Colorado Winter Non-Skier Guide

This non-skier guide is a long winter bucket list and includes non-skier activities not to be missed. Whether you are taking some time off from the slopes or just looking for non-skier winter activities. There are plenty of things to do in Colorado that will enhance your vacation experience. In addition to the suggestions below, please check out our events calendar, which features a host of cultural events throughout Colorado.

The Non-Skier Guide Winter Bucket List

Guided Tours

Any of Colorado’s resort towns will feature a variety of non-skier guided tours. Experiencing Colorado’s winter wonderland can be done with the participant’s expectations in mind.

Nonmotorized Tours – Non-Skier Guide

• Snowshoeing is a low-impact, affordable group activity that will take you into the winter landscape. It is a workout but simple to do as it mimics walking. Be prepared to work up an appetite, too.

• Cross-country skiing is another great way to access Colorado’s pristine countryside. Ski touring centers throughout Colorado offer lessons, guided tours, and rentals.

• Try a guided winter horseback ride. It’s a nice way to get close to nature and winter.

• Hot air balloon rides are exhilarating any time of year and a great way to get a birds-eye view.

• Many local museums offer historical walking tours.

• Art walks or exhibits are ongoing in Colorado’s resort communities.

• Colorado’s eclectic mountain towns always have a host of music events, festivals, and concerts on the calendar.
• Ice Fishing! Colorado is a very popular fishing destination. If you don’t have all the winter gear, there will be guides available to help with that. Learn more about ice fishing.

Motorized Tours – Non-Skier Guide

• Guided snowmobile tours are a great way to explore Colorado’s winter forests, reach expansive mountain vistas, and spend the day with friends and family. These tours do require a level of comfort with operating a snowmobile.

• Scenic Snowcat Tours are another great way for the whole gang to get together and experience an amazing ride aboard a passenger-outfitted snowcat. Experience the winter wonderland in an all-new way.

• Take a gondola ride. A winter gondola ride is a thrilling way to see the ski slopes and access top-of-the-mountain dining. It’s a really fun, non-skier group activity.

• Take a chairlift ride. Some resorts offer chairlift rides versus gondola rides. Chairlifts will drop you off at a spectacular mountain spot with access to dining, views, and more.
• Winter buggy rides are becoming more popular as they facilitate small groups of passengers within each buggy. Riders can focus on the amazing winter sights and leave the driving to the tour guide.

Winter Scenic Train Rides

Glide through Colorado’s beautiful winter mountainscapes aboard a scenic winter train ride. Winter’s blanket of snow creates a majestic view of the mountains. All of the narrow gauge trains in Colorado offer a variety of fares and coaches to choose from. Many feature storytelling, shows, and adventure opportunities. A scenic train ride is a perfect memory-making activity for the whole gang.

The Non-Skier Guide to Adventure Parks

This is where Colorado’s natural wonders meet manmade delights. At the Frisco Adventure Park, winter adventurers enjoy a speedy tubing hill, a beginner ski & ride hill, and the gorgeously groomed Frisco Nordic Center.

Copper Mountain’s pedestrian-friendly village is home to a tubing hill for the older kids and Critterland for the youngest guests, complete with a tubing carousel, a snow den with crawl-through tunnels, and a mini tubing slope dubbed the squeal hill.

Spend a magical winter day exploring Glenwood Caverns and Historic Fairy Caves, where tours take you underground, and a state-of-the-art laser tag arena, 4D Motion Theater, shopping, and dining round out the day. Don’t miss adjacent Iron Mountain Hot Springs.

The Royal Gorge Bridge & Park is open 365 days a year (weather permitting) and drops jaws with its new gondola system traversing 2,200 feet across the gorge. Stand on the bridge 965 feet over the Arkansas River and take in 360-degree Colorado winter beauty.

Ice Skating

Colorado is filled with outdoor ice skating rinks, most offering skate rentals. Fort Collins, Boulder and Denver feature numerous frozen options. Head to Evergreen Lake for 40 acres of skating and a warming hut with a fireplace. Go deeper into the mountains for splendid alpine winter rinks in Beaver Creek, Crested Butte and Ouray. Winter Park’s Village Ice Rink offers rentals and free lessons. Enjoy two Zamboni-maintained ice rinks in Keystone, then hit the world’s largest snowfort.

Sleigh Rides

Bring the kids and the grandparents. Colorado sleigh rides are a more-the-merrier winter adventure. Snuggle under a blanket, sip cocoa, and swish through the Colorado mountains on a horse-drawn sleigh. Sign up for winter sleigh rides followed by dinner and a live show in Durango, Steamboat Springs, and Frisco.

Visit a Natural Hot Springs

Natural hot springs are throughout Colorado and should be on everyone’s winter bucket list. Often these hot springs are in more out-of-the-way places or located in towns on the way to your destination. Many natural hot springs include spa services, massage, a variety of pools, and even lodging. Check out our Colorado Natural Hot Springs Guide to find the resort that best fits your itinerary or non-skier guide agenda.

Colorado Resort’s Spas

All of Colorado’s major resort towns feature a variety of first-class spas and services. This is a perfect excuse for the non-skier to get your hair and nails done. Take some “me” time and sign up for a massage. There’s nothing better than feeling relaxed and well-pampered on your vacation, especially if you are a non-skier.

Many of Colorado’s Spas offer fitness classes such as yoga pilates or a combo class such as aqua soak and stretch. Check out a variety of wellness classes, such as sound immersion or roll and recovery classes. Meditation classes are also popular in Colorado. Personal trainers are plentiful and ready to help you reach your goals or overcome ailments. These experiences can help you recharge, and recover.

Shopping

A favorite non-skier (and skier) activity is shopping. Colorado’s resort towns include many boutique shops that are not commonly found in your hometown shopping malls. Try wandering through the wintery sidewalks and peep in the shop windows. Many shops feature handmade, boutique winter wear and specialized winter activity gear. You will find an amazing “Colorado Clothing” collection and essential Colorado gear.

Tubing and Sledding

Spend a quintessential Colorado winter day whipping down snow-packed slopes at classic Colorado tubing hills in Snowmass, Winter Park, Telluride, Pagosa Springs, Keystone, Frisco, Vail, and many other destinations.

Resort Town Dining

Of course, there’s dining for the non-skiers and skiers alike. What’s better after a full day of adventure than to settle down with your partner or group to enjoy some of Colorado’s cuisine? Resort towns specialize in catering to discerning palates or traditional Colorado foods such as steakhouses, chili specialties, and BBQ restaurants.