2019-12-08 23:39:01
Skiers and snowboarders aren’t the only outdoor adventurers doing snow dances in anticipation of white winter months. Colorado’s brilliant sun-soaked skies, pristine powder-filled valleys and iconic snowcapped peaks make it a proverbial winter wonderland, beckoning all to discover its spectacular landscape. 1 HORSE-DRAWN SLEIGH RIDES Warm blankets, crisp winter air and the jingle of bells tinkling to the stride of the horses are hallmarks of Colorado sleigh rides. So are elegant dinners, local wines, roaring fires and decadent desserts. Dude ranches are some of the best places to find fun sleigh rides. Where to Go: Snow Mountain Ranch and Dashing Thru the Snow Sleigh Rides in Winter Park ■ 2 Below Zero in Frisco ■ Saddleback Ranch in Steamboat Springs ■ Winding River Resort in Grand Lake ■ 4 Eagle Ranch in Wolcott and Bearcat Stables in Edwards, both near Vail ■ Rapp Corral and Buck’s Livery in Durango ■ Astraddle A Saddle in Pagosa Springs ■ M Lazy C Ranch in Lake George ■ Keystone’s Adventure Center ■ Breckenridge Stables and Nordic Sleigh Rides in Breckenridge ■ Aspen Carriage and Sleigh More: COLORADO.com/SleighRides 2 SNOW TUBING Get a giggle-inducing thrill while zooming downhill on an inner tube or sled at the speed of light. Most of these spots have lift-served hills that save your energy for more runs. Where to Go: Dutch Henry Tubing Hill in Leadville ■ Copper Mountain Resort ■ Snowmass Mountain ■ Winter Park Resort and Snow Mountain Ranch ■ Frisco Adventure Park ■ High Country Tubing Park in Pagosa Springs ■ Purgatory Resort and Hesperus Ski Area in Durango ■ Adventure Ridge in Vail ■ Steamboat Resort ■ Keystone Resort ■ Powderhorn Mountain Resort in Grand Junction ■ Colorado Adventure Park in Fraser ■ Kendall Mountain Recreation Area in Silverton ■ Whoa Nelly Sledding Hill in Aspen■ Echo Mountain in Idaho Springs ■ Monarch Mountain near Salida More: COLORADO.com/SnowTubing 3 ICE SKATING From ice-skating locales with far-as-the-eye-can-see mountain views to urban and resort settings surrounded by busy shops and restaurants, Colorado’s outdoor ice rinks bring back-to-basics joy to this classic winter pastime. Where to Go: Arcadia Park in Colorado Springs ■ Skyline Park in Denver ■ Evergreen Lake ■ The Rink at Belmar in Lakewood ■ The Ice Rink at Centerra in Loveland ■ Rotary Park in Ouray ■ Stanley Park in Estes Park ■ Ski-resort villages of Keystone, Breckenridge, Beaver Creek, Winter Park, Snowmass and Crested Butte ■ Colorado State Parks: Golden Gate Canyon in Golden, Highline Lake in Loma, Jackson Lake near Fort Morgan, Cherry Creek in Aurora, Paonia near Paonia, Sylvan Lake near Eagle, Vega near Collbran and Eleven Mile in Lake George ■ Kendall Mountain Recreation Area in Silverton ■ River Center ponds in Pagosa Springs ■ Aspen Ice Garden ■ Devil’s Thumb Ranch in Tabernash ■ NedRink in Nederland ■ The Collective in Snowmass ■ WinterSkate in Louisville and Northfield Stapleton in Denver ■ Downtown South Fork More: COLORADO.com/OutdoorIceSkating 4 FAT BIKING Also known as snow biking, fat biking allows exercise-zany Coloradans to keep their wheels spinning, no matter the season. Those fat tires keep you atop the snow, and though they aren’t built for speed, they can go just about anywhere. Many trails are open to fat bikers whenever there’s snow, but here are a few sure things. Rent/Tours/Trails: Tomichi Cycles in Gunnison ■ BootDoctors and Paragon Outdoors in Telluride ■ Ski Haus and Wheels Bike Shop in Steamboat Springs ■ Devil’s Thumb Ranch in Tabernash ■ Golden Bike Shop ■ Colorado Bike Service in Vail ■ A Culture of Speed in Idaho Springs ■ Full Cycle and Front Range Ride Guides in Boulder ■ Cycles of Life in Leadville ■ Pagosa Mountain Sports ■ Boneshaker Cycles in Buena Vista ■ Breck Bike Guides, Ridden and Gold Run Nordic Center in Breckenridge ■ Front Range Ride Guides in Fort Collins ■ Durango Nordic Center ■ Winter Park Resort and Snow Mountain Ranch ■ Ute Mountaineer in Aspen ■ Latigo Ranch in Kremmling ■ Howelsen Hill Nordic Center in Steamboat Springs More: COLORADO.com/SnowBiking 5 SNOWMOBILING Combine the thrill of a high-speed ride with the beautiful scenery of the snowy alpine environment. It’s easy to find an outfitter who can get you all the gear you need and guide you in the right direction. Where to Go: Almont ■ Grand Lake ■ Winter Park ■ Leadville ■ Monarch ■ Buena Vista ■ South Fork ■ Steamboat Springs ■ Breckenridge ■ Grand Junction ■ Glenwood Springs ■ Kremmling ■ Gunnison ■ Crested Butte ■ Pagosa Springs ■ Meeker ■ Creede ■ Lake City ■ Vail ■ Copper Mountain ■ Durango ■ Telluride ■ Estes Park ■ Hayden ■ Silverthorne ■ Grand Junction ■ Cedaredge More: COLORADO.com/Snowmobiling 6 WINTER COASTERS These new ski-resort amenities take summer’s rollercoasters and winterize them, whizzing laughing passengers down hundreds of vertical, powdery feet, some with switchbacks and loops. Where to Go: Steamboat ■ Purgatory Resort in Durango ■ Snowmass ■ Copper Mountain ■ Breckenridge ■ Vail 7 SNOWSHOEING & CROSS-COUNTRY SKIING Backcountry trails lead to fluffy-snow-covered valleys and peaceful stands of evergreen and aspen trees, where the only sounds you hear are chirping birds and your own heartbeat. Dozens of Nordic centers, including many at the ski resorts, are a great way to get started with rentals, trail maps and warming areas. For more intense endeavors, try a hut trip! Where to Go: Nordic centers in Vallecito Lake, Breckenridge, Crested Butte, Keystone, Vail, Telluride, Aspen/Snowmass, Tennessee Pass in Leadville, Frisco, Telluride, Never Summer in Walden, Eldora (near Nederland), Gunnison, Beaver Creek, Silverthorne and Grand Lake ■ Vista Verde Ranch in Steamboat Springs ■ Vail Nordic School ■ Ski Granby Ranch in Granby ■ Winter Park Resort ■ Steamboat Resort ■ Purgatory Resort in Durango ■ Sunlight Mountain near Glenwood Springs ■ Latigo Dude Ranch in Kremmling More: COLORADO.com/NordicCenters & COLORADO.com/HutTrips 8 SKI BIKING Here’s another way to experience the beauty of winter and also get your adrenaline flowing: It’s simply a bike with the wheels replaced by skis. Many ski areas offer lessons and the bikes’ three-point stance and low center of gravity make it an easy activity to pick up. Where to Go: Purgatory Resort in Durango ■ Winter Park Resort ■ Vail Mountain ■ Keystone Resort ■ Steamboat Ski Resort ■ Telluride Ski Resort■ Snowmass ■ Copper Mountain Resort More: COLORADO.com/SnowBiking 9 ICE FISHING The main season for ice fishing is December to late February, when the ice is typically sure and conditions are right. Before layering up and heading out, pop into a tackle shop for advice on the best places to go, the best bait to use and plenty of fish tales. Where to Go: Wolford Mountain Reservoir, Kremmling ■ Chambers Lake, Walden ■ Eleven Mile Reservoir, Lake George ■ Boyd Lake State Park, Loveland ■ Harvey Gap Reservoir, Glenwood Springs ■ Trinidad Lake State Park ■ Crawford Reservoir ■ Lake Granby ■ Twin Lakes Reservoirs More: COLORADO.com/IceFishing 10 WILDLIFE WATCHING Moose, deer, marten, ermine, jays, woodpeckers, owls and others often move to lower elevations as the snow piles up in the high country. Several winter festivals celebrate eagles, bighorn sheep, snow geese and cranes. Where to Go: All State and National Parks (page 46) ■ All Colorado Birding Trails ■ Winter festivals: Lake Pueblo Eagle Days (Feb.), Barr Lake Bald Eagle Festival in Brighton (Feb.), Colorado Springs Bighorn Sheep Day (Feb.), Lamar’s High Plains Snow Goose Festival (Feb.), Monte Vista Crane Festival (March), Pueblo’s Colorado Owl Fest (Oct.), Chatfield State Park Big Sit in Littleton (Oct.), Georgetown Bighorn Shee More: COLORADO.com/WildlifeTripIdeas 11 UPHILL SKIING Uphill skiing, also known as “skinning,” “alpine touring” or “ski mountaineering,” involves bypassing the trusty old ski lift and climbing to the top of each run — under one’s own power — before schussing back down (because some people like to do things the hard way). Where to Go: Loveland ■ Arapahoe Basin ■ Aspen/Snowmass ■ Breckenridge ■ Copper Mountain ■ Crested Butte ■ Keystone Resort ■ Powderhorn in Grand Junction ■ Steamboat ■ Sunlight Mountain in Glenwood Springs ■ Monarch Mountain near Salida ■ Vail Mountain ■ Beaver Creek Resort More: COLORADO.com/Uphill 12 DOG SLEDDING Barking dogs eagerly speed you along the trail, and within moments of embarking on your dog-sledding expedition, you’ll experience a rush unlike any other. Dog sledding is fast becoming a popular Colorado adventure. Where to Go: Mountain Musher in Bond, near Vail ■ Durango Dog Ranch ■ Snow Caps Sled Dogs and Good Times Adventures in Breckenridge ■ Dog Sled Rides of Winter Park ■ Snow Buddy Dog Sled Tours in Oak Creek near Steamboat Springs ■ Grizzle-T Dog and Sled Works in Steamboat Springs ■ Alpine Adventures Dogsledding in Leadville ■ Krabloonik Dogsledding in Snowmass More: COLORADO.com/DogSledding 13 URBAN EXPERIENCES Colorado’s cities aren’t as focused on the powder needed for winter play, but cooler weather is still embraced with great enthusiasm. Holiday concerts, performances and markets, winter brew fests, downtown ice rinks, restaurant weeks and spend-all-day shopping destinations make city life merry and bright — not to mention endless places to warm up near the fire with tea, hot cocoa or an adult beverage. Bonus: All are within easy reach of the other activities described in this section. Where to Go: Find yourself in the charming and diverse neighborhoods of Denver (COLORADO.com/DenverNeighborhoods) and the downtown areas of Grand Junction, Boulder, Fort Collins, Colorado Springs, Pueblo, Aurora, Lakewood, Loveland, Greeley and Longmont. See page 70 for other ideas. More: COLORADO.com/UrbanExperiences WANT MORE? GO TO COLORADO.COM/WINTER-ACTIVITIES
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