Colorado is experiencing a beautiful, snowy winter and we’re here to share the fun the whole family will enjoy, indoors and outdoors! Keep your Denver kids busy with our Colorado winter family vacation guide with 50+ activities: everything from zoo camps to hands-on science to outdoor eco-adventures to snowshoeing to a cookhouse on a mountain.
HOT TIP! Be sure to keep your family bundled up for their outdoor adventures. Obermeyer’s I-Grow Ski Jackets and Pants provide a simple way to lengthen the sleeves and cuffs of your child’s jackets and pants (our quickly-growing kids could wear them 2-3 seasons!) Columbia has a similar line of expandable winter jackets for kids.
Colorado Outdoor Fun for Kids
Ice Skating. Colorado’s outdoor ice-skating rinks are open. Some rinks are cozy and family-oriented, like Lakewood’s Rink at Belmar or go to larger rinks, like Evergreen or Keystone’s frozen lake where you’ll find enough room to play hockey or twirl like a Disney on Ice star.
Skiing. It’s never too late to start skiing and Colorado resorts make it easy and fun for your family to hit the slopes. Don’t miss our Ultimate Colorado Family Ski Vacation Guide which gives you the inside scoop on the most family-friendly resorts, as well as compares pricing for lift tickets and lessons.
Eco-Adventures. Telluride Ski Resort has a variety of Eco Adventures for kids ages 5–12. The Kids Snow Camp offers an alternative to ski school, with both indoor and outdoor activities that include trekking and geocaching. Or sign them up for snowbiking lessons (no age limit), where they’ll find a cool new way to whoosh down the slopes.
Sledding. There are a myriad of sledding hills–some public, some secret. Here are a bunch of our favorite spots in Best Places to Sled in Colorado.
Snowshoeing and Cross-country skiing. Many of Colorado’s backcountry and State and National Parks offer groomed trails and exciting terrain for snow sports, so pack your gear and use our guide to the best snowshoeing and cross-country skiing trails for families in Colorado. Tip: At Ski Cooper near Leadville, your crew can snowshoe or cross-country ski from the Nordic center to Tennessee Pass Cookhouse for lunch and almost-too-perfect views.
Animal Academy. Animal lovers will want to attend the Animal Academy at the Denver Zoo. In Animal Academy programs, concepts such as adaptations, ecosystems and life cycles come alive as recruits utilize the Zoo’s animal ambassadors to investigate these science topics.
Library Backpack
Stop into a Colorado state park visitor center to check out an Adventure Backpack stuffed with fun finds like bug boxes, binoculars and guide books with suggested activities to enhance your visit. Keep your eyes on the skies to see wintering bald eagles at North Sterling State Park in Sterling, or glide along snow-shrouded Nordic skiing trails at Navajo State Park near Arboles. Or head over to your local library and check out a state park pass for free.
Sports Fun for Colorado Families
Kids can burn off some energy indoors at CityROCK Climbing Center in Colorado Springs. During the Winter Caving Camp (for ages 8–16), junior scientists get geology lessons and practice rescues in an artificial cave featuring stalactites and cave paintings. Little ones age 4 and older can join the Winter Climbing Camp, catering to both newcomers and experienced rock climbers.
Your kid can make like a swashbuckler during the Winter Fencing Camp offered by the Cheyenne Fencing Society & Modern Pentathlon Center of Denver. A typical day includes two fencing practice sessions focusing on skills like bladework and footwork, along with skill-building games and activities.
During January and February, day camps at Woodward Copper at Copper Mountain Resort, aspiring half-pipe stars ages 6–14 can practice their boarding and biking skills or bounce on Olympic-grade trampolines inside the massive action-sports facility.
Perfect your downward-facing dog as a fam during a yoga session at Eldorado Mountain Yoga in Boulder or Family Balance Yoga in Fort Collins. At Eldorado, the Sunday morning family program is filled with yoga, music, art and meditation in a breathtaking mountain setting. And everyone is welcome to strike a pose during kids yoga at Family Balance, with weekly classes available.
Bring your future aerialists and jugglers to Fort Collins Circus to learn the arts of fabrics, slacklining, trapeze and so much more. In addition to full-day workshops, you’ll also find special Kids’ Nights Out that span 2.5 hours and include fun circus activities, videos and even pizza.
Source: MileHighMamas.com and Colorado.com. Disclosure: This post may contain affiliate links. While clicking these links won’t cost you extra money, they help us keep this site up and running. See our disclosure policy.
Author: Mile High Mamas
