Winter Park ski resort guide Ski area, apres-ski, things to see & do at Winter PArk
Overview
Winter Park sits at 2,743m in the high altitude Fraser Valley in Grand County, Colorado. The valley is surrounded by the Arapaho National Forest and three Wilderness areas - Indian Peaks, Byers Peak and Vasquez. Averaging over 231 inches of annual snowfall, 300 days of sunshine and just 67 miles northwest of Denver, Winter Park Resort is the closest major destination ski resort to Denver and a favourite amongst Denver locals who call this place their "home mountain".
Winter Park après-ski
The Mountain Village has 16 bars and restaurants from friendly mountain cafes to pub style taverns and fine dining in the village. The apres-ski typically starts on the slopes - Snowasis on mid-mountain is popular with its music and sundeck as is the Derailed Bar. Downtown Winter Park is another possibility for an evening out with a much larger selection of cafes, bars, restaurants and nightclubs and just 2 miles from the base station.
| Key information (whole area) | |
|---|---|
| Altitude | 2743m |
| Top lift | 3676m |
| Family | |
| Beginner | |
| Intermediate | |
| Expert | |
| Ski area (acre) | 3081 |
| Longest run | 7 km |
| Off piste | |
| Cross country | 125 km |
| Season | Nov - April |
| Snowboard parks | 6 |
| Heli Skiing | ✘ |
| Summer skiing | ✘ |
| Glacier skiing | ✘ |
| Babysitting | ✔ |
| Creche | ✔ |
| Apres ski | Lively and fun |
Winter Park ski area guide
Skiing first started in 1940 and the resort has not looked back since those early days with massive investment in the mountain infrastructure year after year.
In total, there are 134 groomed trails for all levels of skier and boarder serviced by high speed chairlifts and gondolas. Away from the pistes, there are 1,212 acres of back-country terrain to explore. Through pristine untouched glades to steep chutes, the ski area is vast and the perfect playground for good intermediates and experts.
Winter Park ski area consists of 7 Territories that are all linked by an excellent network of trails and lifts...
- Winter Park
- Mary Jane
- Parsenn Bowl
- Eagle Wind
- Vasquez Cirque
- The Cirque
- Terrain Park
Beginners
Some gentle slopes around the base of the Winter Park Territory is where beginners first learn the basics before progressing further afield to the Mary Jane area where there are many long and wide cruising blue runs through the forests.
Intermediate
There's no issue regarding getting bored and skiing the same run twice at Winter Park. There is literally miles and miles of fabulously long intermediate runs around the 7 Territories but especially at Vasquez Ridge which has the best “off the beaten path” trails through the glades.
Advanced
Encompassing 399 acres of the most extreme terrain, The Cirque Territory offers the excitement of un-groomed, backcountry skiing and riding within a patrolled area.
Snowboard
Winter Park has one of the best terrain parks in Colorado and its massive with an 18-foot superpipe and more than 80 other innovative, progressive features that cater for absolute beginners to professionals.
Featured cabins & condos
For ski-in, ski-out lodging, the best place to stay is at one of the vacation rentals in the mountain resort at the foot of the mountain. Renting a holiday home here means you are less than a minutes walk to the Zephyr Express gondola. Other accommodation options include downtown Winter Park which has the benefit of a lively and extensive apres-ski scene.
See all rentalsThings to see & do at Winter Park
Winter Park is certainly family friendly offering children aged 5 or under a free lift ticket with lessons. For non-skiing children aged 2 months to 6 years old, there is Wee Willie's club providing indoor activities and outdoor play.
There are many other activities to keep both children and adults entertained including...
- Cross Country Skiing
- Tubing
- Snowshoeing
- Snownobile tours
- Dog sledding
- Hot Springs Day Spas
- Scenic snowcat tours and skiing
- Fat tyre snow bikes
- Alpengow massage at the mountain resort
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Mychaletfinder's view on Winter Park
In a nutshell, Winter Park is a ski resort for everyone to enjoy on and off the mountain. And, being so close to Denver, it is the ideal long weekend vacation destination from the city.
