Across much of the country, people dread the coming of winter. In Frisco, CO, we celebrate it. After all, Frisco makes an ideal base camp for skiing and snowboarding in the Rocky Mountains. You don’t have to be a traditional winter sports enthusiast to love Frisco, either.
Whether you’re planning a romantic getaway over a long weekend or a family vacation, there’s something here for everyone. Be sure to check out these top 10 winter activities in Frisco, Colorado while you’re here.
1. Visit the Frisco Nordic Center
The Frisco Nordic Center offers a ton of high-altitude winter fun. If you’re a cross-country skier, you’ll love the Center’s nearly 17 miles of ski trails. The Center also has over six miles of snowshoe trails. Plus, even better, you don’t need to be an expert in either sport. You can rent skis or snowshoes on-site and take lessons from experienced instructors to get a good head start.
2. Go Ice Skating
Ice skating is an often overlooked winter activity that’s perfect for families, couples, and friends, alike. The Frisco area is home to many maintained skating rinks and ponds, so it’s easy to find places to strap on those skates. If you’re looking for skate rentals, try:
- West Lake
- Keystone Ice Rink
- Decrum Square Ice Rink
- Stephen C. West Ice Arena
If you bring your own ice skates, you’ll also find plenty of opportunities for wilderness pond skating when the weather is right.
3. Hit the Trails
Copper Mountain is the closest full-service ski resort that offers rentals and lessons, although it’s far from the only one in the area. You can also spend the day skiing or snowboarding at Breckenridge, Vail, or Keystone. Frisco is the perfect home base for any or all of them, so you don’t have to choose just one.
One of the best parts of the Frisco area’s winter sports scene is that there’s something for everyone. You don’t have to be an expert to have a good time. Every ski resort also has trails for beginners and intermediate skiers and snowboarders, and some offer rentals so you don’t have to bring your own gear.
4. Get to Know Downtown Frisco
Not all adventures require heading out into the wilderness. You’ll also find plenty to do on Frisco’s Main Street. With many bars, restaurants, and shops to choose from, you can spend a full day taking in the views of the nearby mountains if you need time off from skiing them.
5. Explore the Trails on a Snowmobile
Snowmobiling is a fun and exciting winter activity, and there are plenty of places to partake in the Frisco area. If you’ve never been snowmobiling, you can try a guided snowmobile tour. High Country Tours welcomes riders of all ability levels and ages and can provide boots, helmets, and snowsuits.
If you’re already an expert snowmobiler, a guided tour can still be a good way to get to know the area and make new friends. However, there are also plenty of opportunities for individual snowmobile adventures. You can even find deluxe snowmobiles with heated seats and hand warmers for rent.
6. Take a Sleigh Ride
There are few activities more wholesome and family-friendly than a horse-drawn sleigh ride. 2 Below Zero offers scheduled sleigh rides in Frisco followed by hearty homemade meals, warm cocoa, and live musical entertainment that the whole family will find delightful.
7. Ski the Arapahoe Basin
The Arapahoe Basin is legendary among downhill skiers. Not only does it have the longest ski season in Colorado, but it also has the steepest in-bounds terrain in the state. If you’re an avid skier or snowboarder, you can’t afford to skip the A-Basin.
Novice and intermediate skiers and shredders will also find plenty of opportunities to learn, improve, and take in the scenic views. There’s also plenty of beginner terrain. Plus, when you need a break, you can stop in at the highest restaurant in the United States.
8. Visit the Frisco Adventure Park
If you’ve only got a few days to spend in Frisco, it can be hard to prioritize winter sports and activities. Thankfully, you don’t have to. The Frisco Adventure Park is just a mile from Main Street and it hosts a variety of winter activities, including tubing, snowshoeing, cross-country skiing, and sleigh rides.
The Frisco Adventure Park is perfect for beginner skiers and snowboarders, but keep in mind that you’ll need a reservation to hit the slopes. The same goes for the tubing hill. Be sure to plan carefully so no one will be disappointed.
9. Check Out the Dillon Ice Castles
Every year, the Ice Castles are crafted by professional ice artists using hundreds of thousands of icicles. Each one contains over 20,000,000 pounds of ice. The Frisco area isn’t the only place to host the Ice Castles each year, but it’s arguably one of the most impressive.
The Dillon Ice Castles include everything from ice-carved tunnels, slides, and fountains to dramatic LED-lit ice sculptures and frozen thrones. This attraction is the perfect place to take kids, but adults shouldn’t feel shy about intruding into this fairytale realm, either.
10. Hike the Rainbow Lake Trail
Serious hikers know that it’s a year-round activity. If you’re one of them, you’ll love the Rainbow Lake Trail. This snowy winter hike offers a level of peace and quiet that you won’t find at the region’s more populated winter sports centers. More often than not, all you’ll hear on the hike is the stream gurgling beneath the snow. Just keep on the lookout for moose because they also love the Rainbow Lake Trail.
Where to Stay in Frisco
We’ve already established that Frisco makes a perfect base camp for winter sports enthusiasts of all ages and ability levels and that there are plenty of less strenuous activities for off-days. That leaves one question. What are the best places to stay in Frisco?
Although the area has ski lodges, they’re not for everyone. If you prefer to stay in town and have a little more privacy and space to yourself, a vacation rental is always the best option.