Places to Take Your Child on a Day Excursion
April 17, 2025
As summer stretches on, many families find themselves wondering how to keep kids and teenagers entertained without resorting to screen time.
While camps and vacations can be great, not every outing needs to be planned in advance. In fact, Colorado offers plenty of places where families can explore, play, and learn without requiring advanced reservation.
Whether it’s a stroll on an accessible trail, a visit to a playground designed for all abilities, or a spontaneous day trip to see wildlife up close, these activities offer a mix of adventure and discovery. Best of all, they encourage kids to engage with the world around them, get outside, and make the most of summer.
Looking for other ideas to keep your child or teenager engaged this summer? View and download our complete Summer Resource Guide.
Accessible Trails in Colorado
Front Range
Fountain Trail at Roxborough State Park
Location: Roxborough State Park (Denver, CO)
Accessibility: Stroller and handicap/ wheelchair accessible
About: Fountain Trail is one of four hikes at Roxborough State Park and is regarded as the most scenic. It’s an excellent handicap-accessible trail for bird watching and wildlife viewing.
Clear Creek Trail
Location: Golden, CO
Accessibility: Paved trail, stroller and handicap/ wheelchair accessible
About: The Clear Creek Trail follows Clear Creek in Golden, CO. Kayakers are often seen on the creek, and the summer farmers market is held near the trail on Saturdays from 8:00 am-1:00 pm. Additionally, there are plenty of places to grab a coffee and enjoy a picnic along the way.
Perkins Central Garden Trail
Location: Garden of the Gods (Colorado Springs, CO)
Accessibility: Paved trail, stroller and handicap/ wheelchair accessible
About: Perkins Central Garden Trail in Garden of the Gods is a 1.5-mile loop that passes by the park’s largest and most iconic rock formations.
The San Luis Valley
Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve
Location: Southcentral Colorado (Saguache and Alamosa Counties)
Accessibility: Special sand wheelchairs can be reserved by calling the visitor center at (719) 378-6395.
About: Special sand wheelchairs can be reserved for visits to Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve, allowing wheelchair users to experience the park. Visitors can explore the famous dunes, as well as the park’s camping and picnic areas.
Free Outdoor Areas and Playgrounds in Colorado for Children & Youth
Accessible Playgrounds and Parks
Clement Park
Location: Littleton, CO
About: Littleton’s Clement Park is known for its mountain and lake views. Additionally, it offers a variety of play structures, including an inclusive playground with adaptive swings and multiple ramps. It also has plenty of open space, an amphitheater, and many trails perfect for exploring with your little one.
LuBird’s Playground
Location: Aurora, CO
About: LuBird’s Playground in Aurora was designed for children of all abilities to play together. With sensory play equipment, ramps, wheelchair-accessible spinners and swings, smooth surfacing, and supportive swings for neck and back support, this playground is perfect for those who need greater accessibility.
Red-Tailed Hawk Park
Location: Aurora, CO
About: As one of the first inclusive parks in the Denver metro area, Red-Tailed Hawk Park offers a variety of sensory play opportunities for children of all abilities. Features include a wheelchair-accessible merry-go-round, adaptive swings, rubber surfacing, musical instruments, and a sensory garden. The park also boasts a splash pad, wetland boardwalk, and plenty of open space to explore.
General Parks and Playgrounds
Paco Sanchez Park
Location: Denver, CO
About: This distinctive park is designed to resemble a 1950s microphone in tribute to local DJ Paco Sanchez. The playground features musical elements, such as nets shaped like sound waves and musical sculptures. There are also swings, slides, monkey bars, and more!
Central Park
Location: Denver, CO
About: With rolling turf hills, a roller slide, a zipline, a play tower with two slides, and a sand pit with diggers, this playground is a blast year-round. In the summer, water pumps and spray misters provide a way to cool off even on the hottest days.
Sloan’s Lake Park
Location: Sloan’s Lake, Denver
About: In addition to the nearly 3-mile paved loop around Sloan’s Lake, there are two playgrounds on opposite sides of the lake. Both have nearby restroom facilities and picnic areas. The northside playground is pirate ship-themed with a play structure, saucer swings, and a teeter totter. The outer space-themed playground on the southside has two rocket ship play structures and a zipline.
Westlands Park
Location: Greenwood Village, Denver
About: This Greenwood Village park has three playground structures, a jungle gym, sand pit, and playhouses. Older children and teenagers will enjoy a rock-climbing structure and an area filled with musical instruments like drums, organs, and xylophones. There is also a pond with a hike and bike trail. In the summer, there is a “sprayground” with a wading pool, rock structures, and water jets.
Peter Pan Park- Westminster Center Park
Location: Westminster, CO
About: This park features a Peter Pan theme, complete with a Captain Hook pirate ship, jungle gym, tower bridge, clock tower, and climbing rocks. It also offers a splash pad and a shallow stream, perfect for cooling off on hot days.
America the Beautiful Park
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
About: This fantasy playground includes spinner bowls, turntables, and hammocks. It also offers picnic areas, walking trails, a fountain, and waterfalls. The park is conveniently located near horseback riding trails and an aquatic center.
Nancy Lewis Park
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
About: This lovely park features playgrounds and plenty of open spaces for running, picnicking, and enjoying playtime. It’s also conveniently located near a pond and waterfall area.
Places to Take Children & Youth for a Day Visit
Library Programming
Location: Your local library. Use this library finder to find yours.
When: Daily throughout the year
About: Did you know that libraries offer lots of different programming for young children, school-aged children, and teenagers throughout the year? From story time for babies, to maker spaces for children who like to tinker, to author visits, to yoga, cooking classes, and more for toddlers, your local library likely has plenty of activities for your child. Many libraries also offer educational kits that your family can check out. Visit your local library to learn more.
Denver Zoo
Location: Denver
When: Daily throughout the summer
About: Does your child love animals? The Denver Zoo is a great place for children and teenagers to learn about all types of animals. During Summer Extended Hours, families can experience live music, yard games, and awe-inspiring animal demos. Your visit supports conservation efforts in Colorado and beyond. Additionally, the Denver Zoo offers sensory-friendly events and evenings for individuals with sensory processing needs.
The Wild Animal Sanctuary
Location: Keenesburg, CO
When: Daily throughout the summer
About: The Wild Animal Sanctuary, located about 40 minutes northeast of Denver, provides large mammals who might otherwise be captured in small enclosures with the space to roam. Large mammals include tigers, bears, lions, wolves and more. Visitors can walk above the large fields on elevated walkways and observation decks and observe the animals beneath them.
The Cheyenne Mountain Zoo
Location: Colorado Springs, CO
When: Daily
About: The Cheynne Mountain Zoo offers children and their families the chance to see and learn about all types of animals. With interactive experiences such as the chance to feed the zoo’s giraffes, there are many options for engaging your child. Additionally, it offers programming and camps for children of all ages and abilities throughout the summer. For children with special needs ages 7-11, there are one-day camps throughout the summer.
U-Pick Sunflowers at Anderson Farms
Location: Anderson Farms, near Erie, CO
When: Late July – late August
About: U-Pick Sunflowers provides families with the opportunity to take a wagon ride out to the fields of sunflowers. With over 50 varieties of sunflowers and wildflowers ranging in height, colors, and stages of bloom, the photo opportunities are endless. You can pick your own bouquet by purchasing an All-You-Can-Fill Collectors Cup or French Market Bucket.
