Rocky Mountain Expedition $890

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May 25 - June 1

or

May 31 - June 7

This trip will travel by Amtrak Train from the Ottumwa, Iowa train station, which is 2 hours 30 min north of Columbia.  We will help families arrange carpools prior to the trip if desired. Arrive in Denver early next morning and then head to Estes Park for exploration. Explore the Wild Basin Trailhead while stopping to enjoy the Copeland and Ozul waterfalls, lunch, and relax/play time along the way.  Set up camp later in day. at Jellystone Resort.

Day three will consist of lots of little hikes throughout the day. On our drive up to Grand Lake, we will stop at some overlooks and possibly hike part of the Ute Trail. We will stop at the Alpine Visitor Center for souvenirs and a bathroom break. While there we will hike the Alpine trail behind the visitor center which is a mile round trip. After lunch head to the Holzwarth Historic Site with old cabins and a good chance to see some Moose. Then we will head to Adams Falls and hike a little into the valley that feeds water into the falls. We will end the day by going into Grand Lake, kids can get ice cream or look at some shops before going back to camp. 

After we leave camp in the morning we will head to Glacier Gorge trailhead. Along the hike, we will stop at Alberta Falls before continuing up to The Loch for lunch. Depending on the amount of snow and time, we may continue on toward Sky Pong and/or Mills Lake. After the hike, we will head back to camp for dinner and some downtime. 

Day five will be one of our longer hikes. We will hike to the top of Deer Mountain Trail, a 1400 ft elevation gain. Once at the top we will have lunch and students can explore for a bit before we head back down. On the way back to camp we will stop at Alluvial Fan. Here students will get a chance to climb around and play in the water. Whenever they are done exploring we will head back to camp for dinner. 

Day six will start at Bear Lake Trailhead. This 3.8-mile out-and-back trail will take us all the way around Bear Lake and past Nymph and Dream Lakes all the way up to Emerald Lake. We will have lunch at one of the lakes. In the afternoon we will take the students into town so they can go down Main Street and get a chance to shop and get ice cream or candy.

All things must come to an end. After a day of exploration, we will head to the Denver Amtrak train station for an evening departure. We will arrive in Ottumwa, Iowa the following morning.  Carpools will be arranged prior to the trip to bring the students from Iowa to Missouri.   

Travel will be by train to and from Denver and passenger vans while exploring the park. 

Lodging will be in tents with sleeping pads at Jellystone Resort in Estes Park.  Hot showers, water, delicious campfire-cooked meals, heated pool, and entertainment included. 

Students will be allowed to bring and use their phone on this trip. However, there will be an expectation that while out in the field the phone should only be used for picture taking purposes. 

The cost of this trip will be $890.  The cost can be paid upfront or spread over two payments. Please note: Refunds are not possible for any reason as the money that  comes in goes to pay for our reservations. It is recommended that you look into trip insurance if you are worried about this.  You may also find somebody to take your place on the trip.