The 5 Best Family Ski Resorts In Colorado

We are super excited to share a post written by Heather from 4 Radical Roadschoolers And A Fat Cat . Her and her family spent 3 months in Colorado skiing so she is the perfect expert to share the best family ski resorts in Colorado. Enjoy!



We spent 3 months at a fabulous ski destination in Colorado where we were able to ski at 5 different resorts. We think these are some of the best ski resorts in Colorado, if not the entire United States. Check out our list below!



Breckenridge



Breckenridge


All the ski resorts are amazing, Breckenridge was definitely our favorite. The town of Breckenridge has such a cool mountain town vibe, there is a free shuttle that will take you pretty much anywhere in the area, and Tiger Run RV Resort in Breckenridge where we stayed was awesome. In addition, the ski area is huge with 5 peaks! Perfect for a ski vacation.



Trails



There is something for all skill levels at Breckenridge, from beginner and intermediate to expert. Making it a great ski trip destination. You could spend weeks skiing at Breckenridge. And the snow is the softest, most amazing powder I have ever skied on!



187 trails at Breckenridge ski resort spread across 5 peaks. There are lifts to take you to most of the trails and to the different peaks. It took us several visits to get the hang of getting around and finding our way to the different peaks and trails. There is also a ski school if you are just learning.



Peak 9







Peak 9 is the place to start for beginners and intermediates as well. At the base of it you can take the 6 person Quicksilver lift up to some really nice beginner terrain. Beginner trails are indicated by a green circle and are referred to as green trails.



On Peak 9 there are 2 really fun and easy Kids Adventure Zones: the Haunted Forest and Ripperoos Forest. These are fairly flat trails through the woods with fun props, but not too flat where you have to walk. It’s a great place for kids to practice their turning skills, and have some fun.



A couple of our favorite trails are Upper Lehman (intermediate) and American (advanced). Both trails have some moguls and several off-shoots into the woods. We love those little trails that venture off into the woods which are created by other skiers throughout the day.



Peak 10



Peak 10


From the top of the Quicksilver Super6 lift you can access the Falcon Superchair, another 6 person lift which will take you to Peak 10. This one goes to advanced terrain only. Advanced or expert trails are indicated by a black diamond or a double-black diamond which are even more advanced.



Our favorite trails on Peak 10 are Corsair and The Burn. Both are advanced and full of moguls, but so much fun if you’re up for it.



Peak 8



You can get to Peak 8 using the Peak 8 SuperConnect, a 4 person chair. This chairlift is really an engineering marvel. It crosses over 2 other chairlifts and turns midway up the mountain, with a mid-point loading area for other skiers.



The first time we rode up the Peak 8 SuperConnect, our kids were still beginners, and they started to get really nervous about halfway up when they saw the intermediate trails. They saw the mid-point loading area and were relieved for the chance to get off the lift; that is until they realized it’s only a loading point, not an off-loading point. Don’t worry, they survived!



Peak 8 has so many options! Springmeier is a great option to start, especially with kids. Even though it’s intermediate, it’s a slow-zone family trail where they monitor your speed and make sure you’re not going too fast. Breck has several of these slow-zone family trails.



These types of trails are great for kids and anyone just getting used to skiing on an intermediate trail. Intermediate trails are sometimes referred to as blue trails and are indicated by a blue square.



It’s hard to choose a favorite at Peak 8 because there are so many. By the end of the season, my 14-year-old had gotten to the point where he really liked the advanced double-black diamond trails. He insisted I try out trails like Goodbye Girl and Devil’s Crotch which are super steep with moguls; that was hard!



Terrain Park



If you’re up for a different kind of adventure, you might want to try out a terrain park. There are plenty of those at Breck ranging from easy to extreme.



We watched some snowboarders going over some very large jumps at one of the terrain parks. There is a nice viewing area on the 4 O’Clock Trail at Peak 8 where you can watch extreme skiers and snowboarders doing some amazing jumps.



While at Peak 8 you can also access the highest chairlift in North America, the Imperial Express, as well as the T-Bar. Both of these lifts will take you to several options for advanced trails. These trails were still open even into May and June due to the higher elevation and record amounts of snow for the year.



Peak 7



Moving along to Peak 7, you will have several options for some really nice intermediate trails. Our favorites were Angel’s Rest and Wirepatch.



Wanderlust was our favorite advanced trail because it had some unique sections going up and down hill as well as through some trees. Part of the Wanderlust trail is actually on Peak 6, but we accessed it from the lodge at the top of Peak 7.



Peak 6



Peak 6 goes up high above the tree line like Imperial Express at Peak 8, which means it is at a higher elevation and was also open with plenty of snow in May and June. Once you get up that high, the views of Breckenridge are just incredible!



The trails are a little harder to distinguish from each other once you get up that high because there are no trees separating the trails. Our favorite trail on Peak 6 was Nirvana.



With 187 trails, I can’t possibly mention them all, but you can see more information about the terrain and lift status here: Breck Terrain and Lift Status.



Activities



So, you might be wondering with all of those fabulous trails to ski on, did we have time to do anything else in Breckenridge? Yes, we did! There are so many fun things to do in Breckenridge!



Sledding at Carter Hill is amazing, and free! From Carter Hill you get an amazing view of the slopes at Breck which are so beautiful in the evening when the sun is setting.



Another option for sledding and tubing is at Frisco Adventure Park. This is not free, and we did not get a chance to go there, but it looks like a lot of fun.



Another great family fun activity is going for a sleigh ride in Breckenridge.



Eating



There are so many amazing places to eat right on Main Street in Breckenridge. Taking a stroll up and down the street and visiting the shops and restaurants is a great activity to do in the evening after a fun day of skiing.



One of our favorite restaurants is Downstairs at Eric’s. This restaurant is always crowded, but while you’re waiting for a table, you can entertain the kids in the game room which includes several retro arcade games. This place is super kid-friendly!



We also liked Ollie’s and CB Potts.



A great restaurant for après ski is Sevens Restaurant at the base of peak 7. You can finish your ski day by skiing right to Sevens, and later hop on the gondola which will take you back into town where you can catch a shuttle to where you are staying.



As far as eating lunch during your ski day, you may want to consider packing a lunch. The lodges on the mountain are overpriced for lunch in our opinion.



We had lunch at the quick-service Vista Haus at the top of the Colorado SuperChair on Peak 8 and it cost $70 for our family of 4, and we didn’t even get drinks besides free water.



Ski Resort Pro’s




5 peaks and 187 trails, you won’t get bored



Many trails for all skill levels



Free shuttle



Gorgeous views



Great ski town with lots of shops and restaurants



Year-round RV resort in town for those of us who like to spend the winter in our RV



Nearby sledding hill




Ski Resort Con’s




Can be crowded on the weekends



Lack of reasonably priced restaurants for a family to eat lunch on the mountain during the ski day




Is it good for families?



Breckenridge is excellent for families! We stayed at Tiger Run RV Resort and there were several other Fulltime Families staying there for the winter months.



The Kids Adventure Zones on the slopes are also super fun for kids. The employees working the ski lifts are very attentive to kids and make sure they can safely load the lift, and they quickly jump in and help when a child has trouble.



Summary



Of the 5 resorts we skied at during our 3 month stay, Breckenridge was definitely our favorite. With 5 peaks and so many trails, we never got bored of skiing there. We also really enjoyed staying right in Breckenridge for the season and getting to know other families that were there as well.



However, as much as we loved skiing and staying in Breck, we also really enjoyed the other 4 resorts we were able to ski at.



You may be wondering what to do about a lift ticket. Since we were staying in the area for 3 months, we purchased the Epic Local Pass which includes several ski areas besides Breckenridge including the other 4 resorts that I will talk about next. You can purchase an Epic pass for the season or just for your length of stay.



Ski Lift Tickets and Ski Rentals – there are a variety of options for ski lift tickets and rentals (including ski and snowboard rentals).



Epic Pass  – plan to ski at more then one ski resort this season?  Click here to check out the Epic Pass .



Lodging  – there are a variety of lodging options at Breckenridge and the surrounding area.



Hotels



Residence Inn by Marriott Breckenridge



Grand Lodge on Peak 7



Vacation Rentals



Main Street Retreat Right in the heart of Breckenridge



2 Bedroom Condo walking distance to Main Street



Arapahoe Basin






Arapahoe Basin (also known as A Basin) was incredible, but sadly it is not part of the Epic Pass any longer. Our first day skiing with our kids was at A Basin because they had the best price for ski lessons.



Our kids had an excellent instructor for the day, and even though they had never skied before, by the end of the day they were showing us their new skills taking us down the beginner slopes.



Trails






Arapahoe Basin is a smaller ski area, but still has 147 trails. At the bottom of the mountain is a tiny ski hill called Molly Hogan where the beginner ski school lessons start.



From the base of the mountain, the Black Mountain Express 4-person lift takes you to some really nice beginner trails. After our kids’ lessons ended for the day, they were ready to take this lift and try some of the easy trails like Wrangler and Sundance.



Once you’re ready to venture to some intermediate trails, from the top of the Black Mountain Express you can ski right over to the Lenawee Mountain 3-person lift that takes you to the top of the mountain.



From the top you have several options: you can ski some great intermediates back down to the bottom where you started, or try some intermediates and advanced on the side called the Beavers or the back Montezuma Bowl (our favorite).



I personally think the Intermediate trails at A Basin are harder than those at Breck. The Intermediates here would probably be considered Advanced at Breck; some are quite challenging.



The views from the top of Montezuma Bowl are amazing! Our favorite trails on this back bowl are Columbine and Miner’s Glade. Miner’s Glade is through the trees with moguls so it’s pretty difficult making it great for advanced skiers.



I may or may not have run into a few trees skiing through there!