Now that the wintery, snowy months are upon us, some may think there isn’t much to do in the mountains. It is certainly more difficult to hike, and some trails are very hard to access at this point, but there is still tons to do! Try out these seven mountain activities for the winter months!
1. Snowshoeing
I love to snow shoe because I love to hike. When the trails get covered in snow, just bust out your snow shoes! Snow shoes are relatively inexpensive and they can be used again and again. I have these snow shoes and absolutely love them! If you don’t want to purchase your own pair of snow shoes, you can typically rent them at any large ski resort for the day.
2. Ice Fishing
Since I love to fish in the warmer months, it only makes sense to do some ice fishing in the winter months! Ice fishing is definitely only for those who don’t mind the cold. I would highly suggest a portable heater! We have a pretty basic ice fishing set up with a hut, some chairs, a sled to pull everything, a heater that attaches to our propane tank, and an ice auger. If you like to fish, you have to try ice fishing!
3. Hot Springs
There is no better time to visit the hot springs than in the winter time. It’s cold outside but the water is so warm! I love the hot springs in Glenwood Springs and this winter I want to go to Strawberry Hot Springs in Steamboat Springs! Some hot springs require a four wheel drive vehicle to get to them so make sure you do your research before you go! I know Strawberry Hot Springs in Steamboat Springs is very hard to access in the winter time.
4. Tubing
Tubing is so much fun and I fully plan on taking my kiddos this winter! I haven’t been to a tubing hill in years. We tried to go last year but we missed the turn off and then decided to do something else! This year I want to get both my kids out on the tubing hill. I think they will both really enjoy it. There are tons of tubing hills in Colorado. A lot of ski resorts have them. The best part is you don’t even have to bring your tube back up the hill, they have lifts for that!
5. Snowmobiling
This is a fun one! It’s like a jet ski but in the snow. I have not been snowmobiling since I was little and my Uncle took me. Since we don’t own a snow mobile we want to rent some this winter. You can ride snowmobiles during the day and at night and some of them even come with specialty suits that keep you warm! This is something that my husband and I have been wanting to do for a couple winters now but just haven’t had the time to do it. Hopefully we will this winter!
6. Sledding
Sledding is much like tubing except on a sled instead of a tube. Around town there are some sledding hills that are fun but not a lot. If you go up to some of the mountain passes, you can find awesome sledding hills! Nothing beats sledding down a mountain at top speed! Just be careful of other people. We just have a couple basic sleds. We have a long one and a saucer like one. And unfortunately you do have to walk your sled back up the hill!
7. Snowboarding and Skiing
I saved this one for last because it’s a very obvious winter activity for the mountains, but also a very expensive one. Ski passes are so much money and so are only day passes. I use to snowboard all the time so a pass made sense, but since I had kids, I haven’t really gone up. I do hope that this year I can get Lotus is ski school and next year I will hopefully get Jeffery in there. The one good thing about buying a pass is that kiddos get a discount pass!
Whenever you think there are no mountain activities in the winter, think again! I hope these activities sparked some adventure inspiration and you’ll get up to the mountains this winter!