Colorado might boast 300 days of sunshine, but most of those days shine on snow-filled couloirs, frozen waterfalls, groomed ski runs, and snow-capped peaks.
Colorado has no off-season for the outdoor enthusiast. When the snow starts dumping, adventurous hearts start pumping. There are plenty of things to do in Colorado’s winter season, and most of these outdoor activities are what make the state an expedition mecca.
Whether it’s ice skating on frozen alpine lakes in Rocky Mountain National Park or jumping out of a helicopter to ski down Silverton Mountain, Colorado winters have a little bit of outdoor something for everyone, and Unknown Colorado has you covered with the best of the best.
19 Best Things to Do During Colorado Winters
1. Skijoring
Welcome to the wild-wild winter west, where cowboys atop horses pull skiers and snowboarders along for a bumpy ride. This sport takes adrenaline junky to a whole new level.
Skiers can also use a dog or vehicle to tow them across the snow, but horses are the classic option for skijoring. Skijoring hasn’t made its way into the Olympics (yet), but it’s a favorite winter pastime, especially on Colorado’s Western Slopes.
Mountain towns like Leadville, Silverton, and Frisco honor the sport with annual competitions. Attending a skijoring event is much like tailgating at a football game, but the real magic is where you try your hand behind the trail of a galloping animal. Must skijoring events welcome novice, intermediate, and professional level competition—folks have to get their chuckles at the noobies and awes at the experts.
2. Heli-Skiing
Tired of crowded resorts and groomers? Take a heli-skiing trip to the backcountry and bomb off an untouched peak into bottomless powder dreams.
Colorado has some of the best heli-skiing in the country, giving you access to alpine terrain chockfull of chutes, cliffs, bowls, and glades. Silverton Mountain is North America’s highest ski area, boasting over 1,800 acres of skiable terrain for the powder hounds craving next-level fun.
Heli-skiing isn’t for the faint of heart, nor is it for those new to skiing. Stick to parks until you’re ready for this adventure. Don’t worry—Colorado’s high country hidden gems will be there waiting.
3. Yurt Camping
Yurt camping (glamping) is a great way to escape the city and spend a weekend in the backcountry. Yurts take most of the logistical planning out of your alpine adventures—just snowshoe, ski, snowmobile, or hike your way to a cozy shelter built to withstand Colorado’s elements.
Yurts make for a great home base for all your snowy adventures, giving you exclusive access to alpine terrain without all the travel and deadlines for getting home. You’ll find beds, heating, tables, kitchens, and other modern conveniences in these tent-like dwellings.
6 Colorado State Parks offer year-round yurt camping:
- Golden Gate Canyon
- Pearl Lake
- Mancos
- Ridgway
- State Forst
- Sylvan Lake
And you can find plenty of other out-of-park alpine yurts throughout the state. Pick your own adventure, and enjoy the quiet, powdery seclusion.
4. Snowshoeing
Snowshoeing isn’t just a means to a destination—it’s a fun winter sport in and of itself. Thanks to Colorado’s high alpine terrain, you don’t have to travel far to slip on your snowshoes and bundle your way through some fresh powder.
Rocky Mountain National Parks and Brainard Lake State Park have excellent snowshoeing conditions for Front Range residents, while Glenwood Springs and Grand Mesa have miles of accessible trails for Western Slopers.
Not ready to venture out into Colorado’s untouched winter wilderness? No problem. Hit up a local nordic center to access equipment rentals, lessons, maps, and groomed trails. You can find nordic centers at:
- Telluride
- Breckenridge
- Crested Butte
- Eldora
- Keystone
- Vail
- Beaver Creek
- Aspen/Snowmass
- Tennessee Pass
- Frisco
- Gunnison
And a lot more than that, too.
5. Ski Biking
Ski biking (also known as snowbiking and skibobing) is a snow sport that puts you on top of a bicycle-looking contraption with 2 short skis in place of wheels.
Keep it mild on groomers, or go wild on black diamonds—it’s all up to you. You’ll get a few looks and double-takes, as this is still a relatively new sport. But so was snowboarding a couple of decades ago.
Ski biking is a great way to stay out on the slopes when your knees are tired but you just don’t want to sit in the lodge. More and more Colorado resorts are introducing ski bikes, and you can find them at popular spots like Winter Park and Steamboat Springs.
6. Cross Country Skiing
Take a break from bombing downhill runs and glide your way across snow-covered trails. Cross country skiing (also known as nordic skiing) lets you get out and enjoy Colorado winters without all the adrenaline you get with most winter sports. This was the one-and-only way to ski before we got all fancy with our powder machines and lifts.
Take your journeys across normal walking paths (where permitted), groomed trails, and off-trail terrain. The only limit to this winter fun is your cardiovascular system, and that’s sure to be on fire after a morning of cross country skiing.
Nordic centers offer fantastic beginner terrain, but don’t think you have to travel to these destinations to strap on your skis. Enjoy a true backcountry nordic skiing experience at:
- Boreas Pass Road
- Vail Pass Winter Recreation Area
- Cottonwood Pass
- Brainard Lake State Park
- Never Summer Mountains
7. Ice Climbing
Strap on your crampons because things are about to get dicey. Not really—while ice climbing might seem like an extreme winter sport, there’s plenty of room for entry-level athletes who just want to make their way up a frozen waterfall. Because, really, who doesn’t want to do that?
Fortunately for Colorado residents, you’re surrounded by some of the world’s best ice climbing terrain. Ouray Ice Park is a world-class ice climbing destination with more than 100 named ice and mixed climbs that are just a 15-minute walk from town. The park is farmed, meaning it’s human-made ice—making for a more controlled ice climbing environment for noobies and those looking to take things to the next level.
8. Snowmobiling
Up until now, we’ve really only talked about the best things to do in Colorado’s winters that require breaking a sweat. Snowmobiling is a nice break from all the hustle and bustle of the snow-packed trails and slopes, though expert drivers can get the same level of adrenaline on these powerful snow-blazing beasts.
Everything that makes Colorado a unique off-roading experience in the summer contributes to an other-worldly snowmobiling adventure in the winter. Take your family out on a morning excursion or cruise through the mountains on a high-speed adventure—you control the stoke level.
Here are a few of the best snowmobiling destinations in the state:
- Gunnison
- Crested Butte
- Wolf Creek
- Grand Lake
- South Fork
- Lake City
- Leadville
- Kremmling
- Steamboat Springs
9. Fat Biking
Fat biking and skibobing aren’t the same things—far from it. Fat biking is riding a traditional mountain bike that’s been equipped with huge, souped-up tires meant to cruise over thin coatings of powder and grab snow-packed trails better.
You ride them just like you would a bike, and some people even use these throughout the summer to cruise over rocks and roots (kind of like a monster truck). Many groomed multi-use trail systems and nordic centers welcome these new additions to the outdoor winter sports world, so you won’t find any problem finding a place to ride.
10. Backcountry Skiing
Back to the alpine country. Backcountry skiers use skins to climb up snowy mountains before tearing them off to shred untouched powder. Of all the winter sports (and sports in general), backcountry skiing is notorious for being one of the most dangerous, with avalanche danger being a lingering threat regardless of your experience.
However, if conditions are right and your stoke is high, backcountry skiing delivers an all-thrills-no-frills winter experience. There’s something magical about whipping down Colorado mountains in their purest state. Here are a few ways you can access backcountry terrain:
- Skin up and begin your hike
- Jump in a helicopter and get dumped on a powdery summit
- Hop on a snowcat and get a ride to the top of hard-to-reach peaks
- Snowmobile to the top of a mountain
- Drive to the top of a mountain pass
11. Hot Springs
Colorado is home to over 30 natural hot springs spread across the state, providing practically any resident with a short drive to a steamy pool. Hot springs are the perfect Colorado winter activity, especially if you’ve just spent the day freezing your mittens off on a pair of skis or a frozen waterfall.
Hot springers (that’s a word, right?) are treated to a not-easily-replicated experience in Colorado. This isn’t a soak in an indoor hot tub surrounded by screaming children and big-screen TVs—this is an outdoor sabbatical submerged in natural thermal water surrounded by snow-capped peaks, snow-laded pine trees, and glittering night-time stars.
When you’re ready to soak and chill, head on over to one of these well-known natural hot springs:
- Glenwood Springs Hot Springs: Combining 3 man-made pools into the largest hot spring in the world.
- Ouray Hot Springs: Splash down the swim lanes, spill down the slides, or chill in the adults-only section—there’s a little something for everyone.
- Steamboat Strawberry Park Hot Springs: Soak it up in natural stone pools that get up to 107 degrees Fahrenheit.
- Mount Princeton Hot Springs Resort: The Buena Vista area has hot springs, too, and this cozy mountain retreat boasts an infinity pool.
- The Springs Resort & Spa: Pagosa Spring’s not-so-secret Mother Spring is over 1,000 feet deep, making it the world’s deepest geothermal hot spring.
12. Downhill Skiing
We’d be remiss if we didn’t include traditional downhill (alpine) skiing. I mean, it’s just the anchor to the entire thriving tourist economy in the state. Whether you’re a visitor or a local, downhill skiing is a prerequisite in Colorado.
When it comes to Colorado downhill skiing, you have options. Almost too many options. You can live it up resort-style at ritzy locations like Breckenridge, Vail, Winter Park, or Keystone, or you can go where the locals go at places like Arapahoe Basin (A-Basin), Loveland, Purgatory, Monarch, or Echo Mountain.
13. Dog Sledding
Dog Sledding isn’t exclusive to Alaska (although they’d probably like to think so). You can find plenty of trained Huskies ready to “Mush,” “Gee,” and “Haw,” you around Colorado’s winter wilderness. Look around most mountain towns, and there’s a good chance you’ll find a locally owned and operated dog-sled company ready to take you out for a tour.
Take control of the reigns on guided adventure tours, or sit back and relax under a bed of blankets while trained experts guide your canine team with laser focus. Be warned: you’re going to want to take one of these pups home with you by the time that you’re done…and that’s probably not going to happen.
14. Ice Fishing
Fishing doesn’t stop after summertime—dedicated anglers can take their passion into the winter season with ice fishing. The best time for Colorado ice fishing is December through February (when the ice is thick and sturdy), but conditions can extend later into the year, too. Check with your local Colorado Parks and Wildlife station to learn more about safety tips.
Here are a few of the best places to catch yourself some trout, salmon, bass, and more under a frozen layer of ice:
- Lake Granby
- Twin Lakes Reservoirs
- Chatfield Reservoir
- Eleven Mile Reservoir
- Lost Lake
- Trinidad Lake
15. Tubing
Colorado has a little something-something for those who don’t want to sit on lifts, and it’s a thrill-inducing ride that’s full of a similar taste of adrenaline. Grab your inner tube, throw it down on the Magic Carpet, and get ready to fly down the hill at face-freezing speed.
You can find snow tubing at just about any Colorado mountain ski resort, but here are a few standout locations:
- Snow Mountain Ranch in Winter Park
- Firecracker Sledding Hill in Telluride
- Copper Mountain Tubing Hill
- Hesperus Tubing Hill near Durango
- Echo Mountain Tubing Hill
- Saddleback Ranch Yee-Haw Tubing Hill in Steamboat
16. Alpine Ice Skating
While ice skating at your local rink can be a fun activity, nothing quite beats the thrill of skating across a snow-free frozen lake. Hike, ski, or snowshoe your way up into the mountains to find solitary skiing conditions atop pristine black ice.
Many of Colorado’s San Juan Mountain lakes become skate-ready in the fall, and prime-time conditions can last into the summer months. Wait a short time after snowfall before venturing onto this alpine terrain to ski smoother ice and enjoy crystal clear views of the frozen water below.
Top-notch alpine ice skating lakes include:
- Sky Pond (Rocky Mountain National Park)
- Diamond Lake (Indian Peaks Wilderness)
- Emerald Lake (Rocky Mountain National Park)
- Pacific Tarn (Breckenridge)
- Keystone Lake (Keystone)
Of course, always check with local experts and check the conditions before cruising out onto the middle of an alpine lake. The last thing you want is to take a polar plunge when you’re miles away from warmth and shelter.
17. Mountaineering
Colorado’s high summits have a narrow window of warm, dry opportunity. Sometimes, the snow doesn’t melt until late July or August, leaving casual hikers a month (maybe 2) to bag high elevation 14’ers (14,000-foot mountains) and 13’ers (13,000-foot mountains). Fortunately, there’s another way to scale Colorado’s high points year-round, and that’s through mountaineering.
Mountaineering is the activity of climbing tall mountains, whether that’s through hiking, climbing, or skiing. Sometimes it involves rock climbing and glacier travel, while other times can demand a steep hike using crampons and an ice ax.
Regardless of your thrill level, there are mountains of all difficulties throughout Colorado to satisfy your need to get outside. Just make sure you learn the basics (avalanche safety, climbing, equipment use, etc.) or hire a professional guide.
18. Snowkiting
It’s just what it sounds like. Instead of flying across watery waves, snowkiting takes you over snow and ice strapped to skis or a snowboard. While it’s most popular around resorts and frozen lakes, some adrenaline junkies bring this sport outside the boundaries above treeline.
Riders can catch real air and soar through the sky, though a crash on hard-packed snow isn’t quite so gentle as a mistake into lake water. Still, snowkiting is a sport growing in popularity that promises laughs, good times, and stoke as high as your kite can take you.
19. Snow Boating
Snow boating (or snow kayaking) puts your beloved water device onto a snow slope for a thrill ride. You can find alpine snow boaters at resorts or even in the backcountry, paddling their way down steep slopes like a fish out of water (he-he). Even if it’s not right for you, it sure is entertaining to watch.
Don’t Stay Indoors This Winter Season
Whether you’re visiting for vacation or live here, don’t let another Colorado winter find you stuck indoors. While there’s always time for cocoa and Hallmark movies, snow-filled adventures are waiting for your outside.
Grab your skis, pick up your ice axes, or play with a bunch of Huskies—regardless of your adventure style, there’s a little bit of powdery something for everyone to do in Colorado during the winter season.
