Winter Park Resort
Denver's home mountain, bumps and all
Winter Park is Denver's closest big mountain, a no-nonsense Colorado resort famous for the demanding mogul runs of its Mary Jane section and reachable by a scenic train straight from the city. It rewards skiers who value substance over glitz.
- 2,865 m Base
- 3,654 m Top lift
- 789 m Vertical
- 133 Pistes mapped
- 16 Lifts
Best known for
Après & vibe
Winter Park keeps things down to earth, with an honest, local-feeling après scene at the base and in the nearby town of Winter Park, favouring good-value bars and eateries over glamour.
The resort
Winter Park sits in Colorado's Grand County, just over the Continental Divide from Denver and long regarded as the city's home mountain. The resort combines several connected areas, the most storied of which is Mary Jane, renowned across the state for its steep, unrelenting mogul runs. Above the trees, open bowls provide high-alpine terrain, while the front side offers friendly groomed cruising and excellent beginner slopes. Uniquely among American resorts, it can be reached by a ski train that runs from Denver's Union Station up over the divide, delivering skiers close to the lifts. It is also a leading centre for adaptive skiing.
Winter Park is for skiers who want a lot of mountain without the pretension or the price tag of the glossier resorts. Mary Jane's bumps are a badge of honour for strong skiers, the high bowls add real alpine terrain, and the front mountain looks after families and beginners. Its proximity to Denver, and the romance of arriving by train, make it unusually easy to reach for a short break. The resort's long-standing commitment to adaptive sports also gives it a welcoming, inclusive character.
The front mountain grooms up beautifully and stays dependable through the season, while Mary Jane's bump runs firm up and grow between storms into the demanding moguls it is famous for. The high bowls above the treeline need snow and wind to fill in before they offer their best open, exposed skiing in midwinter. The area is known for catching healthy snowfall, and spring brings softer bumps and sunnier cruising.
Snow & weather
Live conditions from the mountain, plus the average snow you can expect month by month.
- Feels like
- —
- Conditions
- —
- Wind
- —
- Fresh snow (3-day)
- —
Live data © Open-Meteo.com
Very good: Winter Park's high elevation and position just over the Continental Divide give it cold, dry snow and a reputation for reliable, healthy snowfall through a long season.
Average monthly snowfall
Snowfall climatology unavailable.
Terrain & aspect
- Novice
- Easy
- Intermediate
- Advanced
- Flat / ungraded
Slopes mostly face N — 86% on snow-holding, poleward-facing slopes.
Aspect derived from run bearings · OpenSkiStats / © OpenStreetMap (ODbL).
Skiing & terrain
The front mountain has excellent, gentle beginner terrain and strong teaching, making it a friendly place to learn.
Intermediates enjoy a wide spread of groomed cruisers across the connected areas, with plenty of scope to progress.
Advanced skiers gravitate to Mary Jane's steeper trails, glades and, above all, its famous mogul runs.
Experts test themselves on the relentless Mary Jane bumps and the open, above-treeline bowls when they are filled in.
The Mary Jane moguls
Mary Jane is legendary in Colorado for its steep, bumpy, ungroomed runs. Skiing its relentless moguls is a rite of passage for strong skiers, and the section's tough, no-grooming reputation is central to Winter Park's identity.
Arriving by the ski train
A ski train runs from Denver's Union Station up over the Continental Divide and delivers skiers close to the base, one of the few true rail-to-slope experiences in North America. It makes for a memorable, car-free way to reach the mountain.
The high alpine bowls
Above the treeline, open bowls give Winter Park genuine high-alpine terrain. When they are filled in and stable, they reward strong skiers with wide, exposed powder fields beyond the groomed front mountain.
On the map
Legend
Run difficulty
- Novice
- Easy
- Intermediate
- Advanced / Expert
- Freeride / Extreme
- Unknown
Run types
- Downhill — groomed
- Downhill — ungroomed
- Downhill — gladed
- Nordic (groomed)
- Ski tour
- ☾Lit (night)
- △Not patrolled
- →One-way
- ❄Snowmaking
Lifts
- Operating
- Operating (private)
- Non-operating
- Lift station
Slope-gradient grading
Downhill / ski tour
- Flat<3°
- Easy3–14°
- Intermediate14–22°
- Advanced / Expert22–45°
- Freeride / Extreme>45°
Nordic
- Easy<6°
- Intermediate6–9°
- Advanced>9°
Aspect (sun exposure)
- N — least sun
- E — morning
- S — most sun
- W — afternoon
Legend after OpenSkiMap
Stay in Winter Park Resort
You can stay at the modern slopeside base or in the nearby town of Winter Park and neighbouring Fraser, which offer a broader spread of good-value lodging, restaurants and a relaxed mountain-town feel a short shuttle from the lifts.
Lifts and pistes from the door — the point of a high, purpose-built resort.
Self-catering residences, the bulk of the beds and the flexible-budget option.
Catered and self-catered chalets for groups wanting the whole place.
From simple to high-end, with pools and spas to thaw out in.
How to get there
Denver International Airport (DEN) is the gateway, closer to Winter Park than to most other major Colorado resorts, with the drive crossing scenic mountain terrain over Berthoud Pass.
Uniquely, a seasonal ski train runs from Denver's Union Station over the Continental Divide to the base area, offering a memorable car-free alternative to driving.
The road transfer from Denver is one of the shorter ones in Colorado, though it crosses a mountain pass, so conditions and a capable vehicle or shuttle matter in winter.
Best time: January and February bring the coldest snow and the best bump and bowl conditions, while March offers sunnier days and softer moguls.
Nearby resorts
Other resorts within reach.
Getting to Winter Park Resort
Book an airport transfer up to the resort, or pick up a car at Denver (DEN) — search and compare without leaving the page.
Ski data © OpenStreetMap contributors (ODbL), via OpenSkiMap & Skimap.org. Basemap © OpenFreeMap / OpenMapTiles. Editorial: mynext.holiday. Accommodation via Stay22; transfers via Kiwitaxi; car hire via Travelpayouts.