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Stress Free Family Getaway at Snow Mountain Ranch

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By Julie Dikken, Publisher Macaroni Kid Evergreen, Bailey & Conifer January 15, 2016
Planning the perfect family getaway can be stressful and a lot of work. From finding the place to stay, to scoping out fun activities and planning meals to feed the hungry bunch. What parent has the time and energy for all of that? Who would want to go through the planning hassle if there was a place that had all the details taken care of for you?

Snow Mountain Ranch in Granby, Colorado does all of that and more!

As a busy Mom, I was thrilled to learn that the most planning our weekend family vacation required was to make the reservations for the room. All else was taken care of for me - even the thing(s) that often times keeps us from enjoying overnight adventures... our beloved dogs. Because staying at a cabin at Snow Mountain Ranch meant we got to bring the furry family members with us! Bonus!

This vacation began easily with two packed bags, our winter gear, the dog crate and some snacks for the road.  Leaving as soon as the kids got out of school kept us out of traffic and quickly on to our location, which really isn't too far from Evergreen at all. Yep, we found ourselves a #findyourfamilyfun goldmine in Snow Mountain Ranch!

The fun began as soon as we arrived. After we checked into our cozy cabin (with an amazing view) named "Tippecanoe", we headed over to Schlessman Commons for dinner. The all you can eat buffet offered a great assortment of home cooked foods that pleased even our pickiest-of-eaters daughter.  Right after dinner we headed over to the Kiva Activity Center to roller skate, and play basketball. Once we got the bulk of energy out of the kiddos, we headed back to the cabin, lit the fireplace, popped some popcorn and set up for family game night - our room was equipped with many of our favorites! It was pure bliss to cozy up with the entire family - fuzzy ones too - for a quite night in.

After a good night's rest, we started with an early breakfast back at Schlessman Commons before heading out for our dog sledding adventure. Dog sledding at Snow Mountain Ranch is a "bucket list" adventure not to be missed. Prior to our rides, we were treated to an enthusiastic presentation given by Chaplain Steve Peterson, a passionate storyteller who introduced us to the world of dog sledding in a way that made us even more excited than we already were about our upcoming ride.

Watch this quick video to get a feel of what it's like to experience a dog sled ride at Snow Mountain Ranch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UEkiAfVmxF8

After our rides, we made some crafts, enjoyed some hot cocoa, then headed back to the cabin to hang for a bit.  After lunch we brought out our inner 'Katniss' at the indoor archery range, scaled the walls like Spider-Man on the indoor climbing wall, and watched as our kids played a game or two of dodgeball. We then headed back to the cabin for a quick rest and to put our snow clothes back on for some afternoon tubing and s'mores by the campfire. And since the teens weren't done having fun yet,  we dropped them off at the Kiva center to roller skate and play basketball while we rested up before dinner.

Our last day at Snow Mountain Ranch was loaded with even more fun and we did get a chance to sleep in before we got to give Fat Biking a try and even took a stroll on the trails at the Nordic Center in snowshoes.

Want to see more? Check out this video Macaroni Kid put together the fun offered at Snow Mountain Ranch.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aFiCRybVDwU

We enjoyed many of the activities that Snow Mountain Ranch offers during the winter season, but time allowed for only so much! Other activities include swimming, tennis, cross country skiing, ice skating and more. Visit snowmountianranch.org for complete information and to get your stress free family vacation booked now!

Maybe you are looking for a day-trip rather than a weekend getaway. For only $20 (adult), $10 (child) and children under the age 5 are free, m
any of the activities described are offered with the Snow Mountain Ranch day pass A great family value for a full day of fun that is not too far away from home.

Have you been to Snow Mountain Ranch? We'd love to hear about your trip. Feel free to share your experiences below!


My family was hosted at Snow Mountain Ranch for the weekend in exchange for this review. All opinions and views are my own.