Summer in Winter Park
A few weeks ago I started telling you about our wonderful vacation to Colorado. Then I got side-tracked with some yummy food posts, like Crock Pot Beef Stew, Pepperoni Baked Spaghetti and a few really helpful Tips for Successful Baking.
Our final destination was Winter Park/Fraser where ski season opened this week! I’ve seen some pictures on their Facebook Page and the snow is just beautiful. It started snowing about 2 weeks ago and it looks like they’ve had snow almost everyday since!
With a name like “Winter Park” you might not think to visit in the summer, but don’t let the name fool you…there’s plenty to do all year round. Being a bit of a “planner” (OK, possibly OCD when it comes to a schedule) the girls and I had done some research online and decided exactly what we’d like to do on our little Colorado Retreat. One day at the Winter Park Village and Resort and another driving through the Rocky Mountain National Forest.
From our research online we learned that the biggest attractions at the Resort were the Alpine Slide (longest in Colorado), the scenic ride up the ski lift and mountain biking. I thought all three sounded like something we should try. The girls weren’t so convinced about the mountain biking.
When we arrived at the Winter Park Resort there were bikers EVERYWHERE and the first thing we noticed about them was their “equipment”. They were wearing something akin to FULL BODY ARMOUR! We knew pretty much right away….that’s probably NOT the activity for us! Although, as we watched them ride down the mountain they really did look like they were having a lot of fun. My “adventurous” daughter did finally say if she had more time and someone to do it with, she wouldn’t mind giving it a try. It looked like something I would have tried when I was her age, but now it probably would just sent me to the hospital.
When we made our reservations at online we were also able to include all day passes to Winter Park Resort. The activities included in the pass were the scenic ski lift ride to the top of the mountain, mini golf, the gyroscope and the Alpine Slide.
The Alpine Slide was soooo much fun!!! My girls weren’t sure what to expect, having never seen or heard of one before but they loved it. We were so glad were had purchased the pass and were able to ride as many times as we wanted. We visited on Friday so it wasn’t crowded and the weather was beautiful. For me, the scary part of the ride was the chair lift to the top. I’m not at all a fan of heights! The seats only held two people so someone had to ride alone. Thankfully, I have one brave daughter who didn’t mind.
On our first trip down we chose the “slow lane” but once we got the hang of it we were off. The only thing to really watch out for were the chipmunks that like to run along side the track or dart across in front of you. I think it’s some sort of chipmunk club initiation.
After a few trips up the Alpine Slide lift and a nice warm bowl of soup for lunch I was ready to do the scenic ride up the ski lift. Honestly, I was white-knuckled by the time we got to the top, but the view was totally worth it!
View from the top
But then we had to ride the lift back down!
Once we were back in the Village, one of us (NOT ME) decided to try the gyroscope.
After a little shopping in the Winter Park Village and a stop by Starbucks, we were ready to call it a day.
We loved Winter Park! It’s a beautiful little town. The one thing my girls found very “different” was the fact that pretty much everything closes by 8:00 pm. Living in a big city all their lives this was something new to them. So, when planning your visit, get an early start, enjoy the day, stop by RedBox (located inside the McDonald’s), pick up s’more fixin’s at the Safeway, and settle in by a cozy fire for the evening.