Experiencing the Winter at Colorado Ski Destinations

Kieren At Keystone
Kieren at Keystone

We are a family that does long car trips. I never thought I’d be the type of person who would consider ten to twelve hours in a vehicle multiple times a year tolerable, but life changed my perspective. After road trips between Tulsa and Chicago during my grad school years, then back and forth across New England for work, I didn’t think being in the car was too bad – as long as I had good music or a good audiobook. 

When life brought me back to Tulsa nine years ago, I was also falling in love with Colorado. Denver is a fast flight, making access to ski areas easy. Our family’s problem is that we have animals that we prefer to travel with. Thus the journey from Tulsa, up through Kansas, and deep into Colorado became normal for our family of four — plus our dogs. The kids listen to music, read books, or use tablets to break up hours on the road, and we make frequent breaks to stretch. It is worth it, especially during the winter, because we all love snow! 

There are many great ski destinations in Colorado. These same places usually offer a variety of other winter activities for the whole family since not everyone enjoys skiing. Oklahomans seem to flock to Colorado in the winter. In fact, we’ve met Tulsans we didn’t yet know while there! 

Here are three fun Colorado locations with skiing and other winter activities for the entire family:

Keystone:

We love the family-friendly vibe of Keystone. Isabelle has found it a great place to learn the basics of skiing. The resort area isn’t gigantic, which means it is easy to cover and accessible for most children. The restaurant selection is good for the size of the area, and menus are kid-friendly.

Isabelle Taking A Ski Lesson At Keystone

Isabelle taking a ski lesson at Keystone

Aside from usual family activities such as skiing and tubing, Keystone also boasts having the world’s largest snow fort on one of their mountains. They also have sleigh rides that last about 1.5 hours, and the scenery is lovely. Isabelle and Kieren have enjoyed this activity in the past, and we would love to do the Dinner Ride sometime. It is exactly what you would guess —  before turning back on the sleigh, you stop for supper. Learn more about Keystone activities

Isabelle Getting Hot Chocolate In Keystone, one of Amanda Murphys favorite Colorado ski destinations

Isabelle getting hot chocolate in Keystone

Breckenridge:

The town of Breckenridge is more of an experience itself, meaning there is no comparing Keystone to Breckenridge. It would be like comparing an apple to an orange. There are tons of shops and eateries in the town. There is also a free sledding hill that people love. Breckenridge is a very pedestrian-friendly area, but also easy to drive around in.

Taking the gondola up to the ski area in Breckenridge is beautiful in the snow and is something children enjoy even if they don’t ski. That being said, Breckenridge has many easy slopes, which makes it a nice place for anyone who is a beginner, no matter the age.

Vail

Vail is one of my absolute favorite towns in the United States. The architecture is beautiful, and it feels like a winter paradise in the snow. There is an ice rink located in the heart of the village. Vail is also home to The Imagination Station, a hands-on children’s museum, which is open year-round if you need to escape the cold for a bit. Side note – if you love dogs as much as we do, Vail is also the best place we’ve found to see every type of dog you can think of. 

Kieren And Isabelle In Vail Village, one of Amanda Murphys favorite Colorado ski destinations

Kieren And Isabelle In Vail Village

In addition to skiing and snowboarding, there is also the Nature Discovery Center, accessible by gondola. Children can learn about ecology and sustainable practices in this area. There are also free, naturalist-guided snowshoe tours. The general layout of the village and on-mountain experiences is something I appreciate about Vail.

Considering teaching your kids to ski this winter? Here are a three things children can learn from skiing:

  1. Balance and coordination – Skiing helps kids hone good balance as well as spatial awareness, which can help translate to other sports as well.
  2. Perseverance – Skiing can be both challenging and frustrating (at first), but it teaches children to work through obstacles. 
  3. Confidence building – Once children overcome challenges from learning any new sport or activity (like skiing), it can give them a boost of confidence and lead to a sense of accomplishment. 

Want to learn to ski in Oklahoma? Check out the skiing lessons offered by Riversport OKC!


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Categories: Exploration and Education