{"id":73088,"date":"2026-01-09T08:53:28","date_gmt":"2026-01-09T15:53:28","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/?p=73088"},"modified":"2026-01-09T10:29:41","modified_gmt":"2026-01-09T17:29:41","slug":"things-to-do-in-colorado-if-you-dont-ski","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.uchealth.org\/today\/things-to-do-in-colorado-if-you-dont-ski\/","title":{"rendered":"Things to do in Colorado if you don’t ski"},"content":{"rendered":"
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There are plenty of fun things to do in Colorado even if you don’t ski, including going for a ride in a horse-drawn sleigh. Photo courtesy of the Breckenridge Tourism Office.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Picture Colorado in the winter, and you probably think of pillows of powdery snow and skiing, of course. But if you live in the Centennial state or are visiting Colorado, and you don\u2019t ski, don\u2019t worry.<\/p>\n

There are plenty of fun activities to try aside from skiing.<\/p>\n

You can see Western art in an iconic Colorado hotel, enjoy high tea at another landmark hotel, visit a castle<\/a>, or take a chair lift or gondola<\/a> to the top of a ski area for an elegant meal or hot chocolate.<\/p>\n

You can also enjoy outdoor winter adventures like snowshoeing, ice skating<\/a>, winter tubing, sledding, taking a snowcat tour or soaking in a soothing natural hot springs<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Whether you’re looking for Colorado Springs or Denver activities right off the plane, or you’re accompanying others on a trip to a Colorado ski resort, here are ideas for things to do in Colorado if you don\u2019t ski.<\/p>\n

Visit the iconic Broadmoor in Colorado Springs and see Western art<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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Looking for things to do in Colorado if you don’t ski? Consider exploring The Broadmoor, one of Colorado’s iconic hotels. It’s a great place to enjoy a meal or view Western art. Photo by Kevin Syms, courtesy of the Broadmoor Hotel.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

The Broadmoor opened in 1918, and there are many fun facts<\/a> about this majestic hotel\u2019s history. Back in the 1960s, guests could waterski on the lake, and the resort boasted a small downhill ski area that stayed open on Cheyenne Mountain until 1991. Legendary ice skater Peggy Fleming trained at the Broadmoor Skating Club<\/a>, and won the gold medal at the 1968 Winter Olympics in Grenoble, Switzerland.<\/p>\n

Today, oil, railroad and entertainment magnate Phil Anschutz owns the Broadmoor. He started visiting the resort at age 5 and always dreamed of buying it. If you visit the Broadmoor these days, you can see some originals and reproductions of Western art from Anschutz\u2019 collection. The hotel features more than 300 works by artists, including Albert Bierstadt, Frederic Remington, Charlie Russell and Maxfield Parrish. Anschutz once told writers at Forbes<\/a> that most of the works at the Broadmoor are high-quality reproductions of originals he displays at his Denver museum<\/a>. But Anschutz cheekily noted that some might be originals. \u201cWe don\u2019t tell people which are which,\u201d he told Forbes.<\/p>\n

Or course, you can stay at the hotel, or you can enjoy fish and chips or a sing-along at the Golden Bee<\/a>.<\/p>\n

(Also check out Fun, free things to do in Colorado.)<\/a><\/p>\n

Learn about a pioneering ranch woman and enjoy tea at a castle<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Colorado has several castles <\/a>worth visiting.<\/p>\n

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Cherokee Castle. Photo by George Kochaniec, Jr. for the Rocky Mountain News, donated to the Denver Public Library.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

At one of them \u2014 Cherokee Ranch & Castle in Sedalia near Castle Rock \u2014 you can learn about a pioneering ranch woman and enjoy tea.<\/p>\n

Cherokee Castle combines the regal beauty of a 15th<\/sup>-century-style Scottish castle with vistas of rugged Colorado ranch land. Thanks to a conservation easement, both the castle and the surrounding ranch land will be protected in perpetuity.<\/p>\n

In 1954, legendary rancher Mildred Montague Genevieve \u201cTweet\u201d Kimball purchased the castle and property. She renamed the castle and ranch to honor Cherokee Indians. Kimball\u00a0had the idea of raising a hardy breed of cattle that she had first seen as a teen. They are known as Santa Gertrudis, and despite plenty of skepticism from male ranchers in Colorado, Kimball was the first to breed the cattle in Colorado successfully. Tweet died in 1999 and left the castle and land to a foundation.<\/p>\n

The castle<\/a> still houses a collection of world-class art, antiques, and rare books, while the adjacent Cherokee Ranch is home to native wildlife, flora, and fauna and serves as a learning laboratory for people of all ages while preserving the heritage of the West.<\/p>\n

Visitors who plan ahead can\u00a0enjoy tea at the castle, go for\u00a0a guided hike, take a tour, enjoy lunch or dinner or\u00a0host a wedding.<\/p>\n

Enjoy music or indulge in a fancy tea at Denver\u2019s fancy Brown Palace Hotel<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Denver\u2019s Brown Palace Hotel and Spa is an architectural gem<\/a> that opened in 1892; soon after, gold and silver brought fortune hunters to Colorado.<\/p>\n

Henry Cordes Brown, a carpenter-turned-real-estate entrepreneur from Ohio, came to Denver in 1860 after several adventures in California, Peru, Nebraska and St. Louis, Missouri. In Denver, Brown purchased several acres of land, including a triangular plot at the corners of Broadway, Tremont Place and 17th Street, where he grazed his cow.<\/p>\n

Brown made a name for himself by donating land for the State Capitol building and $1,000 for the founding of the city\u2019s first library. He made a fortune selling off the rest of his land on Capitol Hill and spared no expense for his \u201cPalace Hotel.\u201d<\/p>\n

The atrium lobby, which rises eight floors from the ground, is especially elegant. It\u2019s here that you can enjoy high tea. You can also do a tour of the hotel, enjoy festive music, indulge yourself at the spa,\u00a0and, of course, enjoy a luxurious stay at \u201cthe Brown.\u201d<\/p>\n

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Among the many fun things you can do in Colorado is to visit The Brown Palace Hotel or enjoy tea in the soaring lobby. Photo courtesy of The Brown Palace Hotel.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Go snowshoeing<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Want to try snowshoeing in a national park? You can participate in a ranger-led snowshoe walk<\/a> at Rocky Mountain National Park.<\/p>\n

The ranger-guided walks take place on both the East (Estes Park) and West (Grand Lake) sides of the park from January and March.<\/p>\n

Snowshoeing is like walking on long, rounded shoes. People can get the hang of it quickly. You just need to get used to lifting the top of your snowshoe up and out of the snow before taking your next step.<\/p>\n

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Looking for fun things to do in Colorado if you don’t ski? Try snowshoeing. Here, a ranger leads a snowshoe walk in Rocky Mountain National Park. Photo courtesy of the National Park Service.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ride a free gondola to get a hot cocoa, shop, explore or have lunch<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Take a free gondola ride<\/a>. At many ski areas, chair lifts and gondolas aren\u2019t free during the winter. But if you\u2019re in beautiful southwestern Colorado, dubbed the \u201cSwitzerland of the Rockies,\u201d you can enjoy a free gondola ride from the older town of Telluride to the newer Telluride Mountain Village. You can enjoy a hot cocoa, shop or have lunch in either location. You can even bring your dog. Ask the gondola attendants to settle you and your pooch into one of the Telluride gondola\u2019s dog-friendly gondola cars.<\/p>\n

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Even if you don’t ski, there are plenty of fun things to do in Colorado. For instance, you can enjoy a free ride on the gondola that connects the town of Telluride to the Mountain Village. Photo courtesy of Telluride Mountain Village.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Ride a snowcat or hop on a chairlift or gondola to have lunch at a mountain-top restaurant<\/strong><\/h2>\n

Most ski areas in Colorado offer snowcat tours or the opportunity to take a chairlift or gondola to the top of the mountain to enjoy lunch or sometimes an elegant dinner at a restaurant on top of a ski mountain. You don\u2019t need to be a skier to enjoy one of these adventures.<\/p>\n

What, you might ask, is a snowcat? It\u2019s a sturdy, enclosed vehicle that typically has big windows for better views. It looks like a tank or a big piece of construction equipment. Instead of rolling on wheels, snowcats have tracks that roll like conveyor belts. They dig into snow and ice and can go anywhere on steep slopes. While skiers relax after hours, teams of maintenance crew members use snowcats to groom slopes so the snow is smooth and soft for skiers and riders to enjoy the next day.<\/p>\n

Go for a horse-drawn sleigh ride<\/strong><\/h2>\n
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You don’t have to be a skier to enjoy winter in Colorado. Among the many activities you can enjoy is a ride on a horse-drawn sleigh. Photo courtesy of the Breckenridge Tourism Office.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n

Climb into a beautiful horse-drawn sleigh and get cozy under blankets, then glide outdoors in a magical winter wonderland.<\/p>\n

Even if you don\u2019t ski, you can enjoy a sleigh ride in many of Colorado\u2019s ski resort towns.<\/p>\n

To dash through the snow on a sleigh, check out these options:<\/p>\n