YOUR AD HERE »

Rockies Snow Mountain Ranch- Biking, hiking, crafts and nature bring families together

Biking, hiking, crafts and nature bring families together

By Kimberly Nicoletti

At YMCA of the Rockies Snow Mountain Ranch, relaxation meets exhilarating outdoor adventure. It’s a place where family and friends meet to share quality time that unfolds at a natural pace.

More than 5,000 acres of forests and meadows meet mountain peaks within Snow Mountain Ranch’s high alpine setting. From all kinds of biking to hiking and summer tubing, this mountain getaway is the perfect summer escape.

Photo courtesy of YMCA Snow Mountain Ranch.
Photo courtesy of YMCA Snow Mountain Ranch.

Lodging guests can enjoy free disc golf, fishing, field games, hiking, mini-golf, swimming, tennis and more. Bike rentals and additional activities, such as crafts, archery, climbing walls and zip lining make your vacation all the more memorable. Here are just a few highlights.



Biking
Whether you want to pump up the adrenaline on a fat bike and wind through advanced, forested trails or cruise through valleys with open vistas, Snow Mountain Ranch offers miles of trails. Its extensive trail system caters to every bike enthusiast, from beginners to advanced. In addition, a bike park allows you to hone your skills on beginner terrain featuring a pump track and small obstacles before you hit the trail.

Scenic paved trail, as well as the ranch’s dirt trails, are popular destinations for electric bikes, which you can rent onsite. One of the favorite trails is an approximately 3-mile route, characterized by beginner-friendly terrain, which ends at the sparkling waters of the reservoir.



Photo courtesy of YMCA Snow Mountain Ranch.
Photo courtesy of YMCA Snow Mountain Ranch.

The ranch’s bike tuning shop ensures your bike — whether you bring your own or rent — will be in tip-top shape for any excursion you choose, be it fat biking, road biking or e-biking. The shop also rents helmets and other protective gear, as well as kids’ bikes.

“Between the beginner bikes and the beginner trails, it’s a perfect place for young kids to begin their biking journey,” said Amy Wolf, Marketing Manager of YMCA of the Rockies.

Hiking
If you prefer to soak in the mountain scenery on foot, plenty of hiking trails await.

The mostly treed Waterfall Hike is a 3-mile round trip, generally flat roads for family-friendly hikes. The intermediate 9-Mile Mountain Trail rises a bit for 2 ½ miles to a lookout point, where you can leave a message in God’s Mailbox, right in the middle of God’s Country. The 6-mile round trip Snow Mountain Ranch Trail climbs over five hilltops for intermediate to advanced hikers.

Photo courtesy of YMCA Snow Mountain Ranch.
Photo courtesy of YMCA Snow Mountain Ranch.

Summertime Sliding
Summer tubing is one of the best ways to experience the thrill of flying down the mountain without getting a chill from wintery snow. It’s rare to find Snowflex tubing hills, where a conveyor belt escorts you to the top of outstanding mountain views of the ranch, so grab a tube and get ready for some fun. Overnight guests receive a free session on the 300-foot-long Snowflex lane.

Crafting
Express your creativity at the ranch’s Craft Shop. Both kids and adults will love projects like painting your own pottery, glass fusion, wood burning, leather stamping, tie dying, jewelry making and more.

Get cozy
Whatever your sleep style, the ranch has it. Private cabins with full kitchens range from two to five bedrooms. Indian Peaks Lodge offers hotel-style rooms with balconies or patios. Or you can camp or rent a yurt.

Photo courtesy of YMCA Snow Mountain Ranch.
Photo courtesy of YMCA Snow Mountain Ranch.

“Snow Mountain Ranch is the perfect base camp for all of your summer adventures. Everything you need for a family vacation is right on our property, allowing you to connect with nature and one another,” Wolf said. “With so many options right on our property you’re not focusing on what you’re going to do — you’re focusing on doing things together.”


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

The Sky-Hi News strives to deliver powerful stories that spark emotion and focus on the place we live.

Over the past year, contributions from readers like you helped to fund some of our most important reporting, including coverage of the East Troublesome Fire.

If you value local journalism, consider making a contribution to our newsroom in support of the work we do.