10 Ways to Enjoy Winter Wonderland
December 21, 2023Visit Leadville and Twin Lakes, Colorado, for all kinds of holiday and winter fun. Plan a weekend escape or longer vacation, and treasure your time at the top of the Rockies.
Photo: @RoadhouseTwinLakes
1) Celebrate New Year’s Eve with Us
Start your new year a little closer to the stars! You are cordially invited to these great parties, all on Sunday, Dec. 31, 2023.
Gatsby New Year’s Eve Party at Silver Dollar Saloon
7 p.m. / 315 Harrison Avenue, Leadville
Come to the historic Silver Dollar Saloon dressed to impress and ready to “party like a Gatsby.”
Twin Lakes Inn New Year’s Eve Celebration
7 – 11 p.m. / 6435 E. State Highway 82, Twin Lakes
Toast the year gone by and welcome 2024 in historic Twin Lakes Village. Enjoy a holiday buffet that includes prime rib, grilled chicken kabobs, veggie kabobs, plus appetizer and dessert. Enjoy music from Oro City String Band!
Horizon Line Live at Scarlet Tavern
9 p.m. / 326 Harrison Avenue, Leadville
Horizon Line returns to their hometown Leadville, CO to ring in the New Year at Scarlet Tavern! Don’t miss out on this rowdy celebration with a full night of Rocky Mountain Rock & Roll, along with tons of New Year’s Eve festivities.
New Years at the Pastime Saloon
9 p.m. / 120 W. 2nd Street, Leadville
TWO DJs, ONE free champagne toast, and ZERO bucks to get in! Join us on New Year’s Eve at the historic Pastime Saloon.
Photo: @happytravelerco
2) Tennessee Pass Cookhouse & Sleep Yurts
Open through April 16
Dinner Served Daily
Lunch Served Saturdays and Sundays
For a special celebration during the holidays and all winter long, enjoy a delicious meal at a candlelit yurt. You’ll ski or snowshoe a mile to a tasty dinner or lunch, for a unique experience! Up the adventure quotient and spend the night in a luxury yurt, complete with a comfy bed and a woodstove. By day, glide over the Nordic Center’s scenic trails.
Photo: Train at left by @estovez_gilhoulie
3) Leadville Railroad Holiday Express
Open through Jan. 21
Check the schedule for times
326 E. 7th St., Leadville
Climb aboard the Leadville Railroad for a magical, fun-filled adventure! Travel through the snowy Colorado mountains on a train decorated with lights. Enjoy our three heated lounge cars with comfortable booth seating and large windows. Bring the whole family and make great holiday memories!
4) Ski Cooper
Enjoy the uncrowded slopes and family-friendly vibe at Ski Cooper! Only 9 miles from Leadville, Cooper has 64 trails served by five lifts, spanning 480 lift-served acres. Trails are covered in all-natural snow. Season passes are on sale now for the 2023-2024!
Your Cooper Season Pass (Ages 6-74) allows you to ski three free days at each partner resort. New this year, Cooper has joined with 20 new Powder Alliance partners, all great ski resorts across the West! That gives you approximately 60 partner resorts to choose from!
5) Dogsledding
See the sights from a dogsled! Make new furry friends and enjoy this quintessential winter activity at the top of the Rockies.
6) Exploring Groomed Winter Trails
Enjoy Nordic skiing, fat biking, snowshoeing, and snowmobiling on the area’s network of groomed winter trails.
7) Ice Skating
Skate under the sun or stars on Leadville’s open-air Huck Finn Ice Rink. (As weather allows; usually opens in December)
8) Sledding
Zoom down steep and fast Dutch Henry Hill! Bring the kids or bring out your inner child. (As weather allows; usually opens in December)
9) Snow Zipping / Winter Ziplining
Fly on a zipline above the snowy landscape, with a birds-eye view of surrounding peaks. What a rush! It’s an unforgettable experience.
10) Snowmobiling
Need even more of a rush? Zoom through the snow, past soaring evergreens, frozen lakes, and the state’s highest peaks.
Photo in upper left: @zakappleton
