To help you plan a family-friendly winter vacation with confidence, here’s a quick guide to the best family-friendly winter activities in our grand corner of mountain paradise.
Skiing & Snowboarding
(ages 2 and up)
Whether you are a small, tightly-knit family or a multi-generational clan reuniting for the first time in years, few activities create more common ground for all than skiing. With two ski resorts — Winter Park Resort and Ski Granby Ranch — Grand County offers a wealth of options. Children as young as 3 can take lessons on beginner slopes, restless teens can learn a few snowboard tricks or take to their first black-diamond run and parents can seek solace in powder-filled bowls and glades. Few activities can generate more fond memories than this winter pastime.
Snowmobiling
(ages 5 and up)
A sure-fire way to create indelible memories for you kids is a guided snowmobile tour of Colorado’s mountains. Several snowmobiling outfitters in Grand County can set you up with everything you need and take you and your family deep into the scenic public lands of the Rockies. Favorite spots include the Grand Lake area, Arapahoe National Forest and Gore Pass.
Tubing & Sledding
(ages 3 and up)
Tubing and sledding on Grand County’s numerous hills is guaranteed to deliver giggles, squeals of excitement and calls for “Can we do it again?” Fortunately for you, you don’t have to climb all the way back up for another run — facilities in Fraser, Granby and Winter Park offer lift service, so you can take as many runs as you desire.
Dogsledding
(ages 2 and up)
What kid wouldn’t want to mush? Join a team of sled dogs for a delightful ride through the woods with Grand County’s unique dogsledding outfitter. You’ll get to meet Siberian and Alaskan huskies and ride an authentic sleigh through a private network of forested trails. It’s like a 45-minute taste of the Iditarod, only with nicer conditions and all the hot chocolate you could possibly want.
Hot Springs
(all ages)
If you’ve been “feeling the burn” on the slopes or the area’s popular cross-country skiing trails, nothing soothes muscles and unwinds stress quite like a soak in the mineral pools of Hot Sulphur Springs Resort & Spa. You’ll be enjoying natural baths once revered by members of the Ute Indians for their healing properties.
Ice Skating
(ages 3 and up)
A winter wonderland isn’t complete without an ice rink and giggling children on ice skates. Around Grand County, several ice rinks are set up in winter to accommodate families of all ages.
