When you visit Winter Park, your days will be filled with fun as you explore and play, your nights will be filled with comfort as you sleep deeply in our Winter Park Escapes sanctuaries, but the activities and comfort are just a small part of what you will notice about our mountain village. It is the views that will creep into your heart, making you wish that you could wake up every morning of your life and stare out onto this rugged landscape filled with wonders large and small. Our guide to the top five spots with the best views in Colorado will help ensure you do not miss out on anything spectacular!
Berthoud Pass Summit
When you are in the mood for a little drive, Berthoud Pass, located just a few miles south of Winter Park on I-40 is actually one of the most scenic drives in the world, and although the driver may not get to enjoy the route through forests and waterfalls along the way, a parking area at the summit provides a place to pull over and be amazed. Get your cameras out here, folks, and prepare to be speechless as the Colorado vistas that spread out before you will render you incapable of talking! This is seriously one of our favorite places to be.
Yankee Doodle Trail
The hiking in Colorado will surely make you feel proud to be an American, and there is nothing more all-American than this, the Yankee Doodle Trail! Lasting a little over four miles round trip, well-maintained, and leading hikers through some of the most gorgeous areas in Winter Park, your head will be on a swivel as you pass through tall aspens that in the fall turn brilliant shades of orange and gold, explore meadows filled with wildflowers in the warmer days, and make your way up above the trees for panoramic views you will never forget. The pictures taken on this relatively easy trail and most beautiful places in Colorado are destined to be printed, framed, and hung on your walls in a place of honor.
Lake Granby
Lake Granby, located just a little bit outside of Winter Park, is the second largest lake in all of Colorado and owns the largest piece of our hearts. Offering something for everyone through all the seasons of the year, the clear, cool waters are refreshing when swam in, gracious when fished upon, and offer views and vistas that are peaceful, tranquil, and will take your breath away. Sitting on the lake in a canoe with a fishing pole in hand is a favorite pastime of residents and tourists, but it is just as rewarding when you come armed with nothing more than a camera and your own two eyes. Rent a fishing boat from Indian Peaks Marina, 6862 US-34, and spend your day fishing for dinner and photographing for your soul. If being on the water is not something you wish to do, there are many hiking trails throughout the area that offer a different perspective in views!
Winter Park Resort
As you might expect, the higher you go, the better the views, and Winter Park’s ski trails offer some of the best views in Colorado! Go all the way to the top and lose yourself in the beauty of the scenery that opens up in front of you on a clear day, but even in the winter when the clouds are low and the skies are gray, the snow-covered landscape will find its way into your personal top five list of gorgeous views. Everywhere you turn, there will be trees and mountains and awesome expanses of sky, but occasionally you will receive a bonus in the smaller sights: a mama doe and her fawn stepping delicately from the trees in the summer right before sunset, seeking a snack before bedtime. Summer is also the best time to see a colorful butterfly flitting from flower to flower, doing what butterflies do best and looking incredible at the same time. In the fall, the fiery colors of mature trees dressed in their autumn finest never ceases to amaze!
Grand Adventures Balloon Tours, 220 County Road 522 in Fraser
Just when you think it can’t get any better, you head to Grand Adventures, climb into one of their baskets, take off into the heavens for a visual kaleidoscope of pure wonder! Grand Adventures Balloon Tours know that the secret to the best views of Winter Park and surrounding areas can only be had by going up, and if you have never experienced a Hot Air Balloon Ride, NOW is the time to change that. Offering flights in all seasons, the views will change but the love you feel for what you are seeing will not and if you want to make the ride extra special, get up early and enjoy the majesty and wonder of a sunrise flight!
Just a Peek
Go ahead, open those curtains and blinds to discover our favorite bonus views—the ones available from your Winter Park Escapes vacation sanctuaries! Reserve yours today and make those glimpses of paradise an everyday adventure.