YMCA Snow Mountain Ranch – Awesome Winter Vacation in Colorado

For years, people have told us to go to the YMCA Snow Mountain Ranch, just outside Winter Park, Colorado. People say it has a bit of everything, and recently, we got to see for ourselves.

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You may remember that Amber from the Mile High Mamas gathered a bunch of us up to the YMCA Estes Park location last summer, and we were lucky enough to head up together again. I should say extremely lucky in that these little Mile High Mamas getaways are starting to feel like a family reunion – our kids adore each other.

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We stayed in Indian Peaks Lodge, in a cozy room, with a cozy common area, that had a cozy fire. One night our kids even made a “fort” under the stairs.

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Another night we hung out at the combination indoor roller rink, basketball court, climbing wall and archery pit. (No joke – it had all those things).

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Amber also showed her Canadian blood and competitiveness by mopping the floor with everyone during indoor hockey, even the five year olds.

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Saturday morning, some folks headed out for dog sled rides, and some folks slept in. Guess which one was me. (Although I hear the dog sled experience was amazing, and I definitely plan to catch that next time).

A bunch of us hit Nordic skiing later. I decided it was best to leave my “good” camera behind, and just use my iPhone, which honestly, was still a bit of a risk given my lack of balance.

Unfortunately for Amber, she was the only one who ended up on the ground. After I knocked her over.

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This was also when Denise got a photo of the three of us, which is almost more rare than the moose we saw on our sleigh ride later that day.

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Yes, that’s right – a good old fashioned sleigh ride. Through the woods. With blankets on our laps and hot cocoa waiting for us in the middle of the trip.

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And an actual moose that trailed us for at least 10 minutes.

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And actual roasted marshmallows.

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Which the kids liked better than the moose by far.

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Well, not all the kids. Some of them loved the horses more.

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In our case, Dex loved that our room had a door right out into the snow.

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He was also pretty fascinated with the fact that the YMCA *also* has an indoor pool.

With a climbing wall. And a slide. And a sauna.

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Which proves it.

The YMCA Snow Mountain Ranch *does* have a little bit of everything.

And we pretty much did it all!

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Blogger disclosure: YMCA of the Rockies hosted us for this trip, but  all words and photos are mine.

This article has 12 comments

  1. Melissa

    Love SMR – we are already scheduled to go for Spring Break. Here is a silly video we did after our last visit. http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bLTEw27w93k

  2. Zipper

    It looks so pretty!

  3. Karen

    I love your photos. Wish you could photograph OUR vacations. 😉

  4. Sue at nobaddays

    Oh! I LOVE that rollerskate picture of Dex. And it looks like you guys had a GREAT time.

  5. OMSH

    That looks fantastic. Except for skiing. I never have enjoyed skiing.

  6. Sarah Park

    This place is simply awesome. And the horses are so adorable.

  7. monstergirlee

    So gorgeous! What an amazing couple days away. Wow 🙂

  8. monstergirlee

    Wow – they’re really hitting you with the spam comments.

  9. Aimee Giese

    I know, right? I may have to turn anti-spam off again.

  10. Kriddie

    Looks like so much FUN! I want to go.
    Love it!

  11. Sarah Patts

    Wow, these photos of Winter Park YMCA are amazing!

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