11 Ways to Live in the Moment, Colorado-Style

It’s hard to be in the moment these days when there’s an almost-gravitational pull to look at the news on our phones for the one-billionth time. But one of the most powerful lessons we’ve learned while traveling is how valuable it is to immerse ourselves in the experience at hand. To refocus your attention away from the news, here are 10 exceptional ways to have fun and be present, Colorado-style.

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Do A Puzzle

Focus your attention on putting together a gorgeous image of Rocky Mountain National Park with Longs Peak in the background. This 1,000-piece puzzle will keep you occupied while giving you a glimpse of arguably one of the most beautiful views in the park.

Play Cornhole

Nothing says Colorado like this wooden cornhole set with the Colorado flag on its boards. You can even bring it on the road to play at campgrounds on your next Colorado trip.

Play Cards

Who doesn’t want to play cards with this amazing set that features 12 national parks on its face cards, including Acadia, Great Smoky Mountains and Zion national parks.

Immerse Yourself in a Book (or two)

Curl up with the story of our country’s first national park inspired by its cultural history. Through beautiful vintage photographs, Mesa Verde National Park by Duane Smith tells Mesa Verde’s history through that left behind from the ancient Puebloans, the Ute people, Theodore Roosevelt, novelist Willa Cather and others.

Kids ages 8-12 will enjoy reading about a fictional mystery in Mesa Verde National Park called Cliff-Hanger: A Mystery in Mesa Verde National Park, part of the Mysteries in Our National Parks book series by Gloria Skurzynski and Alane Ferguson.

Start Coloring

A couple of years ago, adult coloring books started popping up in bookstores and online, promoting coloring as the newest Zen activity for stressed out adults. Here’s your chance to get in touch with your creative side with a Rocky Mountain National Park coloring book.

And if you’d rather just color inside the lines of an already-made drawing, go big with the stunning The National Parks Coloring Book by Jen Racine. You’ll feel like an artiste as you work on these pages featuring 24 of the most popular national parks in the country.

Ignite Your Child’s Imagination

Are your kids complaining about being bored? Let them take themselves on a virtual trip to 20 national parks with National Parks of the U.S.A. Kids ages 6-9 will love this beautiful, award-winning hardcover book by Kate Silber and illustrated by Chris Turnham, which covers 20 national parks with gorgeous maps, illustrations and fun trivia about the animals and flowers that inhabit the parks. It’s available in hard cover.

Play a National Parks Board Game

Looking for an award-winning board games that highlights the amazing national parks across the country? Play Trekking the National Parks, in which players compete for points by claiming park cards and collecting trail stones as they travel across the country, stopping at national parks along the way. Every park card has a beautiful park photo accompanied by an interesting fact, inspiring and educating players.

Laugh Out Loud

Order Subpar Parks: America’s Most Extraordinary National Parks and Their Least Impressed Visitors. This gorgeous book is from the wildly popular creator of @subparparks (https://www.instagram.com/subparparks/) and features illustrated one-star reviews of over 75 our nation’s national parks along with informative text, anecdotes and tips from park rangers and more.

Dream with Our Magazine

Want to see a park map, pour over the details of five epic road trips to Colorado’s four national parks and discover all the great things to do on the way? Read National Park Journal, Colorado, that includes a panoramic, fold-out poster of Rocky Mountain National Park in the center of the magazine.