A favorite activity among locals and visitors, young and old, families and friends is snow tubing and sledding. Winter Park and the Fraser Valley has a variety of locations to choose from. Check them out.
Free Sledding Hill at Hideaway Park
Smack dab in the middle of downtown Winter Park lies Hideaway Park’s free sledding hill. It’s a small hill, but plenty of fun, and sleds are provided free of use. A great place for families with small kids. You can go anytime, day or night, as the hill is well lit and there a couple of fire rings to keep yourself nice and toasty. There are also picnic tables, a couple of pavilions, public restrooms and a brand-new play ground.
The Fraser Valley Lion’s Club, Town of Winter Park and Winter Park & Fraser Valley Chamber of Commerce team up to keep the hill open. The Chamber of Commerce/Visitor Center is right across the street from Hideaway Park, look for the bronze moose statue out front. Contact the friendly Visitor Center Staff at visitorcenter@playwinterpark.com or 800-903-7275 for more information.
Fraser Tubing Hill
On the other extreme, we’ve got one monster of a tubing hill in Fraser. Just called the Fraser Tubing Hill, it is the free sledding hill’s big uncle - bigger, faster and stronger. There is a rope-tow to pull you back up the hill on the tube, so no worries about hiking the cumbersome donut back 
up a 1/4 mile hill. You can also keep warm in the warming hut and buy hot chocolate at their snack bar.
The Fraser Tubing hill is also on the other extreme in terms of price. Last season they were $17 per hour for adults and $15 per hour for kids under twelve. They are open from noon to 9pm Monday-Thursday, 10am to 10pm on Friday & Saturday and 10am to 9pm on Sundays. You can try to call them at (970) 726-5954 after Dec 1st, but it’s not unusual that they don’t answer when they are busy. You can also contact the Winter Park Visitor Center at visitorcenter@playwinterpark.com or 800-903-7275 for information.
Snow Mountain Ranch Sledding & Tubing Hill
If you’re looking for something bigger than the free sledding hill, but not so expensive, then you should definitely take a drive out to Snow Mountain Ranch (aka YMCA of the Rockies). They have a good sized hill for sledding or tubing with a rope-tow. You can use their sleds or tubes or even bring your own.
The cost to use the YMCA facilities is $15 per person for the entire day. That day pass allow you use of the sledding & tubing hill, including the use of sleds and tubes. Normal hours of operation are 9am to 5pm on Sundays-Thursdays and 9am to 8pm on Fridays & Saturdays. Re-entry is allowed if you present your receipt when returning. Kids four years old and under are free.
Next to the Snow Mountain Ranch sledding and tubing hill is also an ice skating rink pavilion. You can rent skates there or bring your own. Other activities included in the cost of the day pass is use of their Olympic-size swimming pool, indoor climbing wall and more. For information, click here or call (970) 887-2152, extension 1200. Or dial zero to get to the operator and ask for the Programs Office.
Colorado Adventure Park Tubing Hill
The newest option for tubing in the Winter Park area, the Colorado Adventure Park tubing hill is located right next to the ol’ Fraser Tubing Hill in the town of Fraser. Not only do they have four separate tubing lanes progressing from mild to bumpy, they also have a lane designated for air boarding, which is an oblong inflatable device with handles for more steering control. Finally, for kids aged six to thirteen, they have snowscoots, which are like mini snowmobiles.
It’s a bargain compared to the more expensive Fraser Tubing Hill. For tubing, it’s $14/hour and for airboarding, it’s $17/hour, which includes the rental of a helmet. If you have your own ski helmet, bring it with you for a $2 discount. To rent a snowscoot, the cost is $10 for each ten minutes.
There is a magic carpet conveyer lift to carry both you and your tube to the top of the giant hill, as well as a smaller man-made hill for the little tykes. They have a warming hut at the base of the hill, which is also where you can buy your tickets.
To find the Colorado Adventure Park, head west on Hwy 40 from Winter Park and take a left at the stoplight in Fraser where the Safeway grocery store. After you pass under the bridge about 200 yards down, take a right at the fork in the road. Follow the signs and turn left into their entrance about 300 yards down. Contact them at 970-726-5779 or at info@coloradoadventurepark.com.
