Quick Hits: Winter Park, CO

EAT

For the ultimate in family friendly dining, Hernando’s Pizza Pub (hernandospizzapub.com) has it nailed. It’s loud, there’s a huge stack of high chairs and the walls, ceiling and tables are completely covered with decorated $1 bills providing endless entertainment for anyone with a curious bone in their body. The food is hearty and well priced for feeding families of any size. Good Mexican food can be hard to come by but Casa Mexico (coopercreeksquare.com) will satisfy the pickiest of Mexican connoisseurs. They even have horchata which always counts as a plus in my book. To start your day, pop into Carvers (carvers-wp.com) for the best breakfast in town.

SLEEP

Ski resorts typically feature plenty of lodging optons, but with everything going on in Winter Park in the fall, there’s no better way to be right in the thick of it all than by staying at the resort base area by booking a condo through the Winter Park Lodging Company (winterparklodgingcompany.com). These are cozy privately owned units that provide easy access to all the great activities in the village. A paved bike path leads down into town but be ready for the ride back up.

PLAY

Come summer, the Winter Park ski area transforms into Trestle Bike Park (trestlebikepark.com). Complete with lift access to 58 trail sections, it features a tasty mix of easy green rolling runs and intermediate blues with by-pass elements that help you work your way up to bigger jumps and berms. Then, when you’re ready go to big, Winter Park’s expert black runs will up your heart rate with massive jumps and drops. Beyond the park, miles and miles of cross country trails range from cruisy family friendly rollers to fun technical routes. Need a ride? Beavers Sports Shop (winterparkskirental.com don’t let the URL throw you) can set you up.

—Photo by Chris Wellhausen