As world restrictions have begun lifting, we find ourselves craving something we never knew we would miss until we had to live without it for a few years. The annual family vacation was cancelled, as were all travel plans, and we were all forced to find new ways to entertain as we participated in virtual schooling, working, and even museum and zoo tours. Today, however, the end is in sight and as borders begin opening once again you may find yourself planning a family fun vacation in our beautiful mountain home town of Winter Park, Colorado. Offering idyllic landscapes, crisp and clean country air, and a variety of family adventures that will be enjoyed by the entire family, the only thing better than a Winter Park vacation is a family vacation in Winter Park spent luxuriating in the comforts offered by our Visit Winter Park Lodging family escapes! This guide to fun, adventure, and comfort will ensure that every minute of your stay will be ones you wish could go on forever!
Enjoy Hiking on Your Winter Park Vacation
Exercise is important and when you are on vacation in Colorado it won’t seem like exercise when you hike to where the wildflowers are! The trails that go along Jim Creek are easy ones, allowing even the smallest legs to do a lot of walking on their own. (We can’t promise that the hike won’t end with a toddler sitting on the shoulders of dad, but those are memories you will look back on fondly when they are grown and living on their own!) The trails here offer fields of wildflowers, forests of lodge pole pine and Aspens, and the occasional wildlife encounter, much to the delight of families from all over the world!
The Family that Rides Together has so Much More Fun!
Every 12 year old girl (and more than a few 12 year old boys!) go through a horse crush stage and you can make your tweens dreams come true when you take part in a guided horseback ride offered through High Country Trails! Located in Fraser, this experience takes riders through some of Winter Park’s most breathtaking landscapes and offers hours of memories you will never forget. The horses are all well trained and friendly, the guides are knowledgeable and personable, and the views will change your life and when you see the smiles that light up your kiddos faces, you know you won’t be able to hold back your own grins of glee!
Angler’s Delight
As our kids grow older they don’t want to spend as much time with us as they did when they were little and we admit it, that hurts more than a little bit. Family vacations are designed to bring that togetherness back and as you grab your poles, bait boxes, and cooler full of snacks and beverages it is time to head to the Fraser River for a morning of bonding experiences. The Fraser River is known as one of the best fishing spots in the region, offering more than its fair share of different varieties of trout. Winter Park Flyfisher offers guided fishing trips in the area, teaching budding fishermen and women all the secrets to fly fishing, embedding in them a lifelong love of the sport!
What’s for Dinner?
In real life those 3 words can wreak havoc in a busy household of people, but during your family fun vacation in Winter Park, they are just the start of some new and delicious adventures! Pig out on pizza from Hernando’s Pizza Pub (78199 US-40, Winter Park) dive into your favorite all-American dishes at Doc’s Roadhouse (201 Winter Park Drive, Winter Park) or savor some good old-fashioned barbecue at Smokehouse BBQ (78656 US-40, Winter Park)! Every craving will be satisfied no matter which restaurant you choose and when you are seeking, Carver’s Bakery Café, 78336 US-40, Winter Park has the hearty breakfasts your family needs to keep them energized throughout a day of Colorado adventures!
Come Home To Visit Winter Park Lodging
The best part of any family getaway is the time you spend together as a family and our Visit Winter Park Lodging escapes offer comfort and convenience as you do so! Enjoy movie nights watching big screen televisions from the comfort of plush sofas, munching on popcorn made fresh in our fully equipped kitchens. Unplug for a few hours and gather round large dining tables playing board games provided by many of our homeowners for that exact use, building puzzles, or learning the finer points of a rousing game of go fish. Read your youngest kids books as you cuddle together in cloud soft beds, scroll through Tik Tok with your teens, laughing at the antics on the screen, and when the house is quiet and everyone else is asleep, sip a glass of wine and relax in front of a roaring fire with your favorite traveling partner, recapping the wonders of all your adventures so far.
Families Love Us!
Reserve your favorite Visit Winter Park Lodging family escape today!
The joys of a road trip have been a uniquely American experience since the days of covered wagons. Back then, of course, when we loaded our wagons with everything we owned and began our travels, there was no GPS to guide us, no roadside diners to feed us, and often there wasn’t even a home to shelter us against the elements, which probably made an early trip to Winter Park in the spring months slightly scary! Today, however, your comfortable car is loaded with suitcases and ski gear, your teens have their ear buds in and their attention turned to the tiny screens in their hand, and the roads are paved, smooth, and all leading to your Winter Park spring escape and an adventure in fun and comfort in our Visit Winter Park Lodging abodes!
Did we Say Ski Gear?
In other parts of the world, spring is when the snow melts and the flowers begin to push their way through the fertile soil, but in Winter Park, spring is still a winter like wonderland! The 2021-2022 ski season is not scheduled to end until May 3rd, ensuring many more fun runs down the slopes are in your future. If space is limited in your car, however, you can leave the skis at home and rent all the equipment you need at any of the sporting good shops in town, including Beaver’s Sports Shop, Epic Mountain Sports, and on the mountain at Winter Park Ski Resort!
Spring Bash & Splash, April 2nd through April 24
Celebrating the end of winter with a big party is always a great idea and the weekends in April are destined to be your favorite time to visit as you participate in our Spring Bash & Splash. Offering live music, tasty food, and a variety of special events destined to be the highlights of your road trip, there’s never a bad time for a party in Winter Park, Colorado!
Cozens Ranch Museum, 77849 US Highway 40 in Fraser
If you truly want to understand what those early settlers encountered when they took part in their own road trips with an end destination to the Winter Park area, the Cozens Ranch Museum will paint a clear picture! At different times during its lifespan, the museum has been a stagecoach stop providing food and shelter to weary travelers, home to the local sheriff, and a prosperous cattle ranch. Today it serves as a window into the past and promises to be an intriguing and entertaining adventure during your road trip to Winter Park!
Blue Sky Massage, 21 Telemark Drive Unit 201 in Winter Park
All those hours spent behind the wheel of your road trip are sure to add some kinks, aches, and pains to your tired muscles, so why not spend some of your vacation hours enjoying the pampering that is provided by Blue Sky Massage? Offering a variety of spa packages, their tourist package is a great one for travelers who may have trouble adjusting to the altitude of Winter Park. Combining aromatherapy and massage, you will walk out of Blue Sky ready to conquer the world!
Take a Road Trip to Winter Park within a Road Trip
Now that you have had a few days to relax and get the kinks out, you may be looking to explore more of the Colorado country side with another road trip to Winter Park, one that begins and ends in your Visit Winter Park Lodging spring escape! The landscape of Colorado is a joy to see and there are some unique places to visit, including the west portal of the Moffat Tunnel. Built in the late 1920s, the concrete structure maintains an art deco vibe popular to the area and still provides a portal for trains to go through today. The gateway to the Rocky Mountains lies just 35 miles away from our own mountain town, and just 30 miles away you will find the town of Hot Sulphur Springs. The hot springs in Hot Sulphur Springs will definitely take care of any lingering travel pains that the massage at Blue Sky was unable to conquer!
Explore the Comforts of your Visit Winter Park Lodging Spring Sanctuary
After that long car ride, you may not feel like doing anything more strenuous than hanging out at home and we are perfectly ok with that! Many of our Visit Winter Park Lodging properties come with a hot tub out under the stars, access to community amenities, or even fire pits around which you can stay warm, roast marshmallows, and tell your favorite ghost stories! Stay up late into the night, watching the sky change as the stars all come out to play and pull the curtains closed in your cozy bedroom retreat, to keep the sun from waking you up too early. Reserve your favorite Visit Winter Park Lodging spring sanctuary today! Contact us now.
So you’ve hit a wall. There is nothing worse than getting stuck in the daily grind of work, school, holidays, blah, blah, blah… You’re itching to travel, get away from it all, reclaim your sanity, but you’re not sure where to go?
Make Winter Park Your NEXT Escape!
Here are 11 reasons your sanity NEEDs YOU to Escape to Winter Park, Colorado!
ONLY – 67 Miles from Denver.
Don’t want to deal with a rental car or your not-so-snow-worthy car in the mountains? No problem. Catch the Amtrak or Home James Shuttle to Winter Park. Once here, we have accessible (and FREE) transportation throughout town, the resort, and to most lodging in Winter Park and Fraser, Colorado.
Great Lodging Deals!
No matter your budget or the number in your group, you’ll be able to score lodging in Winter Park.
Traveling With a Group?
There’s plenty of lodging available for groups of all sizes and all budgets. In Winter Park you’ll find everything from rustic cabins, to luxurious vacation homes sleeping 2 – 30+, to affordable cabins, ski condos, Bed & Breakfasts, and even yurts*! For great options that will fit your group and your budget.! (*Yurt – A circular tent built on a collapsible framework. Originally used by nomads in Mongolia, Siberia, and Turkey.)
Get Wild!
Looking for a WILD Colorado Lodging Experience? Three words, “High Lonesome Hut.” Accessible only by snowshoe, ski, dog sled, or depending on the weather, by foot, this three-story hut is located 2.5+ miles back in the wild. Your neighbors will be moose, coyotes, deer, and the occasional mountain lion.
Cheapest Ski and Ride without spring break crowds!
Early season is full of great deals! (Plus, with most rug rats still in school, you won’t have to worry about plowing them over on the slopes, or visa versa…) Four Pass deals to Winter Park Resort are currently available for as low as $50 a day!
It’s Legal…and We’ve Got Three Retail Marijuana Outlets!
It’s no secret that Colorado is one of a few states where weed is legal. If you’re not interested in “that scene,” you probably won’t even know it’s here…so skip to #5.
If you are interested in “that scene”, or are just curious, we have two dispensaries and a revolutionary growing facility! Take a tour of the 12,500 square foot facility and see hundreds of plants at all stages of life. Next, observe “canna-chefs” as they create, infuse, and bake edibles! In the retail shop, you’ll be able to purchase everything from flower, wax, topical ointments, candies, and more! (It’s all very scientific.)
Be Human…Talk
There’s no better time to strike up a conversation and potentially make friends than when you’re on vacation! Everyone’s got a story to tell, and while traveling you’ve got time to hear it. That’s part of the beauty of traveling! Take a break from your “Snapchat” and chat it up with the local bartender, your lift buddy, or the chick in line behind you…you never know who you might meet, or what insider information they might share with you!
Try a Parking Lot Party.
November and December temps are still enjoyable and you’ll see people grilling, playing Frisbee, and hanging out in the resort lots. (Happen to hit the parking lot on a cold day? Add some “adult beverages” to your menu, and warm up from the inside out.) Don’t know anyone? No problem. Refer to #5.
GET YOUR SPA ON!
If you’re looking to loosen up after a day on the snow, you’re in the right place! With Pamper yourself with a massage, facial, iridology*, reflexology, aromatherapy, a chiropractic adjustment, a yoga class, and more. There are plenty of ways to unwind in Winter Park, Colorado!
(*Iridology reviews the iris for patterns, colors, and other characteristics in order to identify underlying conditions and personality traits.)
Slow Down…
Coming to Winter Park is like slowing down. You’ll notice that unless you’re on the slopes, people generally move slower. There is no need to rush.
Embrace it. Chill out. Take time to say hi to a stranger. Hit up the late-night music scene. Slow your roll. Soak it up!
Après Ski Deals and BOOZE
(Need we say more? If not skip to 10)
Après Ski literally means “after ski.” In Winter Park, when the lifts stop for the night, everyone flocks to the restaurants and bars to eat, drink, mingle, and be merry! Nearly every restaurant around offers Après Ski deals, so whether you’re craving sushi, Italian, Chinese, Pizza, or fine dining, we can assure you there are plenty of options that will satisfy you and your budget.
If you’re a connoisseur of the alcoholic variety, we’ve got you covered. With three breweries and two tasting rooms featuring whiskey and wine, you’ll be set!
Get Outta Your Comfort Zone!
When was the last time you did something NEW? If you had to think about that…that’s not a good sign. Winter Park is the perfect place to get outta your comfort zone and give something new a try!
Fat Biking:
• Need a break from the slopes? Go for a ride on a Fat Bike…(Yes, you can bike in the snow!) There are miles of accessible trails to check out! Plus, with mild weather in November and December, you’ll be set to cruise! Looking to rent a fat bike and get some beginner tips? Hit up the Nordic Center at the YMCA of the Rockies, Snow Mountain Ranch, Devil’s Thumb Ranch, Epic Mountain Sports, Icebox Mountain Sports, or Beavers Sports Shop.
Snowmobiling:
• Take a guided or unguided tour through snow packed and powder trails hitting elevations of 12,000ft+!
Nordic Skiing:
• The old skinny ski. If you thought these skis were for “grandma” you were wrong. Nordic skiing is a somewhat extreme sport requiring coordination, balance, stamina, and skill. Try for yourself at Devil’s Thumb Ranch or YMCA of the Rockies Snow Mountain Ranch.
Snow Tubing:
• 4 Hills within 15 miles. We’ve got that covered!
Cat Skiing:
• No, we’re not inviting you to bring your cat skiing, but we are inviting you to get way out of your comfort zone for an experience you’ll remember forever. Get off the slopes and into the beautiful and serene backcountry with Powder Addiction! Catch a SnowCat up to Jones Pass where you’ll enjoy 2,600 skiable acres, 10,500 – 12,500 ski vertical, and 7 – 12 runs a day! Avalanche beacons, packs, shovels, food, guides, transportations, and powder skis are provided! B.Y.O.B. (bring your own board), if you prefer to ride.
Truly Escape.
The landscape, authenticity, culture, and experiences of Winter Park are captivating. Whatever you decide to do while you’re here, be sure you take time to look around, appreciate nature, the mountains, people, the sun, and your life. If you’re looking for perspective, chances are you’ll find it. It’s pretty hard to dwell on “petty junk” when you are surrounded by the mountains and endless opportunities!
Do it for your sanity. Do it for yourself.
Make Winter Park Your NEXT Escape!