The winter months in Winter Park are the ones we wait all year to arrive. The ski slopes open, ensuring we always have a way to play outside, the landscape is somehow softened by a blanket of snow, and evenings spent in front of roaring fires are warm, comfy, and cozy. If winter is your favorite season and your journey is bringing you to our mountain home town, you will be excited to discover all the ways to fill the daylight hours and you will fall in love with the cozy comforts of our Winter Park Escapes seasonal sanctuaries, bringing warmth and serenity to your Colorado vacation every night of your stay. This guide to a winter trip to Winter Park will give you a little something to look forward to in the waning days of fall as it also reminds you why this season has always been your favorite!
Winter Park Resort, 85 Parsenn Road
We’ll just get this matter of business out of the way first, letting our guests discover exactly how our town comes alive when the snow fall is heaviest. Winter Park Resort, open for ski season beginning on Halloween and not scheduled to close until well into spring, (Sometime in May, date TBD) is a shining star in a world of frost and snow. Offering two separate mountains with over 3000 acres of skiable terrain and 166 trails, it may not be the largest ski resort in the state, but its more intimate size keeps it from being intimidating, even as the breakdown for difficulty presents 50% very difficult trails and another 3% of expert ones. For over 80 years, Winter Park has been the resort people love and your winter trip to its groomed trails will live up to our reputation of being Colorado’s Top Adventure Town! Also offering seven terrain parks, the resort is a popular snowboarding destination as well.
Après Ski
After a day riding the lifts to the top and riding your skis all the way to bottom multiple time, your reward at day’s end is a few hours of après ski! Taking place at nearly every bar in town, it is the Mountain Top Après at Sunspot Lodge that will probably be your favorite, taking place from 4-7 and offering breathtaking sunset views as you sip warm beverages and enjoy a little nosh to stave off hunger pangs until you have the time to enjoy a proper meal later!
Snow Biking
Even on the coldest days of winter, visitors are happiest playing outside and snow biking brings the thrill of two wheeling happily into the winter months, simply with the addition of a couple of fat tires. (And no, we aren’t talking about the beer; that is for AFTER your mountain bike ride through the snow!) Stop by Ice Box Mountain Sports to rent your fat tire bike and all the accompanying gear you need, and then hit the trails. The shop should have good information about the best snowy trails in Winter Park!
A Taste of the Town
Our favorite part of any vacation is being able to enjoy a taste of the town and we are visiting and when you are looking for a culinary journey to Colorado, these tasty restaurants will feed you well! Start your day out with a hearty breakfast from Carver’s Breakfast and Burgers, 78259 US-40, serving hearty breakfast that will help energize you for a day on the slopes, and as you suspect, delicious lunches for a midday break. For a fiery blend of tacos and tequila, a visit to Pepe Osaka’s Fish Taco Tequila Bar & Grill never lets you down. Serving a fusion of Mexican and Japanese food, plus a varied selection of tequilas and a strong happy hour menu, a meal at Pepe’s is more than just a meal; it is a fiesta you will never forget!
The Holidays Shine Bright
Your winter visit brings with it the chance that you will be here through the holidays and there is always something special going on at that time of the year. The holiday tree lighting ceremony takes place on Thanksgiving weekend and will remain lighted through the new year, adding a festive excitement to our Christmas Village. Many holiday markets will take place in nearby Georgetown, located just 31 miles south of Winter Park, with the biggest one occurring on December 2nd in Strousse Park. And finally, on Christmas Eve, the sight you will never forget, a holiday Torchlight Parade, coming down the mountain. Peaceful, serene, and oh so beautiful, this event is the one we look forward to all year long.
At Home with Winter Park Escapes
However you fill your winter days and evenings in Winter Park, coming home every night to the comforts found in our Winter Park Escapes will live proudly in the front of your highlight reel for years to come. Reserve your favorite seasonal sanctuary today!