Life can be more interesting when you choose not to follow the crowds, exploring the hidden gems that only the locals know about, wandering off the beaten path to reveal an adventure “followers” would never find, or discovering the joy in experiencing an under the radar attraction your family back home had never heard of! Your visit to Colorado is destined to be one of excitement and adventure when you go your own way and this guide to what to do in Winter Park will ensure that this vacation will be like no other!
Grand Adventures Snowmobiling Tours, 970-726-9247
This single season activity is bound to entice your inner daredevil to come out and play as you zoom across the landscape and explore the wonderland that is winter in Winter Park! Grand Adventures will take you on a tour of the Continental Divide, showing you how much fun life can be when lived at full speed and if you are traveling with family, including youngsters that are 4 years or older, the company offers milder, family friendly versions of their most adventurous tours! And if you are reading this in the summer, have no fear, you can still enjoy an off-road adventure that is both safe and exciting; Grand Adventures is an all season tour company and they are guaranteed to have a tour for you that you will never forget!
Tree of Skulls, Medicine Man Trail
There are an extensive amount of trails that traverse the Winter Park area, including the Medicine Man Trail, which is actually one of the more difficult ski runs on the mountain. However, as you hike it in the summer and fall, and ski it during the winter keep an eye out for the Tree of Skulls, an unusual landmark that is located at the spot where Medicine Man Trail and Upper Egress meet! No one knows why long ago hunters decided to nail the skulls of deer, elk, and even horses to a tree, but it is one of the more extremely creepy and best things to do in Winter Park, CO when you’re exploring the area!
Nevadaville Ghost Town, Central City
Although not in Winter Park proper, the Nevadaville Ghost Town is just 14 miles away and is a fascinating place to explore! At its largest, this small town was home to 1000 American Irish immigrants who flocked to this region searching for gold in the mid-1800s, gold that WAS found but eventually the vein dried up and the town was left deserted. Today, there are a few buildings that are still standing in spite of the beating the elements may have given the structures and surprisingly one of those buildings, the Mason Lodge, still continues to hold meetings on a regular basis! The mines that are in the area, however, are dangerous and could cave in if you stand too close to their openings, so be safe and keep your exploring contained to the buildings in town!
Devil’s Slide Trestles
As you stare up at the crumbling wood paths clinging to the side of South Boulder Canyon, try and imagine what it must have been like to be an engineer on a train making its way across these wood slats. Kind of scary, isn’t it? Built in 1905 this structure was constructed so as to make easy access between Denver and Winter Park and at one time was the only way to get mail or home goods and although we do not know whether or not the engineers were risking their lives when taking part in this excruciating journey, we do know that we are quite happy viewing the trestles from below; it is not safe to ride or walk across them and they have not been in use by trains since the 1930s and has been closed to pedestrians and bikers since a tunnel collapsed in 1990.
Rollins Pass Game Traps, Forest Road 501 Winter Park
From a distance, the rocky landscape of Rollins Pass may look like nothing more than a messy field, but as you move closer, you will see there is a pattern and a structure to the boulders that line the fields. This area was once a hunting trap, built by humans thousands of years ago to capture animals for food and clothing. The ruins of several blinds can still be recognized and the walls that are crumbling now were designed to lead frightened animals to the spots where Paleoamerican’s were waiting inside the blinds, ready to take the perfect shot! If you look closely you may find ancient arrowheads buried in the ground, left behind by these ancient hunters and making fascinating souvenirs of the best things to do in Winter Park.
Escape to Winter Park
Your vacation will be all that more comfortable when you choose Winter Park for your annual getaway! Reserve your Winter Park Escapes sanctuary today and find what to do in Winter Park for you and your family!
