Winter Park

Travel and trade across the divide first followed Indigenous routes over high passes. Homesteaders established ranches along the Fraser River and operated a stage stop that provided meals and beds to travelers crossing the range.

The arrival of the railroad transformed access to the valley by cutting a route through the mountains and bringing reliable year round connections to the Front Range and beyond. As snow sport culture grew, lifts and lodges rose on east facing slopes above town and a base village developed at the foot of the mountain.

Annexations later brought on mountain terrain into town limits and set the stage for coordinated planning with national forest partners.

Today the community blends its ranch and rail heritage with a thriving outdoor economy centered on skiing, riding, Nordic touring, hiking, and mountain biking, while museums and interpretive sites preserve stories of early settlers, stage lines, and tunnel crews.

Winter Park is a classic mountain gateway where public lands, a working valley, and a destination resort intersect. It anchors a regional identity that includes trail stewardship, festival culture, and a shared commitment to safe travel over the pass in all seasons.

There is recognition of Indigenous heritage: the resort acknowledges the land’s first stewards, like the Arapaho and Ute and has incorporated trail naming and acknowledgments in partnership.

• The resort was named “Best Ski Resort in North America” by reader vote in USA Today.
• A major terrain expansion: in 1997 the Vasquez Cirque backcountry‐style terrain (435 acres) was opened at Winter Park Resort.
• The train service: the “Ski Train” (later the Winter Park Express) from Denver helped popularize access to the resort.
• Story of trail naming and community heroes: Several trails at the resort honor early ski instructors, mountain builders, and community figures (e.g., Jack Kendrick, George Underwood, Retta Stanley) which reflect the local lore.Seasonal trains bring riders directly to the base area for ski days, a modern echo of the original era when rail opened the valley. Summer weekends turn the downtown green into a concert lawn that draws visitors and locals for music, markets, and culinary showcases.

1. Hannah Pennington – A para-alpine skier and Paralympian from Winter Park, Colorado.
2. Bob Holme – Former Olympic ski jumper; currently Director of Mountain Maintenance at Winter Park Resort.
3. Otto Tschudi – Norwegian alpine skier who served as Director of Skiing at Winter Park Resort after his racing career.

• Long Running Resort: The ski resort, Winter Park Resort, is one of Colorado’s longest‐continuously operating ski areas — over 80 years of operation.
• Namesake: The town’s name and development are rooted in the era when the city of Denver sought a “mountain park” system for recreation, leading to the area being renamed and developed for winter sports.
• Ski Resort Size: The resort spans some 3,081 skiable acres.