Cross-Country and Snowshoeing (Area Code 970)

Devil's Thumb Cross-Country Center (726-8231) has great views of the mountains and 105 km. of trails groomed for both skating and gliding. National-level competitors race and train here. The center is near Tabernash on County Road 83. Rentals and private and group lessons are available. You'll also find 20 km. of marked, groomed snowshoe trails.

Snow Mountain Ranch (887-2152), 8 miles west of Winter Park on Highway 40, offers 100 km. of groomed trails through a variety of terrain—open, wooded, hilly and flat. The system includes a lighted 3-km. loop for night skiing. The instruction staff includes national-level coaches and racers. Ski lessons, rentals, lodging, dining and child care are available. Snow Mountain Ranch is also a YMCA with inexpensive dorm and cabin lodging.

Nearby Arapahoe National Forest contains more than 600 km. of backcountry Nordic and snowshoeing trails, and the Fraser Experimental Forest Ranger Station is the take-off point for marked trails suitable for all skiing levels of skiers, with no trail fees, but also no facilities.

Rocky Mountain National Park (586-1206) has many miles of Nordic skiing, most of it not necessarily tracked, and with a backcountry feel.

On-mountain snowshoe tours are offered several times daily from the base of Winter Park Resort. The two-hour guided tour includes a chairlift ride to the tour's starting point, rental snowshoes, and information about native plants and animals.

SNOWSHOE PROGRAMS

Winter Park and the Fraser Valley's extensive mountain biking trails are used in winter for snowshoeing. The trails are easy to follow and often packed down by snowmobile riders. The Winter Park/Fraser Chamber of Commerce has maps and information.