Glenwood Springs, CO - 7 Things to do with Toddlers

Glenwood Springs, Colorado, is a toddler-friendly spot that combines beautiful landscapes with a laid-back vibe and a range of activities. From relaxing in the world’s largest hot springs to hiking trails and enjoying a lively downtown, this town has a little of everything. During our visit, we explored Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park, took in the hot springs, hiked to Hanging Lake, checked out local parks, and got to know the heart of Glenwood Springs. Here’s a look at the highlights from our trip and some tips if you’re thinking about heading there yourself.

Glenwood Hot Springs Pool

Glenwood Hot Springs has something for everyone, from relaxation to kid-friendly fun. The main pool is great for soaking, but there’s also a toddler area with soft foam flooring, perfect for little ones, and a splash pad with water fountains. Kids (and adults!) can add some excitement with the water slides, and when it’s time to eat, food trucks and on-site restaurants offer quick bites, and the ice cream is great for cooling off. We enjoyed celebrating our little guy’s 2nd birthday as a family here! Glenwood Hot Springs really covers all the bases for a family day out.

Day passes range from $34-$46 for adults and teens, where children are $24-$30. This gives you re-entry as well. Plan to spend the day here!

Iron Mountain Hot Springs

A short drive from Glenwood Hot Springs, Iron Mountain Hot Springs offers a distinctive soaking experience with waters reminiscent of some of the world’s iconic hot springs (like the Blue Lagoon in Iceland!). Spread across multiple levels, each terrace has unique views of the Colorado River and the surrounding peaks. The range of temperatures and mineral compositions caters to all preferences, allowing for adult soaks in smaller hotter tubs as well as children’s splashing and jumping in the large cooler pools. Additionally, Iron Mountain has really great food options and a fun outdoor seating area.

Ages 3 and up require a day soak pass which is about $52/person.

Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park

Glenwood Caverns Adventure Park is surprisingly toddler-friendly, offering plenty of fun without park tickets. While there are a couple of small kids rides available for an additional cost, we found that wandering around, soaking in the mountain scenery, and watching others take on the thrill rides was enough for our littles. The park feels well integrated into the natural surroundings, with overlooks that provide great views of Glenwood Canyon. Little ones can dig and explore in the sandy play area and try their hand at gem mining. You can also stop at the Lookout Grille for a bite, where you can enjoy great views while eating. The lines were short and moved quickly, especially on our Tuesday visit in June. And don’t forget: in June, the gondola ride up is free, adding to the family-friendly experience!

Veltus Park

Veltus Park is a perfect family-friendly spot along the Roaring Fork River set back from the main road. With a large grassy area, it’s ideal for picnics, play, or simply lounging. The park has plenty of shaded areas, a variety of play structures, and covered picnic tables where families can gather. There’s even river access for those who want to dip their toes in or explore the water’s edge. Plus, the restrooms are clean and well-maintained, adding to the convenience for families. Veltus Park offers a relaxing, natural setting that’s great for unwinding after a day of sightseeing.

Two Rivers Park & Strawberry Days Festival

Two Rivers Park, where the Colorado and Roaring Fork Rivers meet, is a beautiful spot with plenty to enjoy. Our toddlers loved the cute playground, with lots of space to explore and play. We visited during the Strawberry Days Festival, an annual June celebration of Glenwood Springs’ community and culture, which added extra excitement to our day. The festival brought live music, local food vendors, barrel train rides, and other kids activities! Outside of festival season, Two Rivers Park is a great year-round spot for outdoor activities and enjoying the natural beauty of the area.

Downtown Glenwood Springs

After a relaxing day in the hot springs, we headed to the charming downtown area of Glenwood Springs. The streets are lined with breweries, shops, and restaurants, each with a welcoming vibe. We tried some local favorites at Casey Brewing (where our toddlers kept us busy tossing around the provided games—lots of cards under the table to clean up 😆) and enjoyed a slice at Rocky Mountain Pizza. The views from the pedestrian bridge are stunning, with the river, mountains, hot springs, and train station in sight. Beneath the Grand Ave. Bridge, we found Bethel Plaza—a cool hangout perfect for letting the littles explore. In the summer, they even have live music here on Fridays. This downtown area is definitely a must-see!

Hanging Lake Hike

Known as one of the most beautiful hikes in Colorado, Hanging Lake lived up to its reputation! The 3-mile round-trip trail is moderately challenging, winding through lush forests, offering canyon views, and following crystal-clear streams. Reaching the lake, we were stunned by the turquoise water, towering cliffs, and cascading waterfalls. A short climb up from the lake reveals Sprouting Rock, a waterfall just above Hanging Lake that’s well worth the detour. Our toddlers took on this hike with us: our 4-year-old did most of it on her own, including the steep final stretch, while our 2-year-old enjoyed the ride in the hiking pack. Check out our toddler hiking tips if you’re considering this trek with little ones!

Remember, this trail requires a permit and reservations for specific time slots. As of this post, the trail is temporarily closed for bridge replacements and rock mitigation, so check the website for updates and grab a spot as soon as it reopens!

When are you planning your next trip to this lovely Colorado town?!

Ouray, CO - 21 Toddler-Friendly Activities

Ouray, CO, aka The Switzerland of America, holds a very special place in our hearts! It is a gorgeous mountain valley with the most accessible hiking you could imagine, beautiful waterfalls, great shops and restaurants, wonderful people, and alpenglow mountain sunsets. While there are quite a few hikes here that we wouldn’t take our toddlers on, we found many toddler-friendly hikes and other activities in this valley that we can’t wait to share with you!

Box Canyon Falls

The traverse through this narrow canyon and sound of the waterfall thundering through is unreal! You HAVE to experience it!

The Fall Trail heads directly to the waterfall and is around 500 ft. The power of the falls may actually startle your toddlers a little so we recommend doing a little prep work - tell them how loud it will be and that they’ll probably get a little wet but put a positive spin on it! Our daughter was clinging to me (I didn’t listen to my own advice about prepping!), but our son was completely fine. There are stairs at the end of this hike that take you to the bottom of the falls which are definitely worth a look, but the upper pathway dead ends at the mid-point of the falls and was my personal favorite part of this experience.

The High Bridge Trail takes you to the top of the falls which is mostly stairs with a 200 ft elevation gain over 0.5 miles. The views are breathtaking and our big made this one look easy! This portion of the hike connects to the Ouray Perimeter Trail and will keep going, so we recommend you hike to the bridge and through the tunnel, and then return back down. There is also a Native Plant Loop that we didn’t explore because we headed home for nap but looked like a fun walk with toddlers.

This waterfall does have specific hours and requires you to pay admissions at the visitor/nature center - $5/4-17 year old, $7/18-62 year old, $6/62-74 years old, and free for 3 and under and 75+. Parking is just outside the visitor center.

Baby Bathtub Trail

The pictures of this trail do not do it justice! It’s seriously so beautiful! Our big simply was not in the mood for a hike when we did this trail so it took away from this hike slightly, but this was still one of my favorite spots. The trail is about 0.5 miles and it is definitely a hike you should put your toddlers in bathing suits and watershoes for. Similar to Box Canyon, this trail connects to the Ouray Perimeter Trail so you can continue on if you wish.

There is a small amount of parking at the trailhead so try to stay away from the typical busy times of the day/weekends. Be sure to stop and see the waterfall that rips under the bridge at the trailhead.

Cascade Falls

Cascade Falls is the iconic falls you can see in the Ouray valley from most places in town. This is another stop on the Ouray Perimeter Trail but you can just hike straight to the bottom and the midpoint of it from town if you prefer. That would be our suggestion with toddlers. This is a popular spot, but still a must see.

The distance to the bottom of the falls is 0.3 miles with a small elevation gain and about 0.5 miles to the midpoint of the falls. You can actually stand behind the falls, but our kids were wiggly and we were a little bit nervous to try. There is parking at the base of the falls in town.

Uncompahgre River Trail

The Uncompahgre River Trail is such a treat with toddlers! Heading north from the Ouray Hot Springs, you’ll be able to follow the gravel path along the river and enjoy bridge crossings, feet dipping, and views of the mountains and beautiful homes. The trail can make about a 2 mile loop, or you can go out as far as you want and come back.

Perimeter Trail

The Perimeter Trail is 5.6 miles and encircles the Ouray valley. This hike offers amazing views and even stops through several of the locations we’ve suggested above. There are entrances and exits to this hike throughout town as well as a map at each spot, so you really can’t miss it nor do you have to accomplish the entire hike at once.

It is a challenging hike and particularly with toddlers. There are climbs and ascents, the edges are abrupt and there can be loose rock. There were several stories of people loosing their footing and falling. If we had two hiking carriers, I think we would have been more prepared to try this hike but after one attempt with our 4 year old toddler who trips on everything, we kept our toddlers away. If you’ve managed this with your toddlers, please provide your feedback in the comments!

We stayed at 4J+1+1 Campground in town and we were able to access this trail for my husband and I to run/walk during naptime. The views were gorgeous!

Ouray Visitor’s Center

We always include Visitors Centers on our blogs because we think it’s important to not miss them! These locals can share of closed trails or new locations that may not have been the same as when we visited. They had a lot of ideas and maps to share.

Fellin Park Playground

Fellin Park Playground is right in the middle of town near the hot springs and offers everything you could need for your toddlers and bigger kids to play. While the area is not fenced, it is large and provides a great spot to run around. There is a paved trail surrounding the playground and grassy area which is about 0.25 miles and is perfect for taking turns running with your spouse or letting the kids scooter or bike. There are covered picnic tables for your snack or picnic lunch and the mountain views are incredible.

Stop into the hot springs to grab bags of fish food for $0.50/each (cash only) and enjoy feeding the fish and turtles at the pond with your toddlers.

Be sure not to miss Mountain Air Music Series, aka Ouray Thursdays, which brings emerging bands, food and fun for the whole family. This event is every Thursday in June from 6-10pm. Bring your chairs and watch your toddlers dance to the music!

Ouray School Park

While this park is located at the elementary school, it is open to the public when school is not in session (after hours, summers, and holidays). This had great views from the town hillside and was fully fenced which we really appreciate. There was basketball, a reading corner, Gaga ball, and Kompan play equipment. It was perfect for toddlers. There was little shade and no potty so be sure to pack your own.

Ouray Hot Springs

The Ouray Hot Springs were a daily treat during our two week visit to Ouray. There are several pools including an adults only pool, lap pool (25 meter length), activity pool with a rock wall, hot pool, and a shallow pool. Our kids loved playing in the shallow pool which was the coolest pool and on colder days, the hot pool. There is also a waterslide for an extra $5 for kids 48” and taller. To play in the activity pool, kids must pass a swim test.

They offer a 20% military discount and 3 and under is free. Because we were in town for a while, we opted for a 20 punch pass for $320 which could be used by any member of our family and never expires. Passes also include access to the upstairs fitness center and you can come and go for the day with your receipt.

Twin Peaks Hot Springs

While we only enjoyed walking through these hot springs while we ordered dinner from the restaurant, we wished we had spent more time here. The setting was more calm than the Ouray Hot Springs, but was still toddler friendly. While there are hours that are exclusive for guests, this hot spring is open to the public. They do an excellent job placing colorful flowers in the landscape and it’s all-around just a gorgeous setting.

Wiesbaden Hot Springs

We did not visit Wiesbaden because your children have to be 6 or older to swim, but we wanted to include it in our blog, because it looks fantastic. The springs are continually flowing (there is no recirculated water) and the temperatures range from 102-111 degrees. If you can sneak away for a date night or if your kids are older, this spot would be great!

Bachelor Syracuse Mine

This spot does not come up often in searches of things to do in Ouray, but we highly recommend it! We found out about it from the locals and actually enjoyed Father’s Day breakfast here. Go for a weekend miners brunch which is Friday, Saturday and Sunday from 8-11am Memorial Day to Labor Day and enjoy a hearty breakfast in the open air of the mountains. While we had a locals private tour of the outside of the mine and we let the littles pan for gems, the tours welcome all ages and the guides are fun and knowledgable. Adults 13+ are $20, children ages 5-12 are $10 and toddlers 4 and under are free.

Scooter Around & Downtown

We love taking our electric scooter out with our babes using a handlebar for them! We found ourselves doing rides around the campground, through town, and everywhere in between.

Million Dollar Highway to Silverton

The Million Dollar Highway is a gorgeous scenic drive between Ouray and Silverton, is about 23 miles and takes about 45 minutes (without stops). My husband and I compared this to Hawaii’s Road to Hana, Colorado style. If you are fearful of heights, this drive may be a bit scary, but we loved every minute of it and never felt like we were too large in our 22’ Ram 3500 dually (though it would have been more fun in an open air jeep!). Be sure to stop at the Switzerland of America viewpoint, gaze at the wildflowers, mines, waterfalls (especially Bear Creek Falls), rivers and curvy spots on the road along the way.

We timed our visit to be in Silverton for the Durango to Silverton steam train arrival which is at about noon. We arrived early and the kids played at the Silverton Memorial Park Playground which was beautiful. The playground equipment was in great shape, the park had trails around the Cement Creek and there were clean restrooms. If we had arrived early enough, we would have loved to check out the museum as well, but instead we headed to the train arrival spot which dead ends at the intersection of 12th and Empire St. The kids loved seeing it roll in and toot its horn. We beat the train crowds and headed over for a highly recommended lunch at El Bandito. While we awaited our food, the kids enjoyed gem mining across the street in the Old Towne Square. After lunch we walked through the historic town and returned back to Ouray for naps.

Since our visit, we’ve met other families who have parked their cars in Silverton and taken a cab to Durango to ride the train with their toddlers. The train only goes from Durango to Silverton and back and we hadn’t thought of this personally, but we thought it was a great idea so we wanted to share it with you!

Yankee Girl Mine via Jeep

If you have an off-road vehicle and can adjust tire pressure, it is so fun to take some mountain roads to get up close and personal with the views from the Million Dollar Highway. Ouray is known for off-roading and you’ll see that nearly everyone local (and visiting) has a jeep. The trails these people take and the sights they find are incredible! We were fortunate to befriend locals who took us out. In an afternoon, we were able to checkout Ironton, Yankee Girl Mine, and Red Mountain and I felt it was the perfect blend. The kids actually thoroughly enjoyed the open air, wandering around the mines and throwing snow in the mountains.

Ironton is a mining ghost town with buildings and homes still standing. Trails weave between them and to the river. The Yankee Girl Mine is spectacular! It’s about a mile off the highway and is extremely picturesque. I enjoyed imagining myself in the shoes of the people who constructed and operated the facilities and buildings and were able to enjoy the mountain views daily but also deal with the dangers of mining. After winding through the roads on the Red Mountain we were stopped by thick snow and could no longer continue. The views were breathtaking, the kids enjoyed throwing snow and I enjoyed watching them play in one of the most beautiful spots I’d ever seen.

We do not recommend you do this in a non off-road vehicle and especially not your tow vehicle. The suspension is too stiff and when you live full time in an RV or are traveling far from home, the last thing you need is to cause damage to your truck. Jeep rentals are about $300/day from the local Ouray companies, and they must be returned washed and full of gas. There are also companies in town which will take you out with a group tour like the San Juan Scenic Jeep Tours.

Imogene Rooftop Drinks

We love rooftop spots and the Imogene did not disappoint! You actually have to walk up the steel steps on the side of the building, enter the Imogene Hotel door, and climb another set of stairs to the rooftop. The 360 views are perfection and the beer was refreshing. The toddlers also enjoyed the endless supply of water from the 5 gallon Gatorade jug and our little man tried to become a bartender when he snuck off.

Ouray Brewery

We love checking out local breweries and this one was great! They also boast rooftop views and a great selection of beer and food.

Mouse’s Chocolates

Mouse’s has excellent chocolates, ice cream, scrap cookies and coffee! The shop is warm and inviting, especially on a rainy day.

Ridgway Playground & Railroad Museum

A day trip to Ridgway was well worth it! Ridgway is only about 20 minutes from Ouray and is a great place to find a larger grocery store and enjoy the shops, playground, views, and railroad museum. The town playground is right in the middle of quant shopping, is well shaded and has large grassy areas to run around. Our kids loved playing here! While we didn’t find a ton at the railroad museum and the kids REALLY wanted to go inside the train, we enjoyed a walk through this spot (it’s free!). There is also a library in this area that we wished we had time to checkout.

Ridgway State Park

Ridgway State Park is a lot of fun as a beach day, to explore on paddle boards and to hike! The visitors center is great as are the viewpoints from this location. There is a marina and several beach spots to setup chairs, toys, and take your paddleboard in and out.

Black Canyon of the Gunnison Day Trip

Black Canyon of the Gunnison is a longer day trip and you may need to plan for naps in the car or omit them if you are coming from Ouray. The drive to the South Visitors Center is 1 hour and 15 minutes from Ouray. We highly recommend checking out this National Park. It isn’t as well known as the others, but the views are astounding and it can be quickly explored from your vehicle or, of course, you can get more intimate with it if you have more time.

We stopped in to get our Passport Book stamps, grab a map, and take in the views from the visitors center. Our must sees were the Gunnison Point, Pulpit Rock Overlook, Chasm View, and Painted Wall overlooks and we enjoyed the drive to the East Portal to see the views looking up from the Gunnison River. This drive is steep and windy - make sure you do a brake check - but also, enjoy it!

While many people document that this place gets it’s name because some places in the canyon only see a few minutes of sunlight a day, the park rangers confirmed that it is because of the type of rock in the canyon. Two things we found fascinating were that the view from Painted Wall has a height that is just as tall as the Burj Khalifa in Dubai. Having family in Dubai and visiting this building ourselves, we found that unbelievable! Also, the narrowest part of the canyon is only 40’ across - known as The Narrows.

We heard that the north rim is better, but we didn’t have time, nor did our kids have the desire, during our visit. We’d be interested in your feedback!

Do you have any other Ouray, CO favorites with toddlers?

AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE

This website contains some affiliate links to other websites including the Amazon Associate program. If you use the links provided and make a qualifying purchase, we get a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products we truly love, have made a difference in our lives, actually use during our adventures, and think you can benefit from too!

A Quick Guide to Using your National Park Passport Book

We picked up our National Park Passport Books at the Glen Canyon Dam Visitors Center gift shop this past June. We had thought about it for a while for the kids and were excited to finally get them! The staff at the gift shop were kind, but unfortunately they weren’t able to answer any questions about the National Park Passport Books.

Kids love stickers and stamps, so we expected they would love to start these books even at the toddler age. Plus, it would be fun for them to reflect on as they grow. At first, we just bought one of these books (the classic version), and then we figured as the kids grow they’ll want to stamp their own, so we now have two. However, I kind of want my own to hang onto (the collective version), but three just seems like a lot to carry around so we haven’t pulled the trigger yet.

We started our journey using these books a bit blind. While there are some instructions at the front of the book, we had some mental roadblocks and couldn’t quite understand what it was trying to tell us. It wasn’t until a few months later that the friendly staff at Yellowstone National Park were able to clear a few instructions up for us! Phew! Now we are all set, but we wanted to share some things we learned with you.

Definition of Stamps & Cancelations

Here is the quick and dirty - the terminology is more like how the post office terms work, not mom crafting minds. You need to purchase the ‘stamp’ (like a postage stamp) which in my mind is more like a sticker, from the visitors center. Each visitors center has a ‘cancelation’ with the date you visited, which is more like a stamp in my mom mind. So you’ll have one ‘stamp’ (sticker) per national park, but you can have multiple ‘cancelations’ (stamps) for the days visit.

Pay attention to the ‘cancelations’ (stamps) you are putting in your book at the visitors centers. Sometimes there are multiple and we’ve had times where we’ve stamped one of a location we weren’t planning to go to. Oops!

Other Lessons Learned 🤪

1. Be sure to put your stamps (stickers) and cancelations (stamps) in the correct region, and if the location is not listed in that region, put those cancelations (stamps) only in the extra cancelations area of your book as there will be no stamps (stickers) sold (e.g. National Fish Hatcheries and Forests will not be listed so those would go in extras).

2. It is worth noting that not all visitors centers sell these books (like the one in the town of West Yellowstone, MT) if you are trying to purchase one in person in Yellowstone National Park.

3. Be prepared in advance of your arrival to the visitors center with your toddlers by placing a post-it note in the region your stamp and cancelation will go. Too many times, I was chasing the kids around busy gift shops while trying to find the right location! 🤣

What other questions can we help answer?

We created a map for you to view all national parks as you plan your travels! This includes US National Parks (where these passport books can be stamped) as well as Canadian National Parks (because why not when you live in an RV?!).

Page, AZ - 7 Toddler Friendly Activities

Page, AZ is a vibrant desert town that is a great home base for families looking to explore some of the most breathtaking natural wonders in the Southwest. Located near the shores of Lake Powell and surrounded by striking red rock formations, Page offers outdoor adventure, stunning landscapes, and family-friendly fun. If you are traveling with toddlers, this town makes it easy to balance sightseeing with downtime. Here are 7 toddler friendly activities that we recommend!

Horseshoe Bend

Horseshoe Bend is famous for its incredible views of the Colorado River, which curves around a massive rock formation, creating a horseshoe-shaped bend. Fortunately you can enjoy this view without a long, strenuous hike. The sight of the deep blue river against the red rock cliffs even caught our toddlers attention.

The viewpoint is about 1.5 miles round trip from the parking lot. In our opinion, this could be accomplished with a more off-road stroller, but we appreciated having our hiking carrier. Be prepared for some hand-holding once you approach the edge as not every location is guarded by rail. This hike is HOT, even when we went in early June so do it early, wear sunscreen, and drink lots of water. Oh, and don’t let your toddler hike in their layered synthetic unicorn dress no matter how much they insist - our daughter was so overheated. 🤪

Antelope Canyon

This is a mesmerizing slot canyon with towering, wavy walls of red/orange sandstone that create a magical atmosphere especially when the beams of light filter through the walls. It’s likely you’ve seen the pictures on your computer screensaver. While both the Upper and Lower Antelope Canyons are breathtaking, we believe Lower Antelope Canyon has more to offer, is less crowded, and is very toddler-friendly despite there being mixed reviews.

While you still have to do some coaxing and hand-holding, there aren’t many places your toddler can run off to in here, so it makes it extremely manageable. Be prepared for lots of narrow stairs but enjoy your toddler climb them in a ‘natural’ playground or bring your hiking carrier if they aren’t ready for the climbs. Our 4 year old did great on all of it herself but our 2 year old was safely tucked in his carrier. We booked through Ken’s Tours and enjoyed a small group, a very knowledgeable tour guide who made our kids laugh, and we liked that check-in was right at the top of the canyon. This hike is about 1.1 miles round trip.

Lone Rock Beach

Lone Rock Beach is located on the south shore of Lake Powell near Page and is know for the massive sandstone rock formation that rises from the lake, creating a stunning backdrop for your beachside adventures. This beach has wide open spaces, easy parking, shallow waters, an opportunity to paddelboard and a relaxed atmosphere for your toddlers to play. Bonus, you can even camp right on the beach here (no hookups though, of course)! Our kids enjoyed splashing in the water, playing in the sand with their toys, and snacks. Lone Rock Beach is part of the Glen Canyon National Recreation Area, so be prepared with your National Park Pass.

Glen Canyon Dam

This National Recreation Area is an engineering marvel that offers a mix of stunning views, educational experiences, and outdoor activities that are perfect for families traveling with toddlers. The Carl Hayden Visitor Center, located next to the dam provides the history of how the impressive concrete structure, which holds back the waters of Lake Powell, was constructed beginning in the 1950s. It also has interactive exhibits for your toddlers while you enjoy the breathtaking views out the windows. There are several observation decks and even the walk across the Glen Canyon Dam Bridge is a must see. We recommend just appreciating what you can here and letting your toddlers run amuck instead of putting them in a stroller or carrier. Don’t forget to get your Passport Book stamps here!

Lake Powell Overlooks

The overlooks around Lake Powell offer panoramic views of the lake, surrounding rock formations, and distant canyons, making it a fantastic spot for families to enjoy nature without a long hike or complex logistics. It is eye-opening to see the drop in the water level from these locations. The overlooks are a great, safe spot to allow your toddlers to stretch their legs. Our favorite overlooks were Wahweap and Navajo Mountain.

Golliard Park

This playground is a well-maintained community park in the heart of Page near the airport. Golliard Park boasts clean playground equipment, sun-sails, bathrooms, picnic tables and is simply a family-friendly space designed with young children in mind. Your airplane loving toddler will appreciate seeing the planes through the fences from the large grassy fields too!

Grand Canyon Brewing + Distillery

We love checking out local breweries on our adventures and this has been one of our favorites to date. Grand Canyon Brewing + Distillery offers a welcoming and toddler-friendly environment that’s perfect for winding down after a big adventure day. It is a spacious setting with large garage doors that bring in the breeze and big tables to spread out toys and all the ‘things’ that manage to be everywhere when you eat out with toddlers. We thoroughly enjoyed our meals and drinks while the littles explored the restaurant, played with foosball, and disorganized all the stickers in the gift shop. 😬

Drop us a comment if we’ve missed your favorites!

AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE

This website contains some affiliate links to other websites including the Amazon Associate program. If you use the links provided and make a qualifying purchase, we get a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products we truly love, have made a difference in our lives, actually use during our adventures, and think you can benefit from too!

Town of Lake Louise, Alberta with Toddlers

We loved staying in the town of Lake Louise in Banff National Park! Everything was extremely accessible on our e-bikes and the views, rivers, lakes, and glaciers were unreal. Our campground was in a perfect location and we enjoyed many afternoons resting in the hammock under the thick coverage of pine trees. We were a bit surprised by how busy and touristy this area is - we can definitely see why, but the busyness was a bit challenging/overwhelming with toddlers. We were unable to do everything we wanted here, nor were we able to make it to Jasper due to the devastating 2024 wildfires, so our plan is to definitely return here in the future.

An important thing to note, which I’m sure you’ve already found if you’ve looked into Banff at all, is that transportation can be a bit of a challenge. It is highly recommended that you have public transportation and, at the absolute minimum, you must get transportation to Moraine Lake where no personal vehicles are allowed. Be sure you are prepared for this. Having an e-bike setup is amazing and allows you to bypass public transportation for most activities.

Admittedly, finding fun for toddlers in Banff National Park was a bit of a challenge for us. Maybe it’s because we are doing this full-time and we were worn out. Maybe kids were in a funk or going through hormone changes. But we started feeling the guilt of putting kids in the car or bike trailer shortly after they woke, to get them to a sight or hike, to put them in a hiking pack or expect them to walk, and then to return the same way we came for naptime/quiet time.

I think my personal opinion is that I wish I would have waited until our littles were a bit older and at least both able/interested in hiking down a path somewhat. Perhaps staying in the town of Banff would have been more suitable for us where there may have been more toddler friendly spots, but we thought we’d save on driving to Lake Louise and Moraine Lake if we stayed in the town of Lake Louise. Once we arrived we looked into staying a few nights in the town of Banff, but we couldn’t secure a reservation, so we enjoyed as much as we could while considering our kids moods.

Unlike other blogs we’ve written, this blog includes ideas of things we wanted to do but unfortunately we weren’t able to do it all. My suggestion is that if you go with toddlers, be sure to adjust your expectations, follow your kids’ lead, and just go with a list of ideas and see what works in the moment. This experience was eye-opening for me - as much as we do this, I need to remain easy-going about all of it and really set aside my personal expectations to embrace the current toddler phase I’m in.

Lake Louise

The milky green-blue color of Lake Louise is incredible. We enjoyed sitting along the rocks and letting the kids put their feet (and toys) in the water. The first time we came here at about 1030am on a Saturday, it was wall to wall people, but the 2nd time we came at about 4pm on a Wednesday was MUCH less crowded and therefore WAY more enjoyable to just chase kids back and forth along the water.

We wished we would have brought our personal paddle boards as these are allowed with a permit (after Waterton Lakes we kind of assumed personal watercraft, including paddle boards, would not be allowed). We didn’t have a means of bringing them and blowing them up as we biked to the lake both times, but we learned that if we had driven the 2nd time we visited, in the evening, we definitely could have found parking and had our paddle boards with us. Next time!

There were two hikes we really wanted to do here - neither worked out for us. :( The first was to the Lake Agnes Teahouse which is 4.5 miles round trip with 1300 ft of elevation gain. We expected the views from this teahouse to be breathtaking and it reminded us of the alpine huts my husband used to hike to in the German Alps when he lived there. I realllly wanted to do this. We were prepared for this cash-only experience but sadly didn’t make it. The other hike, Fairview Lookout, would have been much easier, but as mentioned in our forward, the kids just weren’t having it. This hike was just under 1.5 miles round trip and we were expecting magical views of the lake and the Fairmont Hotel.

We stayed at Lake Louise Hard-sided Campground and thus we took the Tramline Biking Trail from the end of Sentinel Rd near the Lake Louise Railway Station & Restaurant to Lake Louise. With our Trek e-bikes in eco mode and towing a Burley trailer of toddlers, the ascent took 41 minutes to reach the lake from the far-end of campground. The decent only took 25 minutes with the e-bike motor off. While there are some other hiking trails to Lake Louise, the Tramline Trail is the most direct bike-friendly trail.

Moraine Lake

Gosh, the bright torquoise color of this lake was absolutely jaw-dropping. I was fiddling with the kids after we got off our shuttle and saw this out of the corner of my eye and had to do a double take! Mind-blowing!

Moraine Lake does not allow personal vehicles so shuttles are a must. We opted to just take the Parks Canada shuttle as it was inexpensive at $8/adult and free for children. This shuttle had to be booked early (tickets were released in April for our September visit) or they are released in a rolling window at 8am MDT two days prior to departure day. This shuttle picks up at the Lake Louise Ski Resort which is a very large and crowded parking lot accommodating several different local shuttle operations. Unfortunately (and also somewhat, fortunately) these are big tour buses. There is room for your stroller and/or hiking packs in their underbelly, but the return busses in particular, are filled up, especially for later day departures.

We brought our Burley Bike Trailer in stroller mode which our big really appreciated having a place to rest and our little could be contained when needed. It wasn’t the best stroller for the Lakeshore Trail (it is not paved and there was a stair or two at the beginning of the trail), but it was possible and we were grateful to have it.

We had considered biking to Moraine Lake but the expected travel was about 1 hr 20 minutes for an 11 mile one-way bike on a narrow windy road. We decided that was too much time in the trailer for our toddlers and also didn’t want to take up the shuttle road space with our wide load. If we didn’t have the trailer and didn’t have naps and toddlers to consider, we definitely would have biked.

The Moraine Lakeshore Trail was so easy and inviting for the toddlers and the water was easier to access from any point of the shoreline than Lake Louise. The trail is a total of 2.3 miles and ends at a very pretty looking waterfall, but we didn’t make it there either (are you noticing a trend on this destination?!). The Rockpile Trail is a total of 0.5 miles round trip but climbs a fair amount of stairs to get there. I actually did this one myself as my husband pushed the kids around in our Burley Bike Trailer and the views were amazing. You can rent canoes at this lake as well for $160/hr.

Lake Louise Gondola

This experience was probably our favorite thing to do in the area with our toddlers! It was not crowded, the gondola ride is fun (you are required to take an enclosed gondola if you have toddlers), the views of the Canadian Rockies were incredible (you could even see Lake Louise and the Fairmont!), the kids enjoyed touching everything possible in the wildlife center, and we enjoyed beers and sparkling water from the Whitehorn Bistro.

Be sure to bring your binoculars to view the glaciers across the way from the overlook, talk to the people who work at the wildlife center to learn more and give your kids additional engagement, and have a bite to eat at the bistro. The food was delicious and even the kids meals were so thoughtful and unexpectedly included fresh berries and a homemade cookie.

As I mentioned previously, the Lake Louise Ski Resort parking lot is massive as this is where the shuttle park n’ rides are. While we opted to drive, this is only about a 30 minute bike ride from the Lake Louise Hard-sided Campground and probably would have been a better idea for us. The gondola tickets are $62 for adults, $26 for youth (ages 13-17), $14 for children (ages 6-12) and free for 5 and under. The staff was so sweet and even gave our daughter a ticket for her doll she insisted on bringing.

Stop at the Lake Louise Visitor Centre

This center was very helpful in enabling us with maps and information to get around on our e-bikes. The kids enjoyed the interactive mountain map while we figured things out. As this is a Canadian National Park, you won’t find US National Park Passport Book stamps here (obviously!).

Lake Louise Sport & Recreation Center Playground

This little turf playground was our toddlers’ favorite thing in Banff! We went here several times and it served as a nice break for my husband and I as the area was fenced, the kids could make friends, and we could enjoy the shade (usually) and the views. We biked here several times as it was only about 10 minutes each way from the Lake Louise Hard-sided Campground. Our favorite day was when we picked up donuts and croissants from Laggan’s and enjoyed them here on a cool morning.

Swim and Throw Rocks in the Bow River

After the playground, this was probably our toddlers’ favorite thing to do! The rocks along the Bow River are incredibly unique. Even my husband and I had a feast for our eyes. While most are covered in the glacial ash, which is a thin dust like residue in the rivers that makes them so milky, when you give them a good rinse they are astonishing. The water is very cold so while we didn’t swim in our bathing suits, we wore our watershoes to be able to dip our feet and walk around.

Peyto Lake

I really was excited to see this overlook of this lake, but at a 40 minute drive north of our campground, we didn’t make it just to see it with our kids. We thought maybe we could paddle board here, but we couldn’t find an easy access point online. Any tips for accessing this water with your paddle board or feedback with toddlers?

Day Trip to Yoho

We did do this day trip! We thoroughly enjoyed the Yoho National Park Visitors Centre and playground, Emerald Lake, Natural Bridge, and Takakkaw Falls and were able to fit it all in with a late nap. Surprisingly Emerald Lake and Takakkaw Falls were both very busy spots on a weekday morning and parking was a challenge with a 22ft Ram 3500 dually.

We started at Emerald Lake! When we arrived available parking was so far down the road - hubby decided he wanted to just stay in the car for this one, so only my daughter and I set out on foot for a short walk. The colors of this lake are more similar to Lake Louise but extremely impressive in it’s own way. The bridge to the lodge was beautiful and my daughter and I held hands, and enjoyed the manicured grounds and flowers, views, chairs, and overlooks. There is a cute coffee shop and restaurant on the water and canoe rentals are $100/hr.

We then went to Natural Bridge which was seriously so neat. The parking lot only had a few cars and I’m not actually sure tour busses could even fit in it, so that was a treat. Seeing the Kicking Horse River water siphoned through what looks like a hole in the ground was really something and the rock formations are beautiful. There is a 0.5 mi round trip hike which takes you to the lower falls, but we just enjoyed the natural bridge at the parking lot.

After Natural Bridge we stopped at the Visitors Centre and enjoyed the views, playground, and secured our daughter a much wanted Christmas ornament. The playground here is a great treat for the littles. While they played, my husband took a walk along the river.

We then went to Takakkaw Falls which is way more impressive in person than in pictures. The waterfall is so tall and thunders over a massive cliff. The hike is about 1.1 miles round trip and definitely worth it to hike to the base of the waterfall. My son and I did this, while my daughter threw rocks and played in the river. The drive is really beautiful and one section is extremely windy (we actually had to put it in reverse on time to make the turn but we did see campers). The parking here was very busy as well.

These spots were only about 40 minutes northwest of our campground.

Day Trip to Town of Banff

The town of Banff is only about 40 minutes southeast of the town of Lake Louise but we did not make it there for a day trip. I honestly don’t think a day would have been enough anyways. Next time I’d stay here for a few days and also the town of Lake Louise. Some of the places we wanted to visit were the Cave and Basin National Historic Monument, Banff Hot Springs, the Whyte Museum, Central Park Playground, Bow Falls, and several of the surrounding lakes.

Johnston Canyon

Johnston Canyon was very impressive and a pretty fun hike with toddlers! We were able to secure a parking spot near the entrance and the kids seemed to enjoy this hike which was early on in our adventure. The turquoise water against the canyon walls is a sight to behold. We made it to the lower falls which was 1.5 miles round trip but you can hike to the upper falls for a 3.7 mile round trip hike. At the lower falls there is a bridge that goes across the water to a tunnel. I imagine the tunnel has a pretty view of the falls though it, but there was a line the entire way across the bridge waiting to see and get a picture there. We opted to just enjoy the falls and pass on waiting 20 minutes to see that one spot. Once we returned back from our hike, our toddlers managed to get themselves on a tour bus and that was probably their favorite part - sitting on the bus. 🤪 This was about 30 minutes from the Lake Louise Hard-sided Campground.

Golden Skybridge

We did not make it here, but the views look amazing and I think our kids would have enjoyed it if it wasn’t an hour from where we were staying. There is an alpine coaster, giant swing and zipline all of which could have been a lot of fun! Toddlers must be over 3 to ride the alpine coaster, 6 years to ride the zipline, and 9 years to ride the swing. The prices online vary between $40-50/adults and $30ish/5 and under. The Golden Skybridge was about an hour for Lake Louise Hard-sided Campground. This is another spot I’d like to return to when our kids are a little older and I’d probably spend a few nights in Golden.

Radium Hot Springs

Radium Hot Springs was highly recommended by the locals but it was 1.5 hours from the Lake Louise Hard-sided Campground. We ended up driving through Radium Hot Springs on our way from the town of Lake Louise to Fernie, BC and the springs really looked so neat! The drive was also amazing. You drive through Kootenay National Park and along the way we saw a bear and cub along the river and when entering town we saw several bighorn sheep. As you enter the town you drive between two massive rocks which are really impressive. We considered stopping with our fifth wheel, but the springs were busy on a Friday morning and while the parking lot had enough room for us at the time we arrived, we were concerned it would fill up.

How did you enjoy Lake Louise with your toddlers? Would you prefer doing it when they are a little older or did you feel good about their ages?

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Payson, AZ - 15 Toddler Friendly Activities

Oh the hidden gem of Payson, Arizona! We recently had the opportunity to spend a month in Payson while previously it would be a few days once a year to see our grandparents. We were so excited at how much Payson had to offer! There are many family-friendly hikes that lead to stunning rivers, waterfalls, and beautiful canyons. The pine trees make it such that Payson smells different from nearby Phoenix, and it also is a great escape from the heat. Payson also has numerous playgrounds, a new splash pad, and several great restaurants.

Here are our highlights for activities with toddlers in Payson:

Water Wheel Falls  

This is seriously SUCH a cool spot! This trail is 1.6 miles out and back and our little toddler legs did NOT make it! 🙈 At the time we hadn’t invested in a hiking child carrier or hiking shoes yet! BIG mistake! 😝 Learn from that and our other mistakes by looking at our tips for hiking with toddlers.

There are large boulders to climb up and lots of unguarded rock edges on this hike - I was so concerned my little would run off the edge, so we pretty much hand carried him for most of this hike. Overall though, they honestly did SO well and we enjoyed the views along the way, but we didn’t make it to the waterfall at the end of the hike. Fortunately, when we hiked Ellison Creek Cascades, we learned the waterfall at the end of that hike was the same as Water Wheel Falls but less distance, so we still experienced the beauty!  

Regardless if you make it to the end, water wheel falls hiking area is gorgeous and you’ll see beautiful canyons, waterfalls and the green river along the way! Slow down and enjoy it! Our kids also enjoyed circling the water wheel at the beginning of the hike. 

We went on a Sunday and arrived at the trailhead around 9am so we had no parking issues. When we were departing around 1030am, parking was hard to come by. The hike isn’t well marked because you traverse boulders, but as long as you stay along the river, you’ll be fine! Plus this tends to be a pretty popular hike being less than 20 minutes outside Payson.  

Ellison Creek Cascades 

Seriously gorgeous! Plan to play and/or dip in the water on this one! I wish we had brought floaties, but I sure enjoyed hopping in the cold water holding my daughter. The early portion of this hike is along a forest road, but it overlooks a gorgeous canyon and waterfalls. After a 0.5 mi downhill trek, you turn right toward the cascades. Follow the river to the left another 0.3 mi and you'll end at a beautiful waterfall with crystal clear water. You can swim at the base of the waterfall or there are some other pockets of water in the stream to play in. Plan to find rocks and bring a floating toy to watch float through the cascades. We went in May so there was good flow, but I imagine this slows later in the summer so check the conditions. Prepare for a picnic or snacks at the destination and take a nice break because it’s breathtaking…and the hike out is not the easiest for the toddlers. The elevation gain is about 170 ft over 0.25 mi and I hand carried the big most of the way on this. 

We were told to park at the Second Crossing Parking Lot and hike up the Houston Mesa Road until you reach the forest road on the opposite side of the road (the forest road is gated and marked with no parking). However, about 50 ft from the gated forest road, there are gravel areas to park. This made me feel much safer than hiking up the main road from Second Crossing to the forest road. 

Horton Creek 

This trail is actually 8.8 miles out and back so we didn’t attempt the entire distance. We passed families with slightly older kids planning to hike the whole thing though so I think it depends on your kids experience and mood. The trail has a lot of variety as you hike through tall pines, along the Horton Creek and traverse a few empty river beds (at least that was our experience in May). There is a lot of shade so it’s a cool escape and fun place to play in shallow water and picnic. If you or your kids like to fly fish, this is a great spot. If you plan to make it to the end of this hike, the last mile of the trail has a lot of elevation gain.

Parking can be found just beyond the Lower Tonto Creek Campground at the Horton Creek Trailhead lot which is just after a bridge river crossing. If that is full, the Derrick Trailhead is just down the road (closer to the campground). Access to the trail is not in the Horton Creek Trailhead lot (it’s misleading because a trail departs from here though)! Head back towards the road, cross the bridge, and head left to find the trailhead you need.

Cypress/Boulders Trail  

This trail system is just under 5 miles and offers massive boulders, great views and a quick escape just on the edge of town. While there is a map at the trailhead, we found that the trails are not very well marked and there are a lot of intersections. We recommend you pay attention to your turns and if you do get off track, just head back towards the trees at the base of the trails and you’ll be able to recover. Beyond the base, there is very little shade so be prepared with sunscreen and plenty of water. My husband and I like to run together and this time we had family visiting so we had a quick getaway from the kids during naptime. On our trip in May, we actually saw a rattlesnake that was coiled up, hissing and about 5 feet from us (my husband grew up in Phoenix and this was his only experience ever like this). We were so grateful to not have the kids for this encounter! If this happens to you, DON’T panic - just turn around and walk away (which in my opinion is way easier said than done).

East Verde Picnic Area 

The East Verde Picnic Area has two different spots we’d like to mention. To access both of these spots, take a left on E Verde Estates Rd when headed outside of Payson on Highway 87/282. Just after the turn, you can go right to access the river or stay straight for less than 0.25 miles and turn left for parking.

If you take the right turn just after you turn onto E Verde Estates Rd, you’ll find a large parking area, a beautiful spot to enjoy the water and toss rocks, and wren nesting in the large canyon walls. We loved this spot for getting our feet wet, playing with toys, and taking a breath of fresh air. This was honestly one of my favorite places. It is just below the highway bridge, but actually a pretty quiet spot.

If you head further down the road and take a left into the parking area, you’ll find restrooms, a picnic area and river access. We found the river access here to be challenging with our toddlers in May. There is a small sandy area but its a steep drop off into the water and the water was deep (meaning our toddlers couldn’t stand, but I’m not sure how deep it actually is). Our kids aren’t interested in being fully submerged - they just wanted to play in the sand and dip their toes in the water - so this place didn’t work so well for us. If your kids are more like ours and the water is still too cold, we’d recommend going to the first spot on the right on this road.

Flowing Springs Recreation Area 

The drive to Flowing Springs is really pretty, parking is easy and it’s a great location for a snack with toddlers. There is a pathway along the river but it’s a bit rocky - we lost track of the amount of times our littles tripped - so hold their hands if you can. You’ll find plenty of places to toss rocks into the river and a good amount of shade. Our toddlers really enjoyed the East Verde Picnic Area (right stop) more than anything in this area so we’d choose that over this location, but it’s still a great option.

Tonto Natural Bridge State Park 

Tonto Natural Bridge State Park is such a treat and is really pleasant with toddlers! We learned that it is the largest natural bridge in the world at over 100 ft wide and 100 ft tall. The trails can all be done with your toddlers especially with a hiking child carrier. The only exception, in our opinion, is the portion of the Pine Creek Trail which goes through the natural bridge – the conditions can be quite slippery and we didn't want to have a fall. We did hike the Gowan Trail to the lower Observation Deck (just over 0.75 miles round trip) and had to carry the big toddler up out of the canyon most of the way, so be prepared for that (think of it as your daily workout! 🏋️‍♀️ 😉). Also, don’t miss the Waterfall Trail shortly north of the natural bridge from the parking lot! It’s a dead end and quite a few stairs (about 0.1 mi round trip), but when you get to the bottom the kiddos can touch the water falling.  

While you could spend more time here, we were able to see everything we wanted to in a morning before nap. The entrance fee is $7/adult, $4/youth (7-13), and children (0-6) are free. You'll stop at the visitor center to pay the fee and they'll give you a handy map of the trails. When we visited during the week there were little crowds. There are several viewpoints that are accessible from the top near the parking lots where you can see views of the natural bridge, waterfall (maybe even a rainbow) and the canyon. This place gets hot in the summer – as expected in Arizona. We visited in the morning mid-May and it was perfect.

Green Valley Park

This park has been a go to of ours for years! It is open, green, boasts great views, there is a large pond for fishing, oftentimes elk, a playground, and now a new splash pad! When we were there in May 2024, the splash pad was still under construction but it since opened in June 2024. The playground has some shade around the outskirts, is finished with mulch, and is not fenced. There are clean restrooms and the path around the pond is great for scootering/biking. Keep an eye out for turtles and, of course, geese! We wanted to check out the Rim Country Museum and Zane Grey Cabin which are located at this park but there are short hours on Friday, Saturday and Sunday which didn’t work with our schedule. If you find this is toddler friendly, leave us a comment!

Rumsey Park

Rumsey Park actually has two playgrounds. The first time we went we found ourselves at the old playground (near the skatepark) and the best part was the wooden bridge (which our daughter sadly tripped over) and the garbage truck that came by. Haha! People raved about this park and we were confused. Then we found that there is a second playground (near the pickleball courts) which IS awesome! This playground is shaded, has great variety (including a tire swing), has picnic tables, is mulched and is not fenced. We had a great time playing here and the kids made several friends.

Mustang Park

This was definitely our most visited playground during our month in Payson! It is new, small, has a perfect amount of variety for our toddlers (including a sand pit and play ice cream stand), lightly colored slides (perfect for hot Arizona days), mostly fenced, finished with AstroTurf, and has covered picnic tables and a sunsail. There was no potty at this park though so I recommend you bring your own - we keep this potty in our car at all times and it has come in handy SO many times!

B. McDaniel Community Park 

While this park is actually in the town of Star Valley, we included it in this article because it is less than 10 minutes from Payson and it’s super great! There is a small trail system with exercise equipment, several new and fenced mulch/AstroTurf playgrounds for different ages with natural shade/sunsails, a pavilion with a separate grassy area and playground equipment, a zip line, a splash pad, and clean restrooms.

El Rancho 

El Rancho has been our go to for years. This is such good Arizona Mexican! We found it to be toddler-friendly as the staff was kind and accommodating to our kiddos and they had both high chairs and boosters (it’s wild how many places we are finding on these travels that don’t!). We had a big spill and they were unphased and the booths are convenient with toddlers.

THAT Brewery

This brewery is actually in Pine, about 15 minutes outside of Payson but it totally deserves mentioning because it has such a great covered outdoor space with toddlers and their beers are great. Our toddlers clambered on the rocks and logs around the fire pit while we awaited our dinners.

Duza’s Kitchen

Duza’s Kitchen is our favorite spot in Payson for breakfast. We’ve tried several different breakfast locations (Beeline Cafe, Miss Fitz 260 Cafe & Pinion Cafe), but this is the only one we’d recommend for a fresh and tasty breakfast (the others are honestly too heavy).

Danzeisen Creamery 

 Our toddlers love a good ice cream treat and Danzeisen Creamery is our favorite spot in Payson. We stick with ice cream, but they have fancy milkshakes and also sell milks, cheeses and other local goods.

There are so many more lakes and trails for you to explore which are greater than 30 minutes – Roosevelt Lake, Woods Canyon Lake, Willow Springs Lake, Bob Bear Trailhead, Tonto Bench Day Use Area, Diamond Point.  While we didn’t explore these during our visit, we’d love to hear you feedback on these locations!

Do you have a favorite spot in Payson?

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19 Toddler-Friendly Activities in Fernie, BC

Fernie, BC is a hidden gem for families traveling with toddlers. Nestled in the Canadian Rockies, Fernie offers breathtaking mountain views towering over the Elk River, dense forests, and plenty of outdoor activities. The town has a welcoming, laid-back atmosphere with plenty of family-friendly spots including several local parks. It is known for its fly fishing, biking, and skiing - a perfect combo! Our relaxing stay at the Fernie RV Resort was a great stop after our busy visit to Banff.

While we did not do a ton during our visit - we thoroughly enjoyed watching fall roll in, some rainy days and we were able to catch up and refill our supplies. These are our suggestions for activities in Fernie, although admittedly, we didn’t get to explore everything ourselves.

Aquatic Center

The Fernie Aquatic Center is located in the heart of this mountain town and offers a refreshing break from the outdoors, especially on a cold rainy day. It features a variety of pools designed for all ages including a toddler-friendly walk-in pool with fountains, play features and plenty of toys. For adults, it includes a lap pool, hot tub, sauna, and a water-slide for older kids. The views of mountains outside every window are stunning.

Admission is free for children ages 0-2, $3.25 for preschoolers ages 3-5, $4.25 for children ages 6-12, $5.25 for youth ages 12-20, and $6.25 for adults. There are several pricing options for punches and memberships and plenty of swim leagues and lessons. The aquatic center also holds town events including Goodbye Summer and After School Rec Club.

Fernie Heritage Library

Conveniently located in downtown Fernie, the library is close to everything making it an easy addition to your day. It is a charming and peaceful retreat for families. Housed in a beautifully restored historical building, the library offers cozy reading nooks and a relaxing environment. They also host classes including a toddler-time class which we thoroughly enjoyed with our littles.

Visitors Center

Located at the entrance to Fairy Falls and just off the highway, the Fernie Visitors Center can be accessed via biking trails from downtown and is a must-stop. The center is welcoming and family-friendly, offering brochures, maps, and local advice. The knowledgeable staff provided us with personalized recommendations and answered all of our questions while our toddlers interrupted and touched everything. 🙄 There are bulletins with local events, a small gift shop, and clean restrooms. They also will redeem the points you earn with the Iconic Fernie App (see below) and our kids were so excited for the Fernie stuffed bears.

GROW Children’s Boutique

GROW Children’s Boutique is a delightful stop for families traveling! The atmosphere is warm and inviting and they offer a selection of items from cozy apparel to handcrafted and sustainable toys. The shop is designed with parents and toddlers in mind, featuring a small play space for kids to explore toys and books while parents browse.

Fernie Alpine Resort

Fernie Alpine Resort is well-known for it’s skiing, but it is transformed in the summer. The summer season had ended the weekend before we arrived early September so sadly we missed out on this. We had expected there to be a fun chairlift ride up the mountain to take in the panoramic Canadian Rockies view as well as hiking, biking, and fun restaurants. While we didn’t visit the resort, we enjoyed a drive to the base while enjoying some early fall color changes.

Iconic Fernie App

Before you arrive in Fernie, be sure to download the Iconic Fernie App! The app has so many ideas of fun local places to explore and our toddlers were really excited to earn points so they could get themselves a new stuffed animal. The app includes short explanations of each location and encourages you to see and try places you may not have thought to. We had fun gathering these points on foot, bike and from the car. The points can also we redeemed at the Fernie Distillery for a free drink.

Bike Parks

As mentioned previously, Fernie is known for it’s biking. There is downhill mountain biking at the Fernie Alpine Resort and a Bike Park in town. They encourage bikers from a young age. Our campground, Fernie RV Resort, had a toddler-friendly modular bike track by Running River which looked so fun! Our big doesn’t quite have a love for biking (yet!) but our little will be allll about this when he is slightly bigger. A bonus is that many of the local trails happily allow pedal assist bikes.

Elk River Beach Day

A beach day along the Elk River in Fernie with toddlers is the perfect mix of relaxation and outdoor fun. The Elk River flowing through town is a delight for paddleboarders and fly fisherman and also has several slow flow locations to access and play with your toddlers. While the waters are quite chilly, our toddlers enjoyed wading, splashing, throwing rocks and playing with buckets along the shore on a warm afternoon. Plan to bring your blankets, chairs, and snacks and setup along a pebbly or sandy bank that lines the river while enjoying views of the surrounding mountains.

Fly Fish

Fly fishing in Fernie is a dream for outdoor enthusiasts and offers some of the best fishing in North America! The Elk River is renowned for its abundant populations of cutthroat and bull trout. A local guide that we met at the river recommended fishing between 1130am and 430pm with a dry fly in the hip deep areas and said we’d catch several. While we didn’t find the time on our journey, we are excited to return and wanted to share what we learned with you. So grab a guide or throw on your waders and hope to catch some big ones!

Island Lake Lodge Old Growth Trail

This Island Lake Lodge is known for cat skiing in the winter and excellent hiking in the summer. The Old Growth Trail is known to be a magical experience for families as you wander through the huge ancient cedar and Douglas fir trees. The hike from the Old Growth Trail parking lot to the Island Lake Lodge is 2.5 miles one way. We did not do this hike, but I realllly wish we had. Next time, our plan is to park a bike at the lodge, drive to/park at the parking lot, hike to the lodge for lunch, and one of us take the bike to go get the truck (until our toddlers are ready for a 5 mile loop). There are plenty of other amazing hiking opportunities from the Island Lake Lodge including the short Lake Trail which is only 1.25 miles all the way to 13.5 mile Heiko’s Trail (which seriously looks incredible!).

Paddleboard Elk River

The Elk River is perfect for dropping your paddle board in the water. Be sure to stop at the visitor center to see the dangerous areas where logs have accumulated. The gal who helped us at the visitor center marked us a fun drop in and take out location on the river map. Next time we are definitely parking the bike at the take out and the truck at the drop in. The overall distance was quite short and would have taken under an hour which is perfect for our toddlers. Due to the rain during our visit, we didn’t end up experiencing this but I imagine floating down the Elk River with mountains towering over you would have been a dream.

Mount Fernie Provincial Park

Mount Fernie Provincial Park was scenic and serene outdoor experience with a great selection of hiking and biking trails that flow around and over Lizard Creek. The windy trails, small waterfalls, and bridge crossings were so pretty as the leaves started to change. While bikes are allowed, not all trails were bike friendly. Some bridge crossings were up a short flight of stairs which didn’t work for our e-bikes and toddler bike trailer. We would recommend just meandering, stopping and enjoying this park with toddlers - don’t look to accomplish a bike.

Montane Hut

Behind the Montane neighborhood close to the town of Fernie is a series of hiking and biking trails. We were recommended to check out the Easy Beaver Trail which is a smooth gravel surface with modest grades which takes you to the Montane Hut. The Montane Hut is used as a warming hut for winter activities. This bike would have been a quick 3 mile loop and super easy with our toddlers.

Fairy Creek Falls

Fairy Creek Falls is known as one of Fernie’s most accessible and family-friendly hikes. The trail leads to a beautiful waterfall cascading into a lush forest. Access is just off the visitor center parking lot. This trail is not bike or stroller friendly. The distance to the lower falls is just under 3 miles round trip.

Fernie Brewing

Fernie Brewing was a fun stop off the bike path on the other side of the Elk River from downtown Fernie. The outdoor space looked like a beautiful place to hang out and enjoy mountain views but it was closed due to the rain. The environment here was great but admittedly the high top tables with toddlers was a challenge. My husband really enjoyed the Project 9 Pilsner and I appreciated a fall tasting of their seasonal pumpkin beer. The kids played with Magnetiles (and Mom and Dad picked them up off the floor) and munched on chips and pretzels which were available for purchase.

Bridge Bistro

The Bridge Bistro was in a perfect location along the Elk River, just off the bike path with a great outdoor space. We enjoyed our meals, service was excellent and the local trivia was fun!

Big Bang Bagels

Big Bang Bagels was an excellent spot to have a laid-back breakfast with toddlers. Our kids enjoyed playing with toys at their tucked-away kid table. Bagels with cream cheese are always a win with our littles and my husband and I throughly enjoyed our breakfast bagels.

Bike to Several Playgrounds

Fernie has several local playgrounds to choose from and we enjoyed venturing to several of them on our bikes. We explored Ridgemont Playground, Rotary Park, Annex Park, Prentice Park, and Sparling East Playground as well as the playground at the Fernie RV Resort. Our two favorites were Rotary Park with its variety, train, and rafting rocker and Sparling East Playground with its new equipment and zipline.

Were you able to explore many of these locations in Fernie with your toddlers?

Pinedale, WY - 14 Reasons Why it Should be Explored on Your Next Wyoming Adventure with Toddlers

This town, in our opinion, competes with Jackson! While Jackson is much larger, near a national park, and is well known, Pinedale, WY has some amazing offerings for hikes and activities, is far less crowded, and offers a lesser price-tag on restaurants and accommodations. Pinedale is at the base of the Wind River Range and is about 1.5 hours from Jackson, 6.5 hours from Denver, 2.75 hours from Idaho Falls, and 3.75 hours from Salt Lake. Here are our suggestions with toddlers along with a few other larger hikes we weren’t quite ready for with our toddlers, but would definitely suggest (and love feedback on) for older, seasoned hiking kids.

Sublette County Library

This library is seriously such a gem. It isn’t just a library - of course, there are tons of books - but this is a spot in town for events, a hang out even for the teens (with a separate entrance for scooters), a quaint courtyard, and it has a separate play space for the toddlers. Our kids rolled the shopping carts around, played with the kitchen, climbed in the tent, built Legos and Magnetiles, and more! There is a perfect mountain feel inside the building, great local photography and the employees are very kind.

Pinedale Aquatic Center

For such a small town this aquatic center is seriously impressive! There are two separate pools - one with lap swimming and another with a waterslide, lazy river, and shallow play area with a cool submarine and splash buckets for the littles. You are able to ride the slide with your littles if they are tall enough and the slide is super fast. We took both and I think it was a bit startling for our little one, but the big had the time of her life! This aquatic center also has a rock wall, fitness center including an indoor running lane and outdoor tennis and pickleball courts. Daily admission to all of these activities is super reasonable - for non-residents, the fees are $10/adults 19-59 years old, $4/youth 6-18 years old, $6/senior 60+ years old, and free for 5 and under and 75+.

Fremont Lake

Fremont Lake is gorgeous! We accessed the water at Sandy Beach nearby the Lakeside Lodge which also boasts a delicious looking meal on the water (though we didn’t make it there). The water is crystal clear and reminded me of Redfish Lake in Idaho. You can see to the bottom until the water drops quite deep. There are gorgeous views of the Wind River Range - pictures do not do it justice! We loved exploring on our paddleboards with our toddlers and they loved playing in the sand and making friends. While this lake was not super busy, it was the busiest of the lakes we recommend seeing while in this area. Don’t forget to stop at the overlooks - Fremont Lake overlook (before the lake), Fremont Overlook (towards the end of the lake), and Skyline Drive Overlook (beyond the lake and looking towards the Wind River Range).

Half Moon Lake

This lake is not quite as accessible as the Sandy Beach at Fremont Lake, but its another fun paddleboarding spot and we heard the fishing here is awesome. There is access at the Half Moon Campground or you can head to the Half Moon Trailhead and there is a little beach you may be able to get to yourself. If you opt to head towards the trailhead you’ll need to be prepared for off-road conditions. There is also a restaurant on this lake that looks like a nice spot for lunch and a drink with outdoor seating and games (we saw chess from the road), but we didn’t make it there. Provide your feedback in the comments if you’d recommend this restaurant for toddlers!

Willow Lake

We loved this little lake! We had it basically to ourselves! There are camping spots here but we only saw about two campers. We parked at a site and had a large private beach with a picnic table and great views (despite it being a bit hazy due to fires in July) to ourselves. The sand here was the most sand-like out of all the beaches in this area and the kids built a fun castle. There was a lot of cattle on the road on the way to this beach which caused us a slight delay but well worth the visit!

Sadly there was some broken glass here - so this is just our reminder to not bring glass to the beach and clean up after yourselves (or others if you have to). We always bring bags and grab trash if we see any - it’s fun to involve the kids - but this time, due to the glass, we kept them away.

Granite Hot Springs & Waterfall

Granite Hot Springs is a fun day trip from Pinedale! Google Maps says it is an hour and 15 minutes, but it took us longer as you travel 10 miles down a (reasonably kept) dirt road and we have a 22 ft long dually truck with rigid suspension. :p If you prepare your time, pack lunch, and push off nap an hour or so, this is such a fun morning with toddlers. There are actually two hot springs here. One is a concrete pool that is filled by the hot spring (and emptied daily) and the other is at the base of the waterfall.

The actual pool is at the end of the dirt road - you’ll park and walk across a small bridge up to it. The pool is $12/adult and $7/child using cash only. The water is reasonable for toddlers to soak for short durations, there are (very) light snacks offered, and clean restrooms/changing areas. The water is not chlorinated but is drained each night. They do display that bacteria could be present - we’ve been to many hot springs though and this pool felt very clean.

After visiting this pool, head to the waterfall and checkout the other hot springs. We stopped to see the waterfall, but our toddlers were ready to head home so we didn’t visit these hot springs. You’ll need to be prepared to cross the river and we had been told the water at these springs is quite hot. I still think that would have been a fun adventure in itself with our toddlers - please drop us a comment and let us know what you think if you’ve done it with your littles!

Green River Lake

Green River Lake is another adventure you’ll need to push off nap or encourage a nap in the car for! We highly recommend it though! Google Maps says this is an hour and 30 minutes, but is actually 18 miles down a dirt road so it can take much longer.

We opted to rent an ORV for this adventure - we never tried this and we decided we wanted to have a fun ride! It was SO FUN! You really have to try it! If you’ve never done it and are nervous to try with your toddlers - DON’T BE! The fact that it was a first time for all of us made it so much more memorable and the fact that cars also go down this road makes it a good first timer spot.

For around $400, we rented a four seater ORV from Bucky’s Outdoors. That pushed the budget a bit, but YOLO?! Bucky’s provides you with helmets (which aren’t required to be worn in Wyoming), a trailer to tow the ORV to the trailhead, and in our case, a hitch (as we tow a 5th wheel and don’t travel with a towing hitch). There is a large parking lot just as the road turns to dirt after Cora, WY.

We had a blast cruising down the dirt road with our toddlers in carseats, paddleboards strapped to the roof, and cooler packed! We were slightly nervous the kids would hate the wind, but even without a windshield they never complained (they sat a little low so I think they were well protected). The Green River parallels the dirt road and there are many beautiful spots to stop along the drive so plan on that.

Paddleboarding in this lake was one of my favorite spots ever - the views were insane (even with a bit of haze). The kids played with beach toys and Barbies and ate their snacks and lunches. We forgot our fly fishing gear, but saw a lot of people fishing and many guided fishing tours depart from here, so bring yours! Be sure to let your toddlers snooze in the ORV - ours totally passed out in their carseats!

Museum of the Mountain Men

This museum is a little tough with toddlers because there is a lot of things they naturally want to touch that say ‘no touching,’ but if you are prepared and pack yourself with patience, we’d definitely recommend a visit. Entrance to the museum is $10/adult (active military are free) and kids 12 and under are free. While my husband and I didn’t have a ton of time to read the exhibits, it definitely sparked an interest in both of us to explore further! It is so wild to picture life at that time and the journey’s of the men in the areas we are currently exploring - imagine being the first person to stumble across Old Faithful! While there is a lot of ‘no touching’ they really do try to create a fun environment for kids. Fort Nonsense, which is downstairs, has stuffies, clothes to dress up with, books, saddles to try out and several items the kids are welcome to touch. Upstairs, there is a movie playing about life during the time these folks were exploring and that also entertained our toddlers. The staff creates a friendly environment for them offering coins and bracelets upon exiting.

Sublette County Visitors Center

We always appreciate stepping into the local visitors center to get ideas, maps, tips and coupons for our location. The kids get excited because many times they have stamps, stickers, or other fun items. Our daughter loves putting these things in her beloved ‘treasure box’ and it becomes fun to reflect on later.

Wind River Brewery

We really enjoyed our evening at the Wind River Brewery! The staff was so sweet and accommodating to our toddlers and the environment is a lot of fun. We sat outside on the top deck and enjoyed the views of town and the breeze. The food was really great as were the beers.

Bomgaars

Living in an RV, we know there is always a need for a good hardware store and this one is not to be missed! While the Ace in Pinedale attached to Ripley’s grocery store is awesome, we definitely recommend heading out to Bomgaars if you can swing it (it’s about 10 minutes from town). The prices are phenomenal and they have so much stuff! They also sell a ton of DeWalt tools apparently so they offer great deals. We went to pick up a battery powered air compressor (we left ours with our rental home and we’ve regretted it since) and the tool came with a free battery and charger - an unreal deal! It was like 50% off! The staff also is extremely happy and helpful.

Pitchfork Fondue

This was such a fun Wyoming experience! Right by the rodeo grounds is a fenced area offering great views of the Wind River Range with pavilions and tables. They create a fun environment with bluegrass music, outdoor games and plenty of opportunities for photos. The dinner is BYOB so be sure to grab yourselves some Wind River Brewing Pilsners from Ripley’s on your way. In our opinion, the food here wasn’t as great as we expected, but the experience as a whole was so much fun!

Boyd Skinner Park & Playground

Boyd Skinner Park was a hit with our toddlers and we visited several times when we were in Pinedale. The park offers a lot of green space and large trees covering picnic areas. The park is on Pine Creek with lots of trails and bridges, there is a beautiful children’s fish pond, and clean restrooms. The mulch playground is not really under the trees and the equipment can get quite hot (especially in July afternoons), but the kids still enjoyed playing on it. The park is in a quiet area of town but is not fenced and cars encircle the playground for parking, so watch your toddlers trying to run from the playground to the fish pond and river.

Summer Music Series

During the summer, Pinedale offers a summer music series on Saturdays from 5-7pm. There are food trucks, beer trucks, and ice cream and the event is supported by the local lodging tax. Bring a ball or frisbee and your chairs and hang out at the American Legion Park for the evening while your toddlers run around. We made friends at our campground in Pinedale and the four kids had a blast exploring and dancing here. We also saw a moose! You can enter Pine Creek through a nice shallow entrance here so bring swimsuits if you are up for it!

Drop us a comment if you have other Pinedale, WY recommendations!

AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE

This website contains some affiliate links to other websites including the Amazon Associate program. If you use the links provided and make a qualifying purchase, we get a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products we truly love, have made a difference in our lives, actually use during our adventures, and think you can benefit from too!

West Yellowstone, MT - Best Things to do with Toddlers

We have been going to West Yellowstone, MT for probably about 10 years now. We have experienced many things here with and without kids. If you’ve never been to Yellowstone National Park, it is a must see! We do want to tell you that it’s extremely hard to squeeze in all the sights in one trip (especially with toddlers), so keep your expectations in check. We visited a few weeks ago and we still saw things we’d never seen before. You can do a lot of driving in YNP, it is VERY big so be prepared for stops and don’t try to squeeze in too much. We will do a separate blog on YNP, but we’re going to focus this blog on the best things to do in the town of West as well as easier, toddler friendly must-sees in YNP if you are staying in West.

Earthquake Lake Visitors Center

In August of 1959, an earthquake near the Madison River caused a massive landslide in this valley moving millions of tons of rock from one side of the canyon to the other. This took the lives of many visitors camping in the valley and resulted in an entirely new landscape. The stories of the survivors are unreal. We enjoyed wandering the small visitor center and watching the informational videos with a great view (while the kids also played with sand and the items in the gift shop). The trails are definitely worth checking out - they offer great views and the rock monuments are mind-blowing.

Targhee Creek Trail

This trail always brings us happiness when we’re in Montana. This is one of those hikes that we’ve done pretty much every time we’ve been in West. While the trail continues, we hike to a special spot on the river and enjoy snacks/lunch. The trail boasts wildflowers, alpine meadows, the scent of pine, and the beautiful Targhee Creek. To access this trail, you’ll head south towards Idaho from West and turn right on Forest Rd 057. The trail is about one mile each way. Once you start hiking closer to the river, we always turn at the 2nd left turn trail that goes down to the river for our picnic spot.

Paddleboard (or Picnic) Yellowstone Lake

Yellowstone Lake in and of itself is a very unique experience! There are plenty of spots to picnic or if you are feeling adventurous, grab your paddle board! To paddle board, you’ll head towards Grant Village and stop on the right hand side to have your paddle board inspected (we recommend already having your paddle board blown up), then go to the visitors center for your permit, and last, launch from one of the nearby marinas. When you are in the water, pay attention to the ripples in the water - if you see a circle with still water, that means a thermal feature is below the surface. If you head towards the West Thumb Geyser Basin shoreline, you can see the thermal features like Fishing Cone and Lakeshore Geyser from the water. NEVER access the water through a geothermal feature, like the West Thumb Geyser Basin, as this could cause serious injury to yourself and the landscape. Yellowstone Lake is about 1.5 hours from West.

West Thumb Geyser Basin

The West Thumb Geyser Basin may be our favorite geyser area in YNP. The contrast of the geysers against the lake is beautiful, plus this area boasts wildflowers which is not the case in the other geyser basins which are hotter since they don’t rest against the lake. The geysers bubbling against the lakeshore are a sight to see. In addition to the beautiful geyser colors in this area, there are some paint pots which are basically boiling mud geysers and we think they are just silly to look at.

When we were visiting, a little girl had been using the edge of the boardwalk as a balance beam and she fell into the geothermal feature causing severe burns - please watch your toddlers! Normally I’m all about curbs as balance beams, but not in these areas!

Midway Geyser Basin

Grand prismatic is our favorite geyser simply for its grandeur and color. It’s seriously amazing to see as well as the other colorful geysers in this basin. Make sure you see it on a day when the sun is shining and it’s not to chilly. If there is no sun, you don’t quite get the entire color and if it’s too cold, the steam takes over. If you can’t get a perfect day, that’s ok, you still need to see this one! This is about 40 minutes from West.

Grand Prismatic Overlook

This is another favorite of ours and is completely reasonable with toddlers. If you visit the grand prismatic boardwalks, chances are you will see the folks at the overlook. To get to the overlook from midway geyser basin (where grand prismatic is), you’ll need to hop back in your vehicle and drive about a mile towards old faithful to the fairy falls parking lot. The hike is 1.2 miles out and back (0.6 miles to the overlook) and the view is stunning. If you and your toddlers are up for it, you can continue down this trail to fairy falls which is 4.5 miles round trip. We tried it once when our daughter was about 3 months old and it was extremely hot, she was hungry and I wasn’t great at breastfeeding so we ended up turning around. If you’ve been and have tips with toddlers, we’d love to hear it in the comments! This is about 40 minutes from West.

Old Faithful

Old Faithful is definitely one of those things you need to see once in your life. Watching the water roar out of the ground is such a sight! Be prepared for this to be a major tourist event though - the first time we visited, we were completely unprepared for that. Old Faithful blows about every 90 minutes and the park rangers can tell you the next time to expect it to blow. Be sure to arrive early for parking. The boardwalk will be flooded with other tourists. We suggest you arrive early with your toddlers, look at the other geysers in this area so they can get the wiggles out, grab some ice cream from inside the lodge, and await the splendor. This is about 50 minutes from West.

Artists Paintpots

This trail is about 1 mile round trip and is a good place to stretch your legs and see boiling mud. You’ll get a little bit of that at the west thumb geyser basin, but seeing it here just brought me joy. Seriously, how does this stuff exist?! We just giggled at the sound and sight of these thermal features. This is about 40 minutes from West.

Firehole Falls Drive

We do this drive nearly every time we enter YNP. It just sets the stage for the park in our minds. The canyon is magnificent and firehole falls is not to be missed! You used to be able to swim in the Firehole Swimming Area, but it’s been closed for years so don’t expect to do that. This is just after Madison junction on your way to the geyser basins and is about a 2 mile one way drive. This is about 30 minutes from West.

Waterfall Overlooks

There are so many quick stop overlooks of waterfalls in YNP. Gibbon Falls & Keplar Falls are two of our favorites and can give you and your toddlers a little break from the car. There are certainly more, but these are also some that are closer to West which is our focus in this blog.

View Bison

Every time we go to YNP, we make it a point to find and see some bison. These guys are so majestic. Watching them run across the road pulls on my heart strings a little bit - haha! When its cooler (early or late season), they are typically found between the West Entrance and Madison junction. As it gets warmer, they move into the Hayden Valley and Lamar Valley. Go try to find you some!

Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone

The Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is another place not to be missed! The north and south rims offer completely different and beautiful perspectives. Doing both will take a while, so you may want to choose one at a time to do with your toddlers in tow. We thought the north rim was a bit more impressive because you can get up close and personal with the lower falls and the overlooks offer great views from a distance. The hike to the brink of the lower falls is 0.8 miles round trip with 265 ft elevation gain (we mostly had to carry our big out - I forgot fruit snacks and her motivation faded quickly). You can also access a view of the upper falls, but we didn’t have time for that in our latest visit. The south rim is where you’d find the iconic Artists Point lookout which is generally the most photographed perspective of this canyon and has a great forward-facing view of the upper falls. Grand Canyon of the Yellowstone is just over an hour from West.

YNP Visitors Center

We always stop in the visitors centers to learn about the history, let the kids play with exhibits, get some wiggles out, and get our passport books stamped. Our favorite visitors center so far is at Grant Village. The views of the lake are extremely impressive, the center is not very busy, and the staff was the most helpful yet.

Pioneer Park

This is a great playground in the center of West Yellowstone. It is large, shaded, has a lot of variety, there are clean restrooms, covered picnic tables and a large green space. In the summer, there is a music series in this park - we unfortunately missed it during our visit. Check for the schedule in the town boards as the dates are inconsistent (i.e. different days of the week and not every week) - we saw a schedule at the grocery store and the library.

Mountain Man Rendezvous

The mountain man rendezvous comes to West Yellowstone once a year, typically in August. It’s really fun to see an 1800’s encampment and demonstrations of trades and crafts from that time. Vendors create and sell their leatherwork, beads, knives, etc. There is food and music. This is held at the Old Airport which is at the intersection of Highway 20 and Iris St.

Town Biking Trails

The town of West offers a variety of biking trails. Many of them do not allow e-bikes. We have the Trek Marlin+ & Trek Powerfly e-bikes and load the children in our Burley D’Lite X Trailer. Two of the reasons we like our e-bikes is because they are lightweight (~40 lbs) mountain bikes and the power functionality can be completely turned off. Thus, we are able to ride trails where e-bikes are not allowed (or so we think, but we haven’t had anyone to ask…). Despite the fact that we think we can ride these trails, we generally stick to trails we know e-bikes are allowed on because we are rule followers.

Our personal favorite bike out of West for the family was down the dirt Old Airport Rd to the Black Sand Spring. When we arrived we had to work through our realities with toddlers including poop on the trailer from an overflowed nappy and another needing to poop in the woods (see our tips for adventure bags with toddlers and ALWAYS remember poop bags and clorox wipes with toddlers - we did not this time!). Dipping our toes in this fridgid water and sitting on the shoreline was particularly a treat after that! This spot seems like it would be a perfect drinking spot for moose so always be aware!

Yellowstone Aerial Adventures - Zipline Adventure Park

In order to participate in the high ropes and ziplines at Yellowstone Aerial Adventures, your toddlers must be at least 4 years old. There is a gem mining experience for $28/bag that even younger can participate in. They are good bags too - we found a large amethyst in ours! We opted to just take the big while the little was napping because we didn’t know there was gem mining in advance, and I still think our little would have not been happy that he couldn’t do the big kid stuff.

The high ropes course was 15’ off the ground - I was concerned my big would be too scared, but I wanted to give her a chance, and boy, did she blow me away! I couldn’t go fast enough for her! There were a few times where she needed help, but never was she ready to give up. The guides will help you get secured and support you along the way. For $39, littles are able to do the high ropes course as many times as they’d want and an adult going with them for encouragement is included within that price. Our toddler also really loved the zipline and the guide makes that experience even more fun by doing silly releases off the plank and grabbing the cable so it bounces your little. Don’t forget to tip your guides! Our daughter also got a small gift when we finished up.

Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center

The Grizzly & Wolf Discovery Center has bears, wolves, birds, otters, and fish as well as a playground! Our toddlers loved seeing the animals including the bears wrestling each other in the water and the wolves howling towards the sky. There are exhibits of bears hibernating, safe camp spaces, and examples of trash cans which bears tried to get into.

This center actually saves animals that have gotten into trouble - for example, bears that have learned they can find food in town and thus become a danger to locals/tourists. This is why it is SO important to not attract wild animals into your campsite. Secure your food and other scented items - inviting them in endangers you, but it also creates a habit for them that cannot be broken unless they are put down or saved by a center like this.

If you have an AZA (Association of Zoos & Aquariums) membership, entrance to this discovery center is included. Otherwise, admission is $16.50 for 13+, $11.50 for children 5-12, and free for 4 and under. You get two days of access for this price too!

West Yellowstone Public Library

If you read our blog about the Pinedale, WY library, this one is pretty similar, albeit a bit smaller. I love small town libraries in particular when there aren’t indoor play places in the town. I highly recommend this for a rainy/cold West day or if you just want your littles to be contained to a small place and entertained with new toys while you catch up on emails. The staff here was so kind, the environment stayed quiet even with kids playing, there was a kids fishing boat with magnetic fish and fishing poles, a play kitchen, toy kits, and many other miscellaneous toys. Also, allow your toddler to pin where they came from to the map in the entryway.

Museum of the Yellowstone

This is another great rainy day outing and had a great play area to entertain the littles. The Museum of the Yellowstone had a ton of historical information about YNP and the town of West. The building itself is beautiful, there were displays of carriages (and our guy was of course impressed with the wheels) and plowing snow on the railroad tracks, they have wild videos from the firefighters perspective of the Yellowstone fires in 1988, and a great aerial tour of YNP. The kids play area had a teepee, trains, legos, building blocks, and other fun toys. Tickets are $10/adults ($7 for military) and children 17 and under are free. This admission is also for two days.

Fly Fish in Blue Ribbon Waters

The fly fishing in this area is world renowned! If you have no experience, catch a guide from one of the local shops. Otherwise, grab your waders (the water is fresh without them!) and drop a fly in the Madison, Gallatin, Firehole, Gibbon or Yellowstone Rivers. Make sure you have your fishing license which you can buy online these days! Depending on where you decide to fish, you’ll need either a Montana license or YNP license (or Wyoming or Idaho, depending on how far you head). Sometimes this can be a challenge with kids. My husband and I take turns and let the kids throw rocks and have snacks while the other gets wet.

Yellowstone Beer Company

YBC is such a perfect atmosphere for a family dinner in West! The space is large, well laid out, there is a big bar and large tables, a waterfall and rocks, pool tables and more. I like big (relatively) loud spaces for dinners as a family because I don’t need to be on kids the whole time. They played with rocks and the water feature, poked at the gambling machines, and enjoyed the balls on the pool table. You do have to order drinks from the bar and food from the kitchen - there is no server, which was a slight challenge with toddlers. The beers were fun and the food was really great!

Try Some Huckleberry Ice Cream

There are plenty of ice cream shops in West and we haven’t sampled them all, but we do recommend you find a place to try huckleberry ice cream if you haven’t already! Our daughter is very sensitive to sweets so getting ice cream all the time isn’t our thing, but huckleberry ice cream is not to be missed.

Mack’s Inn Float (Island Park, ID)

This is about 30 minutes (into Idaho) from West and is a gorgeous river float down the Henry’s Fork. You can bring your own float, raft, or SUP (consider removing your fin as the water is shallow) or rent from Mack’s Inn River Adventure. The float is 5 miles with the drop in at the Big Springs Boating Launch and the take out at Cafe Sabor or the Springhill Suites (directly across the river from one another). We recommend doing this with friends so you can have a vehicle at each location, or an e-bike also works well if it’s just your family. If you rent equipment from Mack’s Inn River Adventure they will also include transportation to the launch site with your rental. The water is amazing in the summer, its clear, and oftentimes you’ll see wildlife. I think we’ve seen a moose every time we’ve done this float!

Cafe Sabor

This is a great spot for lunch or dinner on the Henry’s Fork River in Idaho, about 20 minutes from West. We love it because it’s an escape from the tourism in West, is right on the river, and has outdoor seating and green space for the littles to run around. The prices are reasonable and nothing beats a margarita on the river in the summer!

Drop us a comment if we’ve missed your West favorites!

AFFILIATE DISCLOSURE

This website contains some affiliate links to other websites including the Amazon Associate program. If you use the links provided and make a qualifying purchase, we get a small commission at no extra cost to you. We only recommend products we truly love, have made a difference in our lives, actually use during our adventures, and think you can benefit from too!