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.
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.
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.
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).
Amber also showed her Canadian blood and competitiveness by mopping the floor with everyone during indoor hockey, even the five year olds.
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.
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.
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.
And an actual moose that trailed us for at least 10 minutes.
And actual roasted marshmallows.
Which the kids liked better than the moose by far.
Well, not all the kids. Some of them loved the horses more.
In our case, Dex loved that our room had a door right out into the snow.
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.
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.
Love it!
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
It looks so pretty!
I love your photos. Wish you could photograph OUR vacations. 😉
Oh! I LOVE that rollerskate picture of Dex. And it looks like you guys had a GREAT time.
That looks fantastic. Except for skiing. I never have enjoyed skiing.
This place is simply awesome. And the horses are so adorable.
So gorgeous! What an amazing couple days away. Wow 🙂
Wow – they’re really hitting you with the spam comments.
I know, right? I may have to turn anti-spam off again.
Looks like so much FUN! I want to go.
Love it!
Wow, these photos of Winter Park YMCA are amazing!