As this ski season is winding down with Mary Jane closing April 15th and the whole of Winter Park Resort closing April 22 it may be time to think when the resort will be opening up for summer activities.  Winter Park Resort base activities and attractions include the Zephyr Lift opening with access to favorite attractions such as the Alpine Slide, Amaze’n Human Maze, Leaps & Bounds Bungee, Rock ‘n Roll Gyro, Mountainside Mini Golf and Outdoor Climbing Wall.

Winter Park Resort base activities will be opening June 16th, 2012.  Summer hours of operation are 10am through 5:30pm, 7 days a week, from June 16 through September 3, 2012 (Labor Day) – and the same hours weekends in September. Ticket windows open at 9:30am. The Zephyr Express Chairlift closes at 5pm, while other activities close at 5:30pm.

Trestle Bike Park will be opening by June 16th if not before.  This year new at Trestle will be Cruel and Unusual as well as 2 more new trails near the base. And DO NOT MISS the inaugural Colorado Freeride Festival – July 26-29, 2012 at Trestle Bike Park.  The Colorado Freeride Festival replaces Crankworx Colorado.  Trestle Bike Park passes will be available in early May.

Now is the time to get your Winter Park Resort Lodging to get all the rides you can on Colorado’s longest alpine slide.  Check out all the Winter Park Resort summer activities.  Winter Park Lodging Company provides the best Trestle Bike Park lodging at the Winter Park Resort Base.

Mark it down, Winter Park Resort summer activities open for business June 16th, 2012.

Winter Park, Colorado is such an amazing place that we think it is worth at-least one photo a day.  SO, we here at Winter Park Lodging Company have started a little photo project.  We will be publishing a new photo each for 365 days straight on the Winter Park Lodging Company Facebook page.  This little project started officially on July 17, 2011.  We have captured some great shots already and are looking for more.

If any Y’all would like to show us your Wp shots please feel free to throw them up on the WPLCo Facebook page. To the left and below are some of the shots that we have recently that we have snapped in an around the Winter Park and Fraser Valley.  It is the time of year for flowers, bike rides and afternoon thunderstorms, so the rules are keep your bike, camera and rain jacket at the ready.

Here is the 365 days of WInter Park photo album so far.  Today we will be looking for some great shots up above WP on the mountain bike trails in the James Peak Wilderness Area.

We also have the Winter Park Jazz Festival officially starting tomorrow so look for some shots of the great jazz musicians that are playing here in Winter Park this weekend.  There really are so many things going on right now that only one shot a day may be a little unrealistic.  We will keep to under three a day though to be sure.

So, once again if you would like to share your photos of Winter Park, CO go ahead and slap them up on the WPLCo Facebook page.

The Winter Park Beer Festival makes its return to WP in Hideaway Park in on August 13, 2011 from noon to 5pm.   Last year was a great day with lots of beer great music and perfect weather.  This year the WP Beer Festival will be bringing great brews from 25 craft brewers, live music featuring headliner: The BoDeans, tasty food and AMAZING VIEWS!

The music lineup this year brings back a Colorado favorite, The BoDeans.  The BoDean’s played The American Music Festival at Winter Park Resort many times in the 1990′s.  The BoDean sound will be a nice accompaniment to the majestic Rocky Mountains and brews.

The full Winter Park Beer Festival Music Lineup:

We have another music festival up here in Winter Park this summer and she will be known as Solshine. The Solshine music festival will be held on July 16th and 17th with Saturday taking place at Hideaway Park on the Budweiser Stage and Subday taking place in Cooper Creek Square.  This is some of the best “new” live music that has been held up here in Winter Park in years. In the early planning stages this was going to be named the American Music Fest but that just didn’t work out. So Solshine we welcome you!

This NEW FREE festival features national, regional and local live music. Merchandise vendors and a food/beer garden will be in the park to add to the festive atmosphere.

FREE CONCERT 12-6pm Saturday July 16; 11-4pm Sunday July 17

Line-up

Saturday, July 16, 2011 (Hideaway Park)

the subdudes - click here to listen

Punch Brothers - click here to listen

Trampled By Turtles - click here to listen

Elizabeth Cook - click here to listen

Blind Pilot - click here to listen

Sunday, July 17, 2011 (Cooper Creek Square)

Gregory Alan Isakov - click here to listen

Johan Wagner - click here to listen

Megan Burtt - click here to listen

Reed Foehl - click here to listen

Ramaya Soskin - click here to listen

Saturday Night, July 16, 2011 (Cooper Creek Square)

Blind Pilot at Smokin’ Moe’s

For more information, contact the Winter Park/Fraser  Chamber of Commerce at 877.735.7059.  VIP tickets available for $25.  Box office phone ticket sales will end Thursday, July 14 at 5pm.

Winter Park Lodging Company will be giving away VIP tickets to the Solshine Music Festival with lodging for this weekend.

Summer has arrived and the High-Note Thursday music series in Hideaway Park is ready for some outdoor sounds under the peaks.  This coming week we have Nick Moss and Friends on June 23rd.  The High-Note Music Series is a free event put on by the Winter Park/Fraser Chamber of Commerce that is a great time for locals and guests alike.  Chairs and music are provided with food and beverages allowed.  So pack up a picnic, bottle of wine or two and head out to Hideaway Parkfor some great tunes with friends.  There is not a cheaper, better time to be had here in Winter Park.

Here is the rest of the lineup for Thursday Music in the Park:

June 30:  Opie Gone Bad

July 7:  Kory Brunson Band

July 14:  Red June

July 21: Jack Hadley Band

July 28:  Andy Hackbarth Band (special performance by Due West)

August 4:  Slopeside

August 11:  Hunker Down

On July 14th our friends from North Carolina, Red June, will be playing in Hideaway Park and I recommend you come and see one of the hottest Americana Acoustic bands in the country.  Here is what one music critic is saying about Red June:

The Red June sound is as versatile and original as the musicians themselves; they touch on bluegrass, roots rock, and traditional country music with powerful harmonies, innovative songwriting and expert musicianship. Collectively, Will Straughan, Natalya Weinstein and John Cloyd Miller have shared the stage with countless bluegrass and Americana greats such as James Taylor, Sam Bush, Joe Craven, Jim Lauderdale, Del McCoury, Alice Gerrard, Jim Shumate and B.B. King and have performed at festivals across the country including RockyGrass, Grey Fox, Merlefest, Grand Targhee, MagnoliaFest and Shakori Hills.

Make a plan and come out to hear some great music up here high in the Rocky Mountains.  All the bands are great but you should not miss Red June.

Summer is here and it is time to make your plans to come up and see some of the great music that will be going on all summer. Winter Park Lodging Company is trying to make it a little easier on your wallet this year with free tickets to the Winter Park Music Festival that is featuring Bret Michaels, Ski Row and Warrant.

Here are the details on your free tickets and how to see Bret Michaels perform “Every Rose has it’s thorns” for free:

WPLCo is offering a “package” deal for bookings made for the Winter Park Music Festival (aka Bret Michaels weekend). The weekend is August 6 & 7 in case you aren’t already in the know and have your 80’s costume planned.

Rules:

- One bedroom condo lodging get 2 free VIP tickets

- Two bedroom lodging get 4 VIP tickets

- Three bedroom lodging get 6 VIP tix, and

- Four or more bedroom lodging get 8 free VIP tix

Details:

The VIP tix allow access to the restricted area at the front of the stage, the Stage Left tent plus two free beverages at the private bar.  Each VIP ticket is good for one day of the festival only. Saturday’s show will have seating, but not Sunday’s show with Bret Michaels, just a mosh pit.

Winter Park Music Festival Lineup

August 6 - Warrant, Skid Row, Lewis & Floorwax and The Groove Hawgs

August 7 – Bret Michaels, Lewis & Floorwax and The Groove Hawgs

VIP tickets are on a first come first serve basis and there is a limited supply.  Don’t miss out and get your free VIP Winter Park Music Festival tickets today.

Find your Winter Park Music Festival Lodging.

The incredible snow year we have had is about to change into an incredible whitewater rafting year. Winter Park Resort received almost 400 inches of snow this ski season and we have probably gotten another 40 inches since the resort closed April 24th.  All this snow is starting to melt and we are looking at one of the best rafting season in years.

The Upper Colorado snow basin is around 200% of normal snowpack and the water in the rivers is starting to rise.  The Fraser River is already over 1000 cfs and the Upper Colorado 7000 cfs.  That is a lot of water already.

Now is the time to book your summer getaway and take a ride down the Colorado or Clear Creek Rivers.  Winter Park Lodging Company works with Adventures in Whitewater and Redtail Rafting.

Adventures in Whitewater offers rafting trips on either river, has experienced and friendly guides, plus guests of Winter Park Lodging Company get 15% off.  Adventures in Whitewater offers a variety of raft trips for all ages on both the Upper Colorado River and Clear Creek.  From first time beginners to expert paddlers, you will get the rafting trip that is right for you. Float in a raft through scenic scenery on the Colorado River with the young and the young at heart or challenge your wild side with a white-knuckled, adrenalin-charged Clear Creek rafting trip. The top priority is your safety, so AIW only uses qualified, experienced guides.  Their home base is right here in Winter Park, Colorado, but they serve many other areas, including Breckenridge, Idaho Springs and Denver. They’d love to take you and your family for a ride, plus they’re a great resource for team-building, experiential learning, family reunions and wedding parties. Feel free to call their friendly local staff at 1-877-321-RAFT or (970)726-3279 if you have any questions.

NOTE: You MUST mention your reservation number and the vacation home you are staying in with Winter Park Lodging Company at the time of booking your trip to get the 15% discount.

Redtail Rafting offer trips on the scenic and wild Colorado River.  Make a memory on the legendary Upper Colorado River while traversing Class I,II & III (mild to moderate) rapids.  Red Tail’s highly trained professionals will guide you through a day of breathtaking scenery, bountiful wildlife and thrilling rapids. Redtail prides themselves on smaller, more personal trips, that you and your family will long remember.

Summer is here and the time is right for a little rafting up in the Colorado Rockies.  Come stay with Winter Park Lodging Company and get a deal on some great rafting.

The summer music festival scene is about here in Winter Park. Winter Park Resort will open for the summer season on June 11th and the music festivals will follow soon after.

This year there are five music festivals and all have some great music.  The music festival season is kicked off with the Blues from the Top Music Festival on June 25th and 26th with some of the best blues artists in the country.  Next up is the  resurrected American Music Festival on July 16th and 17th.  The biggest show of the year, the Winter Park Jazz Festival is July 23rd and 24th. One of the biggest names in Winter Park this year will be Bret Michaels, of Poison fame, showing up for the Winter Park Music Festival with Warrant and Skid Row.  The last music festival of the summer will be a beer and music celebration at the Winter Park Beer Festival on August 13th.

Lots of music for almost any taste with some great names.  All shows will be in Hideaway Park in downtown Winter Park, Colorado.  Tickets for all the shows can be bought through the Winter Park/Fraser Chamber of Commerce or with lodging through the Winter Park Lodging Company.

Check out all the lineups and show times:

Blues from the Top Music Festival

American Music Festival -Winter Park

Winter Park Jazz Festival

Winter Park Music Festival – with Skid Row & Bret Michaels

Winter Park Beer Festival

Lots of music festivals going on up here in Winter Park.  Make sure to get your lodging now for the best and most convenient digs.  Most lodging packes from Winter Park Lodging Company come with complementary tickets to the above music festivals.

The Winter Park Fat Tire Classic is being replaced by the TreadFest!  The first annual TreadFest will take place in Winter Park, Colorado on July 9th, 2011.

Come experience beautiful Winter Park and the Fraser Valley on Saturday, July 9th at TreadFest 2011, a mountain bike fundraising event benefiting the National Sports Center for the Disabled and the American Red Cross. This event at Winter Park Resort will be in conjunction with the Epic Singletrack Race Series #3 Valley Point-to-Point and will feature supported trails that will be available to participants of all skill levels, from the family of recreational riders to those adventure-seekers looking for a challenge. All participants will have entry to the A Grateful Tread Festival with live music, beer from Avery Brewing, food and an Expo area. Grab your friends and form a team to compete for team fundraising, costume and member awards. Terrific prizes are being awarded to those individuals who reach distinguished fundraising levels, so join the fun and register today!

Visit the National Sports Center for the Disabled TreadFest Website for more information. Avery Brewery is now a main sponsor and I’m thinking that is the reason for the switch from the Fat Tire Classic as New Belgium and Fat Tire are no longer sponsoring the mountain bike festival.

TreadFest 2011 will be held July 9, 2011. The mid-July date will help us select the best trails that Winter Park has to offer without being restricted by late snowfall. TreadFest 2011 routes will be held on Winter Park’s Westside, including Corona Pass, Buck Creek, Pond Trail, Broken Thumb, Fraser River Trail and Idlewild!

This extensive network of supported trails will provide breathtaking views and a fun day for riders of all abilities.

Schedule of TreadFest events:

July 8, 2011 – Friday
6pm – 8pm - TreadFest Registration, Location TBD

July 9, 2011 – Saturday
6am – 9am - Participant Registration and Check-in, Registration Tent
6am – 12pm - Volunteer Check-in, Registration Tent
7am - Starting Line Opens
9:45am - Starting Line Closes
10am - Epic Singletrack Race Series #3, Valley Point-to-Point
10am -  Greatful Tread Festival – Presented by Avery Brewing, Resort Base
12pm Sports Authority and Adaptive Hand Cycling Clinics, Resort Base
11:30am – 3:30pm - BBQ Lunch, Hospitality Tent
1:30pm - Sports Authority and Adaptive Hand Cycling Clinics, Resort Base
2pm - TreadFest Awards Presentation, Resort Base
2:30pm - Epic Singletrack Race Series #3 Point-to-Point Awards Presentation, Resort Base
4pm – 5pm - VIP Reception, Location TBD

The TreadFeat is a great way to enjoy WInter Park and help out two great charities.  Come on up and get on your bike and see Winter Park, Colorado.

Visit Winter Park Lodging Company for your TreadFest lodging needs.

The skiing has just ended but it is time to look ahead for the opening of Winter Park Resort for all the summer base activities.  Alpine Slide, put-put golf, rock wall climbing, trampoline, zip line and most importantly Trestle Bike Park will all be back and running in no time at all.

This year looks to be a great one at Winter Park with lots of summer activities and a whole bunch of events going on in at the Resort and in the town of Winter Park.

Trestle Bike Park will be getting more trails with the famous Rainmaker now running from top to bottom.  In town there will be Winter Park Jazz Fest, Winter Park Music Fest and a resurrection of the American Music Festival.

Bring the kids up for the longest alpine slide in Colorado with a carnival like party in the Winter Park Village.  The Cheeky Monk, Lime, Pizza Peddl’r and Backbowl Soup Company are serving up great food and drink and the base of Winter Park will be a great place to spend some times with the kids and family.

Look for deals from Winter Park Lodging Company to make your stay as economical as possible with the best guest service in Winter Park, Colorado.  Spring is here and summer is around the corner so mark the calendar, Winter Park Resort opens June 11th.