Beaches and cruises are great, but a snow-filled trip to the picturesque mountainous regions of Colorado is long overdue for more praise as an awesome girl’s destination. Adventure, food, scenery, and relaxation await—there’ll never be a dull moment. Colorado’s winters are downright epic and are just waiting for you and the ladies to come to take advantage of its endless outdoor adventures. Whether your squad wants to relax or go completely crazy on double black diamond runs, Colorado has you covered.
Slope Selection
Guess we will start with the obvious—Colorado has a whopping 26 ski resorts, and they are extreme, versatile, and stunning all at the same time. From thrilling downhill slopes to more serene, yet heart-pumping cross country trails, an abundance of powder for a snow sports-focused vacay is at your disposal. Breckenridge is just one of the highly popular places to ski, also being a nice starting point for newbies.
Ice Skating Options
Coming in at 40-acres, the beautiful Evergreen Lake is a wonderful place to hit the ice, and is complete with a warming hut serving piping hot chocolate. The Keystone Lake Ice Rink is one of the largest Zamboni polished skating rinks in the entire country. It offers that classic outdoor rink feel, which is nostalgic and cozy. However, there’s another outdoor rink in River Run Village—the choice is yours. Vail, Beaver Creek, and Crested Butte also have rinks that more than meet expectations.
Take a Sleigh to Dinner
There’s nothing like a sleigh ride to get you into the winter spirit, and who better to experience it with than your closest gal pals? These rides are more than an average horse-drawn trot, and often feature large, elaborate sleighs with cozy blankets and mountain views along the way. Steamboat Springs offers several sleigh rides that end with warm meals at local favorite restaurants. Opt for a Snow Cat or horse-drawn adventure through the powdery hills—the Haymaker Sleigh Ride Dinner starts out in a toasty lounge with drinks and snacks, then ends with a three-course meal.
Ice Fishing
Who said fishing isn’t a girl’s trip activity? It’s relaxing, peaceful, and a great way to wind down with friends. Just go out on the shimmering sheets of water for the day, or rent a cozy cabin. Chambers Lake is the place to go for catching Kokanee salmon, cutthroat trout, rainbow trout, and lake trout, but Colorado houses many ice fishing spots. Be sure it’s a safe, designated area to do so.
Dog Sledding
Dog sledding is offered in many of the mountain towns and ski resorts throughout the state from mid-November until mid-April. It makes for a fun, thrilling day, and someone else will be driving the sleigh. Sit back, relax and enjoy watching those cute pups trot away. FYI, rides continue in the summer on wheels instead of sleighs.
South Fork Snowmobiling
South Fork is amazing for snowshoeing, Nordic skiing, ice fishing and, you guessed it, snowmobiling. The area has 255 acres of groomed trails to take on, and some off-road opportunities if you and the ladies are feeling brave. Some of the most incredible views can be accessed via snowmobile, and you can go slow, or climb up intimidating slopes to get there. Wolf Creek Snowmobile Tours are guided excursions and are a pretty good idea if you’re new to maneuvering the mechanical snow beasts.
Feel Like a Kid Again
You won’t find just any snow tubing and sledding in Colorado—an impressive list of resorts offer premium hills with dips and curves accessible by a moving ramp, so you never have to get up! Copper Mountain and Snowmass both offer multi-faceted experiences as guests can snow tube, eat, and event participate in fire dancing as part of the fully rounded experience. Telluride’s hills are near a precious truffle shop rolling out homemade chocolates and silky sweet hot chocolate.
The Food
Telluride, Keystone, Breckinridge—they all have stellar eats. Munch on Camembert grilled cheese on Parmesan bread with homemade pesto at Telluride or killer chili at Winter Park and Wolf Creek. Vail’s mountain restaurant, The 10th, has been praised by Food Network for their elk chili and pheasant pot pie with winter root veggies, as was Breckinridge’s T-Bar for their tasty pretzels and game sausage with beer mustard. Hungry yet?
Snowdown Celebration
Durango puts on a week-long party toward the back end of winter, and it’s an uplifting, magical time to be in the state. Costumed individuals crowd the streets, the aroma of chili wafts from the cook-off, and the week rolls out other outlandish events like themed races and parades. Living it up at this massive costume party is a great way to wind down a girl’s getaway to Colorado.
