Overlooking Breckenridge Colorado. Night sky showing mountains and city lights

Winter Vacations and Day Trips (that aren’t skiing)

In Active Lifestyle Living by Doug Phelps

As the year wraps up and a new year begins, you may be starting to plan a list of fun trips and activites to do with the family and friends in the new year. While many people wait for warmer months to plan vacation time, winter vacations can be both fun and relaxing as well, especially here in Colorado. Even if you’re not a skier, Colorado hosts a full season of fun winter activities that range from short day trips to long winter vacations. Just in time for new year 2023, here’s a list of day trips and winter vacations that aren’t solely based around hitting the slopes:

1. Ice Skating

Colorado is home to multiple ice skating rinks, both indoor and outdoor. This can be a fun activity for newbie skaters as well as advanced ones and can be a great date night activity or a family-friendly activity as well.  The Parker Ice Trail is a beautiful outdoor rink within the city limits or The Rink at Evergreen Lake is a bit further out and hosts beautiful scenic views as well. 

2. Hot Springs in Glenwood Springs

About 2.5 hours outside of Denver, Glenwood Springs is home to the Glenwood Springs Hot Springs Resort which is an outdoor, all-natural hot springs pool which offers some of the most beautiful views in the state. A great spot for a new year celebration, or a fun family getaway, guests can opt to stay at the resort and relax in the hot springs or the hot springs pool in town is accessible to guests staying elsewhere.

3. Breckenridge

This special mountain town deserves its own point due to all the options to do here! Of course, there is the ski resort there and also the alpine slide, world-class shopping, hiking, great restaurants, resorts and the ice sculpture park.  If you’re looking for a day trip, Breckenridge is only about 90 minutes from Denver.

4. Rocky Mountain National Park

About 90 minutes away from Denver, Rocky Mountain National Park provides amazing hiking, ice climbing and scenic driving. This National Park is also just outside of Estes Park which is a bustling tourist town which offers great options for a long weekend, including Emerald or Sprague lakes, resorts, and shopping.

5. Tubing

Like sledding, tubing is a fun snowy activity which involves racing down a hill on an inner-tube. Hot spots for this activity include Fraser, The aforementioned Breckenridge, and Keystone Resort which also offers skiing and other fun wintery activities. 

6. Sleigh Ride

Rather you rent a horse-drawn carriage in the heart of downtown Denver or you sneak away to Frisco, a sleigh ride can be a once in a lifetime opportunity for either a romantic date night or a family-friendly experience. 

What are your favorite Colorado getaways in the winter? Are you in the market to buy or sell your home?  Call and text me at (720) 323-4176 or email me at [email protected]

Subscribe To Doug's Blog