This is your Winter Park, Colorado guide — and honestly, it’s been a long time coming. Winter Park, Colorado has been on my radar for a while — and I’ll be honest, I wasn’t sure what to expect. It doesn’t have the fame of Vail or the scene of Aspen, and that turned out to be exactly the point. What it has instead is something I didn’t realize I needed: a mountain town that feels genuinely unhurried, human-scaled, and real. The kind of place where you can breathe.

I came with two film cameras, a handful of rolls, and zero agenda beyond getting on the mountain and slowing down. What I left with was a full heart, sore legs, and a very strong opinion about where you should stay. This is everything I’d tell a friend.

Stay: A-Frame Club

If you take one thing from this entire guide, let it be this — stay at A-Frame Club. Full stop.

The property is stunning in that specific way that feels both designed and effortless: warm pine wood, bold geometric details, dramatic A-frame rooflines dusted in snow. It photographs beautifully, but more than that, it just feels right. Cozy without being cutesy. Elevated without being stuffy. The kind of place that makes you want to linger over coffee in the morning and stay up too late at night.

They have a hotel, spa, bar, and restaurant all on property — so if you wanted to, you could genuinely never leave and have a perfect trip. We didn’t do that, but knowing the option existed felt luxurious in its own right.

Eat: A-Frame Club Grill

We had our favorite meal of the entire trip at A-Frame Club Grill. After a full day on the mountain, we sat down for dinner and everything about it was exactly right. The atmosphere, the warmth, the food, and most importantly the drinks. Their mixologists are hands-down some of the best we’ve ever experienced. It’s also the kind of meal that makes you push back from the table and just sit there for a minute, happy.

The restaurant is open to the public, so even if you’re not staying on property, go. Dinner opens at 4PM, and they do breakfast burritos, bagels, and espresso in the morning from 8–10AM. Make a plan around it. You won’t regret it.

Eat: Pizza Pedal’r

For a more casual night, Pizza Pedal’r is your spot. Highly recommended by locals and I completely understand why — it’s the kind of place that hits exactly right after a day on the slopes. No fuss, just good food and good vibes. Worth every bite.

Do: Ski Winter Park Resort — Colorado’s Best Kept Secret

Winter Park Resort is the real deal. The mountain is big without being intimidating, the runs are varied enough to keep everyone happy, and the base village has just enough going on without feeling overwhelming. The gondola ride up alone is worth it — the views over the valley are the kind that make you go quiet for a minute and just look.

It doesn’t have the gloss or the price tag of some of Colorado’s bigger names, and I mean that as the highest compliment. It feels like a mountain town that still belongs to the people who love it.

Do: Snowmobiling

If you have an extra half day, go snowmobiling and book the 2 hour tour. We headed out into the open Rocky Mountain backcountry and it was one of those experiences that reminds you why you travel in the first place. Wide open snow, big sky, the mountains stretching out in every direction. It’s freeing and exhilarating in the best way. The kind of thing you’d skip if you weren’t paying attention and then talk about for years. In fact, you may even text your dad that you want to buy one. We booked with Grand Adventures in Fraser.

Plan Your Visit to Winter Park, Colorado

Winter Park is the kind of trip that surprises you — quieter than you expected, more beautiful than you anticipated, and somehow exactly what you needed. Pair it with a few days in Denver if you want the full Colorado experience, and give yourself at least three days on the mountain.

Enjoy!

Canon 80U + Contax G2 • Kodak Portra 400 + Kodak ColorPlus 200

 

Photographer: Renee Hollingshead

Film Lab: Olilou’s Film Lab, Palm Beach