Colorado: Gunnison-Crested Butte, Checkout Family Excursions/Deals on the Slopes & Beyond. 
From sleigh rides, dog sledding, and shopping to skiing and boarding it is easy to find something fun to do. It’s ideal for making family memories with an 1880s-era backdrop rich with history, charm and friendliness.
If a family vacation with snow is on your list for the season then the Gunnison-Crested Butte “Friends and Family Fly Free” benefit may be of interest to you. We are passing the news of the season along to our readers because I know firsthand that building snowmen and making snow angels is part of Rocky Mountain-style fun in Colorado.
Winter family fun at Mt. Crested Butte. Crested Butte Mountain Resort offers fun for all ages, even if you don’t ski! Of course there is plenty of options to cruise all levels of slopes on your own or with a guide/instructor or challenge your child or grandchild to a timed race down Smith Hill and test your mettle in three terrain parks, super pipe or slalom course. K ids get their own trail map that shows some awesome trails where adult skis won’t even fit. (
www.skicb.com)
The lift-served tubing hill and Adventure Park with year-round ice-skating, bungee trampolines and a climbing wall expands options for families this season. You also can tap into the magic of sleigh ride dinners to the Ice Bar at Uley’s Cabin pulled by a Snowcat, daytime and moonlight snowshoe tours, and snow igloos located by the Ice Bar and Camp CB, the kids’ ski school.
Kid's Night Out. There are skiing and snowboarding lessons for youth and adults at CBMR, as well as through Adaptive Sports Center for family members with physical and/or cognitive disabilities. There’s also child care for the wee ones, not to mention Kid’s Night Out, available Tuesday – Saturday evenings from 4 – 8 p.m. for ages 4 – 12. Dinner and access to the Adventure Park and tubing hill are part of the Kid’s Night Out activities. (
www.adapativesports.org)
During ski season, the Trailhead Children’s Discovery Museum will be open every day in the Treasury Center. Kids enjoy an indoor playground, science experiments, art stations and several exhibits, with special events being held every Saturday at 10 a.m. (
www.thetrailheadcb.org)
Stay in Town, Crested Butte Area. The Crested Butte Nordic Center conveniently offers cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, ice skating and sledding all in one place. The Nordic Center grooms more than 50k of trails and offers instruction, equipment rentals and many events. Use of the outdoor ice rink and sledding hill are free, and a pass is required to use the groomed trails. (Nordic Center (970) 349-1707 or
www.cbnordic.org)
If you’d rather not expend your own energy to get around and love horses and dogs, check out one of these great options.
- Board a horse-drawn sleigh at Lazy F Bar Ranch south of Crested Butte for a scenic, 35-minute ride to a rustic 1950s cabin overlooking the East River and indulge in a five-course meal. (www.lazyfbarranch.com)
- Head out with Fantasy Ranch Horseback Adventures for a one-hour ride in the Almont area. Halfway through the journey, warm up by the fire with a cup of hot cocoa. The cost is $50 per person or $60 with transportation.
- There is nothing quite like being pulled by a team of dogs in the thick of mountain terrain capped with snow. Dog sledding with Lucky Cat Dog Farm is one of those lifetime experiences not to be missed. (www.luckcatdogfarm.com or call (970) 641-1636 for details about lunch tours and shorter tours.)
Enjoy a little history and culture at the
Crested Butte Mountain Heritage Museum, where there are displays about local history, including skiing, ranching, mining, local personalities and more. The
Mountain Bike Hall of Fame also is located in the museum, along with a gift shop that all ages relish. Just down the street, catch a concert or art exhibit at the Crested Butte Center for the Arts and take in a little theatre at a production presented by
Crested Butte Mountain Theatre. Or get the creative juices flowing and paint your own pottery at The Pottery Place, which is part of
The Studio Art School, which offers art classes for all ages.
Save coins in Gunnison. Families looking for less-expensive lodging during the ski season or for an easy day or half-day trip from Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte, check out Gunnison, home of Western State College. There is a free bus that runs several times a day between Gunnison, Crested Butte and Mt. Crested Butte. There is an indoor pool with slides, rock climbing wall, gym, gymnastics room and game room.
There is outstanding Nordic skiing and snowshoeing along backcountry routes and groomed trails at
Hartman Rocks Multi-Use Recreation Area west of Gunnison. This combined with VanTuyl Ranch, the Western State College practice field on campus and Jorgensen Park encompasses approximately 45K of trails groomed by the Gunnison Nordic Club. Rent equipment at Gene Taylor’s Sporting Goods and TuneUp Bike & Ski.
While downtown, don’t miss stopping by the Gunnison Arts Center. Younger kids also will request a stop at Circus Train while teens enjoy browsing at Colorado Boarder and dining at Mario’s Pizza & Ristorante, a college hotspot for almost 40 years. Don’t miss sweet treats at Rocky Mountain Chocolate Factory at both ends of the valley.
Here's the Deal. Families also can save with CBMR’s Kids Fly Free promotion from January 4 – March 09, 2012. One child, ages 2 – 12 years, flies free on American Airlines with a paying adult. There is a minimum two-night stay at CBMR properties required and arrivals into the Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport (GUC) must be scheduled Sunday through Thursday. Need to know: Departures from GUC must be scheduled from Monday through Friday. Through this promotion, kids, ages 2 – 12, also receive a free child’s lift ticket when accompanied by a paying adult and stay in CBMR lodging for free with no additional fees. These offers cannot be combined with any other offers and are valid only on new reservations.
Vacation Packages & Visitor Information. To find out about Gunnison-Crested Butte’s calendar of events and other personalized vacation packages, call the Gunnison-Crested Butte Tourism Association’s toll-free 1-800-814-8893 or visit
www.GunnisonCrestedButte.com
Content and images provided by Gunnison/Crested Butte. Comments by Nancy Nelson-Duac, Executive Editor FTF. Copyright 2011.
