Right in the middle of Glenwood Springs and Grand Junction lies a cute little western town called Rifle, Colorado. Half desert and half green, this gem of a town has quite a few fun little activities. There is something here for everyone! Filled with fun trails that have incredible views; this town is a hikers dream come true. Hike to waterfalls, arches, ponds, deserts, mountains, you name it! For the little ones there are splash pads, tons of fun playgrounds and parks, even a fun waterpark/rec center. Keep up with the festivals, carnivals, and rodeos that are constantly happening. Or just enjoy some delicious food while enjoying the plateau view. If you are on your way past, I promise you that you will find something fun in this rustic little town!
Fun Things to do in Rifle, Colorado:
Rifle Arch Trail
Take in the Colorado desert beauty by hiking to the Rifle Arch! A 2.6 mile hike there and back. The hike itself is pretty easy, but make sure you wear sunscreen and wear a sun cap cause there isn’t really any shade. Keep an eye out for lizards scurrying along the path!
Once you get to the base of the arch, take a second to take it in, cause it is a pretty strenuous and steep hike up into the arch. We managed to get our 3 kids, all 3 years and younger up to it, but I would highly suggest not doing that with little kids. It was pretty rough and a little scary with the little ones. There isn’t a defined trail to the top, it is a lot like mountain climbing. Having ankle high hiking boots will make a world of difference getting to the arch as they protect you from cactus and help you keep sturdy footing on the slippery rocks.
If you don’t have toddlers to haul though be sure you go to the actual arch, because it is so worth it! The view from the arch is breathtaking; with a view of the mountains and the desert around. If you how to do this trail than you will like my article a How to Hike To Rifle Arch with Kids.
Things you will want for this hike:
- Ankle High Hiking Boots– these will help keep your feet from hurting, help you keep sturdy footing when climbing the rocks to get to the arch, and protect your ankles from the cactus all around.
- Sunscreen– the majority of the hike has no shade.
- Toddler Backpack Carrier– if you are bringing the little ones, you will definitely want a carrier and one that has a sun shade over the top so your toddler won’t get burned. It is a pretty easy trail, but there are some steep sections that make hiking a little harder for those little legs.
Location: 11124-, 12614 Government Rd, Rifle, CO 81650
Website: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/rifle-arch-trail
Price: FREE
Amenities: Giant gravel parking lot, no restrooms, horseback riding allowed, dogs on leash allowed
Rifle Falls
A MUST-SEE if you are in Rifle! These 3 beautiful 70 ft falls are incredible! You don’t even have to hike to get to the falls they are literally a short walk from the parking lot. If you take the trails around you can go behind the falls, above the falls, and right up next to the falls. All of the trails have caves surrounding them. My toddlers loved running in and out of the caves on our hikes. There are 3 hikes and they are all easy, beautiful, and don’t got more than 1.8 miles max.
Location: 5775 Highway 325, Rifle, CO 81650
Website: https://cpw.state.co.us/placestogo/parks/RifleFalls
Price: $9 per vehicle
Hours: Sun-Sat, 6am-10pm
Amenities: Not a lot of parking, so you will want to go as early as you can to get a parking spot, restrooms available
Morrow Draw Trail
Right close to town is a short 1.1 mile hike. A very easy trail, but still fun for my toddlers and kids. Mine loved seeing the horses alongside the trail, throwing rocks in the creek, and pretending there were dinosaurs chasing them. Even though it is a short hike you see a great view of the mountains, desert, a creek, and even a woods area. So if you are in Rifle and want to stretch your legs than this is a perfect trail for you!
Website: https://www.riflenow.org/201/Morrow-Draw-Trail
Price: FREE
Hours: Sun-Sat, 5:30am-10pm
Amenities: no restroom, no parking lot, dogs on leash allowed, stroller friendly
Rifle Falls Fish Hatchery
This fish hatchery is huge! The workers gave us buckets of fish food for free that we got to give the fish, but at certain times the only available way to feed the fish is a 25 cent machine. The second they would see us coming, the fish would swarm together ready to fight for the food! It was so fun to watch them and feed them. There are so many tanks and they are separated according to age of fish. You can feed small young rainbow trout, to giant grown trout. There is a little pavilion/museum to teach you about the different types of fish and the process of the hatchery. It is so fun and you are surrounded by beautiful mountains.
Website: https://visitrifle.com/rifle-fish-hatchery/
Price: FREE
Hours: 8am-4pm
Amenities: free parking lot across from the hatchery, restrooms, no dogs allowed
Riparian Falls
Riparian Trail Falls was SO beautiful! Just head north from Rifle Falls and it is just off the side of the road. It is a super easy and quick 1.1 mile loop around waterfalls, creeks, and little ponds! Along the way you will see rainbow trout in the water and geese surrounding the ponds. The trail will lead you to the Rifle Falls Fish Hatchery which is definitely a great stop too.
Website: https://www.alltrails.com/trail/us/colorado/riparian-trail?ref=result-card
Price: FREE
Amenities: no restrooms, small parking lot, no dogs allowed
Restaurants in Rifle, Colorado:
Playgrounds in Rifle, Colorado:
Davidson Park
Drive up the hill a bit to get to a fun park with a gorgeous view of the mountains! This playground is one for all ages of kiddos. My little ones especially loved the playhouse, the long bridge, the moving steps to climb on, and the big twisty slide. There is a big playground and a more toddler friendly playground. One thing I loved about it was how spaced the playground was so you didn’t feel like your kids are playing right on top of each other. There are baby swings and big kid swings!
The playground is in great condition, the soccer field is well maintained, and the pavilion with tables is very clean. They do have a port-a-potty on the grounds too, which is a necessity with these potty training toddlers! A great stop if you have kiddos that need to run out some energy. Beware when coming into the parking lot though, as you will be driving over a huge bump! Very well could scrape the bottom of your car.
Location: 715 Fir Ave, Rifle, CO 81650
Website: https://www.rifleco.org/94/Davidson
Amenities: plenty of parking, port-a-potty restrooms, pavilion with picnic tables, soccer fields, playground, swings
Heinze Park
Driving through town just off of the main road is this cute little park. It is a beautiful little playground and I do mean little. It has a handful of picnic tables, a little playground, a gazebo, port-a-potty, and even a little war memorial. No matter how small the playground is though, kids will love it. My little ones loved to try climbing the tunnel slides and especially riding the bouncing alligator. I loved laying in the soft green grass with my newborn, soaking in the sun and loving the view of the plateau.
Location: 612 Railroad Ave, Rifle, CO 81650
Website: https://www.rifleco.org/96/Heinze
Amenities: port-a-potty, picnic tables, parallel park next to the park, horseshoe pits
Items to help you fully enjoy these parks:
Centennial Park
The absolute most fun park in Rifle, Colorado! This park has it all! History, playgrounds, splash pad, fields, a creek, and a cowboy riding a fish. Yes you heard that right, all throughout Rifle are western art statues, and at the entrance of this park is a fun one. The playground is huge and honestly if a monkey came to this park, it would be a monkey’s dream come true. Almost the entire playground is filled with ropes to climb! That half of the playground is not very toddler friendly, so they have separate half just for the small kiddos. During the summer the splash pad is open and spraying water all over the kids running through them. Perfect way to cool off in the intense summer heat.
The cutest swim suits for your kiddos running through the splash pad:
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