Winter Park, Colorado

Winter Park is another big ski town that’s home to year-round fun. At only an hour and a half’s drive from Denver, it’s an easy day trip and a chance to escape I-70. There is both a downtown Winter Park and a newer, modern ski village located at the base of the slopes. The downtown is situated a few miles from the slopes.

It features numerous awesome restaurants and shops, although it’s not walkable like some other mountain towns. Skiing, snowmobiling, snowshoeing, dog sledding, and cross country skiing are all popular in the Fraser Valley area. Summer brings hikers, bikers, and campers through town. There’s also an adventure park with an alpine slide, open in the summer.

Winter Park CO Amtrak Train Tracks — Amtrak train tracks through Winter Park, Colo. Photo: Hanoian

The Amtrak train even makes a trip through town, stopping at neighbor Fraser Station. You can often find package deals aboard this “Ski Train” during the winter, combining transportation from Denver Union Station and a lift ticket to ride Winter Park Resort. It operates year-round, heading further west to stations in Granby, Glenwood Springs, and Grand Junction.

Main Attractions

Winter Park Ski Resort Trails — Winter Park Ski Resort. Photo: Paul O’Rear

Winter Park Resort – This resort boasts two interconnected mountains: Winter Park and Mary Jane. Together they are large and diverse with great tree skiing. In the summer, Winter Park Resort features an alpine fun park with numerous games to play.

Recreation

Winter Park Colorado Aerial View — Aerial of Winter Park, Colorado, from atop the resort. Photo: scrosske2

Biking:

Trestle Pike Park is one of the best places to mountain bike. It’s located at the resort, where’ll you take a chair lift and an exciting ride down.

Camping:

Idlewild is a convenient campground just off the highway in the Arapaho National Forest. Head south of downtown on US Rt 40 and turn left at the campground sign. There are 23 sites, 13 of them suitable for RV. Non-reservable. Sites have grills and tables. There is another national forest campground shortly after, also on the left.
Another option is to take Vasquez Road west out of downtown. It will turn into County Rd 7 within a couple of miles where there’ll be plenty of dispersed spots along the road once you enter the national forest.
There are also two roads out of Fraser, County Rd 72 and 73, that lead into the national forest where camping is permitted. County Rd 72 only has a handful of spots, so it may not be the best choice, and County Rd 73 has two established campgrounds for a fee. Free car camping is best off Vasquez Road. All spots are just a short drive back to town if you forget supplies.
Read about the camping near Winter Park and Fraser.

Hiking:

Read about the hiking trails near Winter Park.

Accommodations

Booking.com

Hotels and lodging:

Read about the best hotels in Winter Park.

Dining

Bars and restaurants:

Read about the best bars in Winter Park.

Special Events

Colorado Freeride Festival – Four-day biking event in late July featuring athletes in slopestyle, enduro racing, air downhill, cross country, and pond crossing events.

Read about the top events in Winter Park.

Winter Park Village.