Staunton State Park

Staunton State Park is Colorado’s newest state park having been established in 2013. The park has some diverse trails of various lengths that climb to overlooks and past historic sites like the remains of a sawmill from the 1930s. There are lots of steep cliffs here too.

This was our first family hiking of the summer season with a lot more ahead. We enjoyed the lighter crowds from this lesser-known park on Memorial Day.

Road Trip Packing List

Clothes

  • Light Jackets
  • Shorts
  • Jeans
  • Hiking Boots and walking shoes
  • Water Shoes
  • Swimming Suits
  • T-Shirts and Long-Sleeve shirts
  • Sweatshirts
  • Sunglasses
  • Hats
  • Belts

Gear

  • Backpacks
  • Water Bottles
  • Cameras (GoPro, SLR, Underwater). Batteries Charged.
  • Phones, Power Cords/Battery Packs
  • First-Aid Kit
  • Laptop if needed
  • Hiking poles
  • Umbrellas

Food

  • Snacks (crackers, chex mix, trail mix, etc)
  • Sodas
  • Bottled Water
  • Gatorade
  • Protein bars

Cosmetics

  • Contact lenses/solution/case/spares
  • Toothbrushes/toothpaste/floss
  • Razor/Shaving cream/trimmer
  • Glasses
  • Neosporin/antibacterial ointment
  • Tylenol/Ibuprofen/thermometer
  • Prescription meds and any other meds
  • Shampoo/Conditioner
  • Hairbrush
  • Dramamine/motion sickness pills
  • Flushable wipes (2 Packages)
  • Hand sanitizer bottles

Miscellaneous

  • Printed Reservation Info
  • Wallets
  • Sunscreen
  • Bug Spray
  • USB charger
  • Fitbit/Charger
  • Kindle/Books to Read
  • Sketch pad/pencils/eraser
  • Books to read
  • Ziplock bags (gallon size)
  • Paper towels
  • Trash bags

Before Leaving

Month Before

  • Finalize any activity reservations
  • Make sure human and pet meds are covered
  • Verify stay reservations
  • Any vet vaccines, etc done

Week Before

  • Stop mail
  • Make sure house in good order
  • Start packing stuff that isn’t needed for week

Day Before

  • Get all needed clothes into wash and packed

Day Leaving

  • Water plants
  • Take dogs to boarder
  • Close and lock dog door and windows
  • Pull drapes/shades
  • Set thermostat to reasonable level
  • Throw away food that will spoil in fridge
  • Tidy up house
  • Finish any last packing
  • Turn off lights
  • Check faucets
  • Unplug anything not needed
  • Turn off computers
  • Get everyone in car
  • Get outta town

Denver Zoo

We had a nice day on Sunday at the Denver zoo. We used to go more often but yesterday was the first time back in three years. They have a really nice elephant area and they are building out a new Australia exhibit.
Because we are transitioning from winter many animals were not yet on display. In the summer months the gorillas and most of the monkeys are out and we’ll have to go back to see them.