I was saying, the hikes we look for now have to be toddler proof in order for us to give them a go. We have done plenty of hikes in the area, and we have narrowed it down to our top 4 kid friendly hikes in the Grand Mesa!
1. Land of Lakes
Distance: 0.5 mile, there and back
Let’s start with the BEST of the best, the number one of the kid friendly hikes in the Grand Mesa, Colorado; The Land Of Lakes Trail! This trail is a very short 0.5 mile hike and it is paved, I mean can you get more kid friendly? It is up for the majority of the hike there and obviously down for the majority of the hike down, but it is not steep and not hard at all.
The majority of the hike is through the beautiful pines, but once you are about 3/4ths of the way to the top, it opens up into the most breathtaking view! It is literally a land of lakes. You overlook to over a dozen lakes and thousands of pine trees. It is an amazing thing to see. You don’t feel like you are up that high, but with all that you see you realize you high up you are. It is not a steep drop, but it is still a drop that you will want to keep your little ones close to you. Trust me the overlook of this trail is absolutely incredible!
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2. Discovery Trail
Distance:0.3 mile loop
When I first saw this trail I seriously was going to skip it, because I thought how fun could a hike be that is that short. I mean really the entire trail is a woppin’ 0.3 mile loop. That is barely over a quarter of a mile! Last minute I decided to give it a go, and I do not regret it in the least! This was my kids favorite trail and let me tell you why!
The trailhead is locate right behind the visitor center, next to the restrooms. At the start of the trail is a small post with a box of pamphlets nailed to it. Normally I avoid pamphlets, but I grabbed one this time. Make sure you grab a pamphlet, cause it makes the whole trail that much more fun and fascinating!
Throughout the trail are posts with numbers on them. At each post you stop, open up your pamphlet and look for the object described under that number in the pamphlet and learn about what it is! We saw a chipmunk home, mushrooms, moss, knots in the trees, etc. I know that doesn’t sound fun, but it was actually really cool to learn about these things.
It was a super fun activity for my kids too. They would run ahead to see if who could find the next number. Then they would look at the picture in the pamphlet and see who could find the object first. It was education made fun. Now if the reading and pamphlets aren’t exciting to you, that’s fine, but still you have to do this trail for the sole reason that it is a gorgeous trail!
It is an easy trail with a clearly marked trail to it. It is a lot of uphill in the beginning, but nothing steep. Practically the whole trail is shaded by the beautiful pine trees and I am pretty sure this section of the woods is a chipmunk city! I am no kidding there were so many chipmunks! They were stalking us for a good portion of the time and they would get super close!
The best part of the entire trail is about half way through. After you get to the peak height of the trail there is a wooden bench. This wooden bench overlooks to one of the Grand Mesa’s many, many lakes. It is the most peaceful and calming places I have ever been to in my entire life. It is a beautiful overlook and one that you just have to sit at, just because it takes a while for all the beauty around you to sink in!
The rest of the hike is quick and easy, through the woods and slightly downhill. This is the most interactive of the kid friendly hikes in the Grand Mesa.
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3. Cobbett Trail
Distance: 0.6 mile
Another one of the kid friendly hikes in the Grand Mesa is the Cobbett Trail. Now this trail is fun because you are right next to the lake for at least half of the hike. It is mostly a straight hike from one lake to another with a couple of stairs in between. The trail borders Cobbett Lake which is a gorgeous clear lake right by the visitor center.
A very helpful hint though if you want to survive this hike, bring MOSQUITO REPELLANT! I cannot emphasize that statement enough, because I left this hike with no joke, 15 mosquito bites on my arms and legs. It was awful, but the hike itself was unforgettable. I was in awe the entire time. The lake is so still that it looks like glass the pine trees surrounding it are taller that church steeples!
What my kids loved about this trail was watching the fish jump out of the water to eat the mosquitos and also throwing rocks in the water. The simple joys of a toddler, am I right?
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4. Big Wash Trail
Distance: 1.8 miles, there and back
The most unique thing about the Grand Mesa is that the base of it is a desert and within 30 minutes you are in high mountains surrounded by Aspen trees. It has a little bit of everything! The Big Wash Trail is the most beautiful desert hike in the Grand Mesa. The rocks throughout it are so beautiful. My husband makes fun of me for saying rocks are pretty, but these ones you have to admit are too beautiful!
The trail is mostly flat until you towards the end. Towards the end it is a lot of climbing and jumping rocks. That is the only part of the trail that is a little bit difficult with kids, but other than that the trail is pretty flat. Forewarning you now though that this is a very rocky trail. So invest in a good pair of hiking shoes for you and your kiddos to help handle the rocks. The trail starts at a very open canyon and slowly the canyon gets smaller and smaller and might I add more beautiful. For more information about this hike click here.
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How to hike with kids?
As a mama of 3 kiddos all 3 years and younger, I know the thought of hiking with kids can seem l like too much work and not worth the effort. I thought this for a long time and it prevented me from going out a doing a lot of things with my kids.
There are so many benefits to hiking with your kids though. The benefits are listed on my article about How to hike with Toddlers. Hiking with kids requires a lot of effort, but it is possible! My number one tips are to bring lots of snacks! Bribery with food works wonders on getting kids to keep moving. We love the applesauce squeeze packs the best. Healthy, yummy, lightweight, easy to pack, and doesn’t get ruined in heat.
Know your limits and don’t push your kids too far or they will hate hiking and you will end up with sore shoulders from carrying them. We can do about 3 miles with my husband, but with just me and my 3 kids; our max is 2 miles. I always bring a baby carrier and a toddler carrier backpack with me whenever I go on a hike that is longer than 1 mile. Toddler carrier backpacks are essential in my book! It allows us to hike distance and works as a backpack for the snacks and water. I highly recommend a pack with a shade top to help keep your kid in the pack happy and free from sun burn. It also sorta shades you too!
Make sure you have fun! This is the key to hiking with kids! Talk it up before going, be excited, be happy, let them explore! Climb rocks, point out lizards and birds, pick flowers, throw rocks in the water, make it an adventure. As long as you make it exciting, be patient, and love what you are doing your kids will too!
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