Photo: Knopka Ivy on Unsplash
- Region
- Grand County
- Elevation
- 9,000 ft
- County
- Grand County
About Winter Park
Winter Park is the closest major mountain destination to Denver, according to the resort, at 67 miles away. That single fact explains most of the town. It has a very large ski area, a train that runs from Union Station to the base in season, and a downtown built along US Highway 40 rather than around a historic square.
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Do not come looking for Victorian brick. Come for the terrain and the short trip.
The town began as a business plan after a highway took out a drugstore. Linus Oliver "Doc" Graves ran a drugstore in Tabernash and then Fraser, until plans for the Victory Highway threatened to run straight through it. On April 20, 1932, he and his wife Helen bought 10 acres and built 10 small tourist cabins, rented nightly mostly to hunters and fishermen. They called the place Hideaway Park. In 1978 the village incorporated and took the name Winter Park, after the ski area Denver had developed next door at West Portal. The town's main park still carries the old name.
The railroad is the older story. Tracks went over Rollins Pass in 1905, and a town called Arrow grew up along the route at 9,585 feet. It was incorporated in 1904, and more than 2,000 people from nearby construction camps once got their mail there. The Moffat Tunnel made the pass route unnecessary, and Arrow became a ghost town. Winter Park annexed the former site in 2006.
The mountain has been running since January 28, 1940, and the resort calls itself Colorado's longest continually operated ski resort. It has 3,081 skiable acres and 23 lifts, with a 9,000 foot base and a 12,060 foot summit. The terrain leans steep: the resort rates just 8 percent of it as beginner, against 52 percent most difficult. Mary Jane, which joined the resort in 1975, is known for bumps and tree skiing and has its own separate base off Highway 40.
Summer is a real season here, not an afterthought. Trestle Bike Park runs more than 40 miles of lift-serviced downhill trails, and the resort counts over 600 miles of trails across the Winter Park and Fraser area.
Be honest about the layout. The resort base and downtown are separate places, about three miles apart, and you will spend time on a free bus or in a car between them. Fraser and Tabernash continue up the valley along the same highway. Pick your base with that in mind.
Where to eat
Tabernash Tavern
Tabernash Tavern is at 72287 US Hwy 40 in Tabernash, north of Winter Park, and is the fine dining choice in the valley.
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Chef Alberto Sapien opened it in June 2008. The dinner menu dated July 16, 2026 lists an 8 oz filet mignon at $60, a 16 oz ribeye at $58, and a sticky orange cauliflower at $28. The menu rotates seasonally, so expect changes. It is open Thursday through Sunday from 4 to 9 PM.
Deno's Mountain Bistro
Deno's Mountain Bistro is at 78911 US Hwy 40 in downtown Winter Park, in a building that started in the early 1900s as a stagecoach stop.
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Deno Kutrumbos bought the restaurant in 1976, and it says it is the longest running family restaurant in town. Happy hour runs daily from 3 to 6 PM, with half off margarita and cheese pizzas and $2 off appetizers. Reservations are released daily, up to 30 days ahead. A voluntary 3 percent kitchen wage supplement is added to checks.
Fontenot's Fresh Seafood & Grill
Fontenot's Fresh Seafood & Grill is at 78336 US Hwy 40 and has been cooking seafood and steaks with a New Orleans lean since 1990.
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The dinner menu lists Bourbon Street catfish at $30, salmon Toulouse at $38, and chicken fried steak at $27, with a 14 oz ribeye at $45. It lists hours of 11:30 AM to 8:30 PM Tuesday through Friday and 9 AM to 8:30 PM on weekends, with Monday closed. Call to reserve; seating is limited and the restaurant asks diners to keep to 90 minutes.
Randi's Irish Grill & Pub
Randi's Irish Grill & Pub is at 78521 US-40, with Irish and American pub food and produce from Morales Farms in Granby.
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The Randi's Burger, with Jameson barbecue sauce and Irish cheddar, is $20.50 with beef or $22.50 with elk. Breakfast is served Saturdays, Sundays and holidays from 8 to 11 AM, when an Irish breakfast is $16. Reservations are recommended. Call for parties over seven.
Namaste India
Namaste India is at 78415 US Route 40.
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The Indian menu lists veg samosas at $12.90, palak paneer at $20 and paneer tikka masala at $21. It is closed Mondays and open Tuesday through Sunday from 12:30 to 9:30 PM. Parties of five or more pay a 20 percent gratuity.
Hernando's Pizza Pub
Hernando's Pizza Pub is at 78199 US Highway 40 and has been making pizza here since 1967.
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Build-your-own cheese pizzas are $15.30 for a 10 inch and $20.30 for a 14 inch, with signature pies such as the Supreme at $20.30 and $28.30. Grand County's tourism office notes the wall of dollar bills that visitors have added to over the years. It is open every day from 4 to 9:30 PM in winter and from 5 PM in summer. Walk-ins are welcome, and groups of 14 or fewer can book online.
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Pepe Osaka's Fishtaco and Tequila Bar
Pepe Osaka's Fishtaco and Tequila Bar is at 78707 US Hwy 40, known for hybrid tacos and newer dishes such as a spicy steak bowl and a sushi burrito.
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Happy hour runs weekdays from 4 to 6 PM and weekends from 3 to 6 PM, with a house margarita at $7. It seats from a same-day waitlist on its website. Note the allergy warning: the restaurant does not recommend dining there with fish, shellfish, egg, soy, sesame, peanut or gluten allergies.
The Ditch on 40
The Ditch on 40 is at 78941 US Hwy 40, across from Cooper Creek Square, and is a family-run roadside bar and grill built around Hatch chile.
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The Ditch Burger is $10 for a single and $12 for a double. Specials include a $2 fish taco on Mondays and a $6 burger on Wednesdays from 3 to 6 PM, with the purchase of an alcoholic drink. It takes no reservations. Hours are 11 AM to 8 PM Sunday through Wednesday and 11 AM to 9 PM Thursday through Saturday.
Big Trout Brewing
Big Trout Brewing is at 50 Vasquez Road, on the ground level of the parking garage at Cooper Creek Square.
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It brews IPAs, lagers, stouts and more on site, with 10 oz IPAs at $7. It opens at 11:30 AM most days and at 2 PM on Tuesdays and Wednesdays, and the kitchen closes at 8 PM.
Fraser Valley Hot Dog
Fraser Valley Hot Dog is at 78927 US-40, next to Hideaway Park Brewery, and treats the hot dog as a serious thing.
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Choices include Vienna beef dogs, elk bratwurst and a teriyaki-marinated carrot dog. It opens daily at noon. The kitchen is tiny and warns that orders can take more than 45 minutes when busy, so grab a table on the patio and do not arrive starving.
Rudi's Deli
Rudi's Deli is at 78737 US Hwy 40, #2000, and is the cheap, fast lunch in town.
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A meatball sub is $9 or $14, the Park Side turkey sandwich is $8.50 or $13.50, and a turkey avocado melt is $10.25 or $16.75. It is open daily from 10 AM to 8 PM, with hours that may vary in the off season.
Plan your visit
Where to Stay
Slopeside condos sit at the resort base, while downtown hotels and small lodges put you near restaurants and on the free bus. The ranches up the valley trade convenience for space and activities on site.
See every option, checked against official sources, in our guide to where to stay in Winter Park.
What to Do
The resort anchors winter with skiing, tubing and snowcat tours, and it anchors summer with Trestle Bike Park and the gondola. Rollins Pass, the Fraser River Trail and the wilderness areas around town fill out the rest of the year. Many of these run on seasonal schedules, so check dates before you go.
See the full list of things to do in Winter Park.
When to Go
Winter is the main event. As of this writing, the resort says it will open for 2026-27 "as soon as possible" and has not named a date. Last season, the Winter Park side ran from October 31, 2025 to April 19, 2026, while Mary Jane ran a shorter season from January 9 to March 28, 2026. If bumps at Mary Jane are the reason for your trip, plan around that later opening. The resort reports more than 344 inches of snow in an average year.
Lifts open an hour early, at 8 AM, on Saturdays and Sundays from December 5, 2026 to April 4, 2027, subject to weather. Deck the Slopes runs from November 28 to December 31, 2026, and the annual Torchlight Parade is on December 24, 2026. Snowmobile tours generally run from late November to early April.
Summer 2026 at the resort ran from June 19 to September 27, with Trestle Bike Park lifts opening daily on June 12. Grand County's tourism office describes summers in the 60s and 70s. Events and live music fill Hideaway Park downtown during the season, which is a good reason to stay in town rather than at the base.
Fall is quieter and thinner on resort activities. In September 2026, the Alpine Slide and other base activities ran only Friday through Sunday, and they had closed for the year by the end of the month. Some resort dining and shopping stays open until ski season starts. Check before you plan around a specific restaurant or lift.
High roads run on their own calendar. Rollins Pass closes for winter. The National Park Service says Trail Ridge Road, through Rocky Mountain National Park, is closed to through travel from mid-October to late May.
Getting There
The resort lists Winter Park as a 75-mile drive from the Denver metro area via I-70 west and US Highway 40, and a 90-mile drive from Denver International Airport. The route crosses Berthoud Pass at 11,307 feet, with switchbacks that the county tourism office warns can be difficult for some drivers. Check CDOT road conditions before leaving.
You can skip the drive. The Winter Park Express is a seasonal Amtrak train from Denver Union Station to the base of the resort, with fares starting at $19. The resort says rides for 2026-27 start in December, with tickets on sale soon, leaving Denver at 7 AM and leaving the resort at 4:35 PM. The resort puts the trip at about 2.5 hours, and Amtrak says about three. Skis and snowboards ride free as carry-on baggage. From the airport, the A-Line connects to Union Station.
Amtrak's California Zephyr stops once daily in each direction in nearby Fraser. Home James Transportation runs shared shuttles from Denver International Airport, about two hours each way, and the resort strongly suggests reserving ahead. The town also points to the Outrider bus from Denver Union Station and Federal Center in Lakewood.
Once here, The Lift is a free bus system serving Winter Park, Fraser and Granby. Resort shuttles are free too.
Parking is simple at the resort, where reservations are not required and free lots are available, but there is no overnight parking in resort lots. In town, the free Vasquez Parking Garage at 50 Vasquez Road is day parking only, and cars left more than 24 hours may be towed. Overnight parking is prohibited along Highway 40 and most town streets from November 1 to May 1. There is no on-street parking for RVs, trailers or buses in Winter Park or Fraser at any time of year, except in designated areas.
The Insider Take
The Vasquez garage is the move when resort lots fill. The town runs a dedicated line of The Lift for resort visitors parking downtown. The Cooper Creek Express connects Cooper Creek Square and the Village at Winter Park Resort from 7 AM to 5 PM, every 20 minutes. You also end the ski day within walking distance of dinner.
Ride the free mountain host tour if it is your first time here. Volunteer hosts lead an orientation tour daily at 10 AM from the top of the gondola, snow permitting. Reserve a spot once the 2026-27 tours are posted. The terrain is split across several zones, and a host tour saves a lot of wrong turns.
Do not assume a Winter Park ticket means Mary Jane is ready when you are. The two bases are separate, the Mary Jane season is shorter, and a shuttle links them once Mary Jane opens, leaving Cabriolet Way at :15 and :45 past the hour and Mary Jane on the hour and half hour until 5 PM.
Rollins Pass is the best history lesson in the county if you have the right vehicle. The road climbs roughly 14 to 15 miles to the Continental Divide, past the abandoned town of Arrow and a historic trestle. A high clearance, four-wheel-drive vehicle is required, it closes for winter, and it is not a through road. Without one, Grand Adventures runs off-road trips up the pass.
Hot Sulphur Springs Resort & Spa has a cheap late-night soak, and its 19 pools are open 365 days a year from 8 AM to 10 PM. Entry drops from $30 to $35 per adult to $17 starting at 8:15 PM, a limited-time offer at last check. Public pools are walk-in only, with last entry at 9:15 PM.
For an easy afternoon with kids, try the sledding hill at Hideaway Park in winter. The park sits downtown across from the visitor center and is used on a first-come, first-served basis.
Practical Info
The resort puts Winter Park at 9,000 feet and Fraser at 8,800 feet, in a high mountain valley surrounded by the Arapaho National Forest and three wilderness areas. That is high even for Colorado. Take your first day easy, especially if you are coming straight from a lower elevation.
The Winter Park & Fraser Chamber visitor center is at 78841 US Hwy 40, open daily from 9 AM to 4 PM. It has maps, brochures and event listings. The phone number is 970-726-4118.
Plan for added charges on restaurant bills. Deno's adds a voluntary 3 percent kitchen wage supplement, and Namaste India adds a 20 percent gratuity for parties of five or more. Ask if you are not sure before you tip.
Parking tickets in town are $37.50 if paid within 20 days and $92.50 after that, so pay attention to the winter overnight ban.
Rocky Mountain National Park costs $30 per vehicle per day at the gate, with credit or debit cards only. It requires a timed-entry permit from late May to mid-October, according to Grand County's tourism office. Check Recreation.gov before you drive up.
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