Ideas for family -late spring in Colorado

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sawatch_Range
http://www.summitpost.org/sawatch-range/171834

This is in central Colorado and the area is much less traveled than RMNP.

Great hiking, plenty of camping, and good rafting on the Arkansas river. Buena Vista is a good base camp for resupply days.

I have hiked all but two 14k ft peaks in this area and have always had a good time.

Spring is going to be chilly at 10K plus elevation. I usually head out in late July for the best weather.

Any questions I might be able to help out.

By late spring, do you mean like late May? There usually is some pretty good snow pack at elevations above 9500' until June. Some years you might be able to do some stuff at 9000' in late May, but I wouldn't count on it. July, August, and September is the time to be here.

Lost Creek Wilderness might work. Use the search box. There are a number of trip reports.

Not postcard mountains, but a very nice area, and mostly snow free in May.

How many nights out?

+1 on Lost Creek, its a good place.

I'd suggesting working up to a higher elevation slowly so no one gets altitude sickness. Since you have a number of people who've never been up there you don't know how people will react.

I'd camp at 8000 one night then 9000 and after that you should be okay if you are reasonable. This is an advantage of Lost Creek, you can start your hike in the canyon and camp low the first couple nights.

Lost Creek is nice- it's about an hour from my house- but it isn't classically "Rockies" if you know what I mean. Yes, it'll have little snow, but you won't see alpine-looking mountains. You certainly can fish in the various little streams though- I recall seeing some huge cuthroats (or cutbows?) in the Lost Creek itself.

If you want to climb mountains then, as others have said, you really need to go a little later in the summer. I hiked over Music Pass in the Sangres one June and the postholing was just barely bearable. Still, my pants were soaked to the knees.

Or, maybe bring snowshoes?