Kids love sledding in the snow and the snow tubing parks in the Winter Park area make sure that they find plenty of hills on which to do so each winter. A snow tube park, such as Colorado Adventure Park (coloradoadventurepark.com), which is known locally as the Fraser Tubing Hill, provides snow tube runs and a lift system to slide children on their snow tubes back up to the top of the parks tubing hill. Children must be over the age of three years and they may bring their own snow tube or hourly rent a park provided tube or air board.
Winter Park is known for world-class ski resorts and mountain runs and kids can take ski lessons at several area facilities, such as Winter Park Resort (winterparkresort.com). Children between the ages of 7 and 14 years of age can learn to ski or ride a snowboard with other children their age in group lessons sponsored by the resort. At the time of publication, class fees included necessary rental equipment as well as lift admission and instructor's assistance. Full-day or half-day instruction is available and private lessons can be purchased through Winter Park Resort as well.
An activity for children to enjoy, especially during the summer and early fall months in Winter Park, is hot air balloon touring. Children who are not afraid of heights and are above the age of 4 years old can take flight with a parent and one of Grand Adventure Hot Air Balloon Tours (grandadventureballoon.com) professional pilots for an hour of sightseeing over the Winter Park area rivers, mountains and valleys. Tours are available year round as weather permits. Fall foliage viewed from above after a day spent exploring it on ground helps children to learn about the Rocky Mountains from a unique perspective.
Cool, early evenings in the summertime Rockies are an ideal time to take children on an old-fashioned wagon ride in the Winter Park area. Trips arranged through stable outfitters, such as Fossil Ridge Guide Services (fossilridgehorses.com), wind along next to the Fraser River and through surrounding meadow lands. Rides take place in wagons made by Amish craftsmen. Kids can watch the large draft horses who pull the wagons along the hour-long trail ride and then enjoy a cowboy BBQ dinner. Reservations must be made in advance for evening wagon rides or daytime horseback trips.
