With school starting back up, it is more important than ever for kids to continue playing and exploring in the outdoors. As a continuation of its “Share This Wonder-Full World” campaign aimed to inspire parents to be their child’s role model and to increase unstructured outdoor play, Generation Wild is jumping on the wagon for Colorado’s Ultimate Road Trip, and sharing fun ways that parents can get their kids outdoors well into the fall.
The Colorado Passport Program, offered through Colorado Parks & Wildlife (CPW), encourages families to visit our state’s amazing parks and hatcheries. After visiting all state parks or all 15 hatcheries and receiving a passport stamp, children will receive prizes provided by CPW and Generation Wild.
To participate in the Colorado Passport Program, simply complete the following steps.
- Visit a state park or hatchery and ask for your free passport.
- Challenge yourself to collect ALL the stamps.
- Use #COParksPassport and #GenerationWild to share your adventures.
- Finally, send in your photo to collect your completion prize(s).
- Log your memories in the CPW Passport while traveling the state.
For everyone who completes the Passport Program, Generation Wild will provide a water bottle with stickers and buttons. In addition, those who collect all State Park stamps will receive an All-Star Patch, and those who collect stamps at all 15 Hatcheries will receive a mug.
DID YOU KNOW?
- Families can check out a park pass and backpack from their local library that allows FREE entry into any Colorado State Park for up to seven days.
- Colorado residents can get a $29 Keep Colorado Wild Pass (a 60% savings from an Annual State Park Pass) when registering a car, motorcycle, recreation vehicle or light truck through the DMV. Use your pass to get car, bike and foot entry into all Colorado state parks. See a Colorado State Parks Map. The $29 pass is included in your registration total unless you choose to opt out. When you purchase a pass, your pass is your vehicle registration card from the DMV with a CPW logo printed on your card. Your Keep Colorado Wild Pass is much more than a state park pass too. The money raised from pass sales supports our local search and rescue teams, avalanche safety programs, wildlife conservation and future outdoor learning opportunities.
Other accessible and free ways to enjoy the outdoors
- Take an “Awe Walk” or embrace the “Power of Awe” found in nature. As you walk outside, take time to notice the sights, sounds, smells, and other sensations you’re experiencing. Awe walks are an activity currently trending in the New York Times, Outside Magazine and Self.
- Check out Generation Wild’s 100 Things To Do Before You’re 12 accessible outdoor play ideas.
ABOUT GENERATION WILD
Generation Wild was created by GOCO to reconnect kids with nature by increasing the amount of time they spend outside in unstructured play – the kind of play that used to be way more common. The program is an integrated, statewide effort supported by a statewide network of non-profit, public and private partner organizations. In 12 Colorado communities, diverse, locally based Generation Wild coalitions are creating equitable access to the outdoors with new places to play, outdoor programs, and pathways to leadership opportunities and jobs in the outdoors.
For more information, follow Generation Wild on Facebook and Instagram. #GenerationWild #WonderFullWorld
ABOUT GREAT OUTDOORS COLORADO
Great Outdoors Colorado (GOCO) invests a portion of Colorado Lottery proceeds to help preserve and enhance the state’s parks, trails, wildlife, rivers, and open spaces. GOCO’s independent board awards competitive grants to local governments and land trusts and makes investments through Colorado Parks and Wildlife. Created when voters approved a Constitutional Amendment in 1992, GOCO has since funded more than 5,600 projects in urban and rural areas in all 64 counties without any tax dollar support. Visit GOCO.org for more information.
