I’d like to preface this whole post and any future winter posts that we are not winter people. With that being said, we still like to partake in the beauty of a winter wonderland but in very small small doses.

When we visited Denver we had an amazing time in and out of the snow! Here’s some of the fun activities we did.

Snowmobiling. I have to tell you my arms were sore after this one. I believe the fear of loosing control of one’s snowmobile is what kept me tense. Or it was the understated cold to my gloved fingertips while I gripped the throttle. Nonetheless, a little soreness, chapped lips and healthy fear never hurt anyone.

We took a guided tour with Grand Adventures at their Winter Park/Fraser location. We arrived an hour early so we were able to take photos, make snow angels, build a snowman, and even follow some kids sliding down some self made snow slides. I believe a section of the area had some snow tubing options but we had other extreme plans.

The snowmobile itself was pretty comfortable. You have the option to ride as a single rider or a pair and options for a 2 or 3 hour tour. For this trip we decided we each wanted our own ride and opted for the 3 hour tour. The snowmobile handles had grip warmer control (honestly it was so helpful to have this luxury) it gave small bouts of relief from the cold. I would highly recommend this exhilarating winter activity. In the last photo you’ll see a selfie with our wonderful tour guide!

Price: $245 per person (single rider) and $20 for insurance (will cover any damage done to the ski-doo). If you want to add a passenger it’s $100 extra.

Hiking. We hiked the Lower Maxwell Falls in Evergreen, CO it is a 4.4 mile looped trail and it took us 3 hours to complete. With lots of stops and breaks in between.

As I stated before we are not winter people so it did not occur to us that the falls would be frozen. It was still quite the adventure. This was my first trip hiking in the winter in proper gear. We followed the tips from All Trails and got ourselves shoe spikes, appropriate hiking sticks, warm gear from head to toe. Pretty much a one stop shop to amazon.com.

The best part of this hike was the last 45 minutes on our return, where we were kissed by a flurry of snow flakes. Wet and cold, the short lived heavy snowfall made the experience more magical.

I would like to note that without All Trails it would have been a struggle to get home. The fresh snowfall covered any signs of a trail so we used the pre-downloaded map from All Trails and followed that all the way back to the trailhead.

Price: FREE – well not including the gear.

Downtown Aquarium. If you’re tired of the snow and you need some reminder of summer you should visit the Downtown Aquarium in Denver, CO. We made reservations, had dinner and drinks at their in house restaurant and then toured around the aquarium.

Price: If you are having dinner at their restaurant you still have to purchase Aquarium Tickets: Adults (age 12-64) $26.50 per person.

Casa Bonita Restaurant in Lakewood, CO. I recommend this restaurant for families who have young kids specifically noting the atmosphere and for kids exploring the jungle cave like decor. I’m probably the least picky eater you’ll ever meet and the food was underwhelming. But the diving entertainment and exploring the caverns was pretty fun even for four adults. Apparently back in the day this place was a staple in the Denver community. Also, they offer free sopapillas for dessert and they are tasty.

Food recommendations:
Bubba Chinos formally known as Chubby’s (several locations)
New China Kitchen in Denver, Co
Snooze at the Union Train Station
The Buffet at Monarch’s Casino: we went for the all you can eat crab legs.

Thanks for reading!
Love,
Mamas