Winter Park

Denver’s own mountain

Winter Park Resort has an unusual owner: the City of Denver. The ski area is owned by the city and managed by Alterra Mountain Company, and it is served by its own train, the Winter Park Express, run by Amtrak. The town of Winter Park, a home rule municipality in Grand County, Colorado, had a permanent population of just 1,033 at the 2020 census, but with 2,850 housing units inside the town limits the seasonal population is a great deal higher.

The skiing

The numbers that stand out are the altitudes. The base sits at 2,743 m and the top at 3,676 m, so the lowest lift station is higher than the summit of most Alpine resorts. That changes the character of the skiing: the vertical, at 933 m, is modest by Alpine standards, but all of it sits at an altitude where snow reliability is rarely in doubt, and newcomers from lower resorts will feel the thin air on their first day.

There are 166 km of slopes on 25 lifts, which works out at roughly 6.6 km of piste per lift, a low lift density that points to long lifts serving big pieces of mountain rather than a tightly packed network. Our data flags a modern lift system, scenic views and traditional character, and there is no difficulty breakdown in our records to say how the 166 km divide, so take the size as the headline: this is a big mountain by any measure, and a week is not too long to learn it.

The town

Winter Park is not only the downhill resort. Cross-country skiers have Devil’s Thumb Ranch Resort & Spa in the area, and in spring and summer the town turns to mountain biking, concerts, hiking and fishing. The mismatch between 1,033 permanent residents and 2,850 housing units says plainly that this is a place built for visitors, with a small year-round core that keeps it running between seasons. The Denver ownership is the other thing that sets it apart: a city-owned mountain, professionally managed, with a train running up from the city, is a rare arrangement in the ski world.

Getting there

Denver airport is roughly 96 km away as the crow flies, and the Winter Park Express is the alternative to the road for anyone arriving through the city. The season runs December to April. The official website listed in our records is the town’s rather than the resort’s, so use it for local services and look to the resort for lift and snow information.