With two working parents, a 16 year old with a car and his first summer job, and a 14 year old who is involved in all kinds of sports, the summer can slip away in a heartbeat without us finding time to decompress, connect and unwind. All of our activities and responsibilities are important, but you know what? Our vacations are too!
I have heard it said that people can be rich with things money can buy, but they are richer if they take the time to enjoy life experiences and even more so because of the memories those life experiences make.
So this summer we have made a pledge to enjoy life experiences together as a family. It isn't an easy task when everyone is going one way or another. So with determination, and dedication we put some work into the challenge and found some time where our crazy calendars aligned so we could schedule our much needed family getaway.
Once we got our time blocked off, we then needed to find the perfect vacation spot. We had key points we needed to hit to make this the perfect vacation. The YMCA at Snow Mountain Ranch was a no brainer. It has every bullet point checked on that list...and more.
- Some place that isn’t too far away. Let's face it no one wants to spend the bulk of vacation in a car, especially when you only have a few days away. Snow Mountain Ranch is only 63.7 miles from Evergreen, according to my google map. Hard to find a better vacation spot closer than that.
- A room with a view. We love to camp, but if I don’t want to be in a car for a long ride, I don’t want to spend my valuable time away setting up camp either. We stayed in the Yurt Village which was a perfect blend of tent and cabin. Super comfy, plenty of room (sleeps up to 6), fabulous views, we even had our own fire pit to enjoy after our daily excursions.
- Pup friendly. It's just as much work to find canine care as it is find time to get away, so a vacation spot that allows us to bring our beloved fur babes is ideal. Many of our activites allowed us to bring the dogs with us on leash and for the activities that weren't a great fit, they stayed comfortably in their kennel in the Yurt. The new dog park that was added to the grounds recently was a gorgous place for the dogs to run off leash. They loved the puppy drinking fountain too!
- Meal options to feed the hungry tummies. I don’t want to beat a dead horse about how valuable vacation time is, so by now my thoughts on spending valuable play time cooking meals while I am away should be a given. Even though we had a barbecue and microwave available in our Yurt, we spent most of our mealtimes at Schlessman Commons where we enjoyed cafeteria style food with a gourmet flair. Food variety is amazing and even suited the pickiest eater in the family. For variety, Buckboard Grill is a great option for sandwiches and grilled items if that is what you are hungry for.
- Activities to keep every personality in our family entertained. We are an adventuorous family and won’t shy away from most activities, prefering to keep busy seeing and experiencing as many new things as possible. We used the handy YMCA app to find what was happening when and YMCA didn’t leave us any time to be idle. Highlights for us were the Zip Line, Disc Golf, Mini Golf and we absolutely loved the Electric Bikes and the Summer Tubing Hill. Follow these quick links to check out our favorites.
Watch the video for a quick tour of YMCA of the Rockies at Snow Mountain Ranch.
If time is short for you as well, but family time is a priority then it's time for you to pick a date on the calendar and book your getaway before summer slips away into fall. You may want to look into it quickly though, I hear the Yurts have a tendency to book up fast! Keep an eye out for their current specials here. Just in case summer did slip away to fall, don't worry. Snow Mountain Ranch is open year round!
Mommas Looking for Your Own Get-Away?
Women’s Adventure Camp makes for a great experience for women/moms looking for their own summer camp experience in the Colorado Rocky Mountains - why do kids get all the fun and adventures?
The Women’s Adventure Camp at Camp Chief Ouray, on the Snow Mountain Ranch property in Granby, Colorado will be held Thursday, Aug 24 through Sunday, Aug 27, 2017 and the cost is $325 - plus, right now guests who sign up with 3 friends, will all receive $15 off.
- Archery & Riflery
- Mountain Biking
- Hiking
- Back Country skills
- Canoeing
- Crafts
- Climbing Wall
- High Ropes Course
- Swimming
- Tent Camping
- Zip Lining
- Campfires & S’ Mores
- Overnight Camping
- Campfire Cooking
This article was sponsored by YMCA of the Rockies at Snow Mountain Ranch. My family was offered lodging, and a activities during our stay to facilitate this review. All opinions are my own.
