Day Trip Destinations Near Winter Park, CO
Winter Park is a great treasure, and it’s one of the best places in Colorado. But once you get past all the amazing things that it has to offer, you realize that one of its many positive points is its location. People all over the country love the fact that Winter Park is only about 70 miles from Denver, but everyone living in town gets excited about how close it is to many other spectacular places. So when you come to stay in Winter Park, don’t miss your chance to visit some of the other treasures of Colorado.
Rocky Mountain National Park
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Drive Time: About 50 Minutes
Colorado is full of beautiful nature, but Rocky Mountain National Park is well known as one of the most beautiful areas of the state. But even though it’s so popular, that doesn’t necessarily mean that it’s super crowded. It has 415 square miles of mountain wilderness for you to explore, and it takes quite some time to hike all of the 300 miles of trails through the park. If you’d like to see some amazing views but aren’t feeling up to walking, then consider driving along Trail Ridge Road. You won’t find a higher continuously paved highway in North America, and it even goes above 12,000 feet.
Ready for some more good news? It’s less than 40 miles from Winter Park to Rocky Mountain National Park, so if you hop in the car on a nice day, you’ll be able to get there in about 50 minutes.
Black Hawk
Drive Time: About 60 Minutes
It’s about 47 miles from Winter Park to Black Hawk, and you’ll find plenty to do when you get there. This town was established in 1859 when gold was discovered in the area, and miners started flocking from all around to settle here and look for their fortune. Eventually the gold ran out, but Black Hawk was conveniently located on North Clear Creek, so they built a lot of mills and started processing the ore. It also ended up with a direct railroad line to Golden, CO, so it wasn’t difficult for people to get to.
In 1991, gambling was made legal in Black Hawk, so now people come from all over the state to place their bets. After experiencing some history, you might just hit the jackpot!
Grand Lake
Drive Time: About 45 Minutes
It probably doesn’t come as a surprise that the town of Grand Lake sits right next to a Lake, but it gets a little confusing when you learn that the body of water is also called Grand Lake. The water itself is quite impressive because it happens to be Colorado’s largest and deepest natural lake. It’s a great spot to go if you want to do some fishing or boating, and you can even pop into one of the other bodies of water, Lake Granby and Shadow Mountain Lake, that you’ll pass on the drive there. And since it’s only about 45 minutes from Winter Park, there’s no reason to not pay it a visit!
Loveland Ski Area
Drive Time: About 50 Minutes
I’m sure you’re already wondering why you would ever leave the amazing skiing that Winter Park offers to go somewhere else, but the Loveland Ski Area is a nice little journey to make. It takes just about an hour to get to these slopes which sit directly east of the famous Eisenhower Tunnel, and it’s one of the highest ski areas in Colorado (the summit is 13,010 ft.). It’s made up of two different parts, Loveland Basin and Loveland Valley Ski Area, and it’s suitable for beginners and more advanced skiers and snowboarders. It started its life in 1936 when a portable tow rope was set up, but now it has a whole assortment of fancy chairlifts to carry you up the mountain.
Idaho Springs
Drive Time: About 45 Minutes
This town is located right off of Interstate 70 about 30 miles west of Denver, so it’s right on the main path from the big city to the popular ski resorts. However, the pretty downtown area makes it more than just a place to stop for gas. It’s another town that was originally created because of gold in the area (back in 1859), and its location has managed to keep it alive. For a bit of trivia, rumor has it that it got its name because a Native American chief used to venture over here from Idaho to bathe in the waters which he believed had magical healing powers.
But, We’re Confident You’ll Come Home
These five great places are all within one hour from Winter Park, but we know that this town is the one that will really steal your heart. With year-round opportunities such as skiing, snowmobiling, fishing, hiking, camping, and plenty more, you’ll never run out of things to do in Winter Park CO.
