Snow Mountain Ranch is an incredible value for couples, friends, and families. Their Nordic Center is top notch with lots of free activities available to guests staying in one of the lodges, vacation homes, or cabins.
We visit S.M.R. 5-6 times a year to take advantage of their cross country skiing, sledding, & snow shoeing. There are so many ski trails that it is impossible to ski them all in one weekend. A great place to take family in the grand valley.

We took a group of 16 high school seniors for a 6-day stay at Snow Mountain Ranch. We stayed in one of the large 6 bedroom cabins (Willow 501). It was PERFECT! The boys stayed on the bottom floor with their own bathroom, the girls on the top with their own bathroom and the chaperone in between with a bathroom. The beds were comfy and the rooms spacious. The living area had a large flat screen TV, 3 couches and lots of chairs. The full kitchen was completely stocked with utensils, cookware, dishes and flatware, large refrigerator, oven and dishwasher. The dining room in the cabin had tables and chairs for 16, but it would have been very crowded if we had all decided to be in there at once. We ate at the dining commons on a meal plan. It was great some days, and not so great others. I wouldn't say it was worth the $8-14 price posted, but for a group to get in and get out, it worked perfectly. Someone came and shoveled the snow from our balcony and steps and left firewood for the fireplace.

We practically had the whole place to ourselves the Wed, Thurs, Fri, we were there. On Friday night several large groups arrived for the three-day MLK weekend. The shuttle service was the best! Our group flew in from Miami, Florida and did not have our own transportation. There were 19 of us, so most of the time the shuttle driver had to make 2 trips. The drivers were friendly, helpful and very timely (except for once when there was a mix up on the time we needed them). The lady at the front desk did not speak English very well, but we still managed. They took us from our cabin, to the dining commons, back to the cabin, to the pool, back to the cabin, etc. All we had to do was call and they would come within 5-10 minutes.

The best part of SMR is the free and almost free activities. We used the Kiva (gym and game room) several days, the heated indoor pool and sauna, roller skating, ice skating, tubing, cross country skiing, snow shoeing, and plenty of room to just play in the snow.

BEST: cabin accomodations, shuttle service, recreation facilities, activities, mountain views, service, pool, sauna, cross country skiing,
AVERAGE: cafeteria food, snow tubing (small hill, good for younger kids, but not very exciting for older teenagers), the WiFi was slow, but available
WORST: We did not have our own transportation and could not seem to locate any shuttles or taxi services who would transport our group off the ranch, for any price. Many wanted to go skiing at Winter Park, but we could not get them there. Finally, the people from SolVista sent a bus to pick us up for night skiing and tubing. The grocery store at SMR is very, very small, and we had no way to get snacks or toiletries other than that store.

I wanted to go to the craft center, but the group vetoed my idea. I thought it sounded great. The lobby was very inviting with a fireplace in the middle. It was a very comfortable place to wait for the group to gather. The gift shop had a large selection of souvenirs and some necessities. We did not visit the stables, but it was centrally located on the property.

We went to church at the Whispering Pines Chapel on Sunday and had a great worship experience.

Most of the employees were accomodating and friendly, making recommendations for restaurants, services, skiing, etc. I would definitely take a group back to Snow Mountain Ranch again.

We stayed for 3 nights (only paid for 2) in Snow Mountain Ranch in the Aspenbrook Lodge. Great spacious room (sleeps 6) freshly painted with amazing mountain views. For an average of about 80 USD a night including a big buffet breakfast this is amazing value for a mountain stay. The Nordic Center is a 5 minute walk and has affordable rental rates, good lessons and free trail passes for overnight guests. Winter Park is about 20 minutes away and has great restaurants and downhill skiing. The Tabernash Tavern, about 10 minutes away is definitely recommended for an upscale dining experience.
We loved our very relaxing long weekend here!

We went to SMR to let our 3 young sons experience a white Christmas, and we were not disappointed. We met up with our extended family and 22 of us stayed in one of the 8 bedroom reunion cabins. I had been told by a friend that the cabins were not luxurious, and that they did not even have a TV. We were actaully happy to hear that, as we would much prefer our kids to spend the time outside. I was, however, pleasantly surprised that there was a nice flat screen in the living room so the men could watch football. The cabin was great for a large family vacation. Each room had 2 queen beds or a queen bed & bunk beds, and it's own bathroom. The kitchen, dining area, and living room were huge. At first, I thought we would not utilized everything the kitchen had (2 fridges, 2 stoves/ovens, 2 microwaves, 2 dishwashers, and about 40 plates and cups). However, it was amazing how much we ended up utilizing everything. There was a firepit outside, along with a gas grill. There was also a gas fireplace in the living room. The cabins are a great way to get the whole family together and yet have plenty of room to get away from each other when necessary.

There are tons of activities around the ranch. They have a large craft center with tons of different types of crafts at very reasonable prices. They have rock climging, tubing, ice skating, rollerskating, basketball, cross country skiing, sleigh rides, etc.. If you have kids this is where you need to be as they, and you as parents, will love it. For the sleigh ride, we went on Christmas eve and it was freezing out! I would recommend that they have a roaring fire at the stopping point. They did have 2 small firepits, but they were not giving off much heat until the end when more wood was put on. Aside from the activities at the ranch, we were only about 15 minutes from Winter Park skiing.

I did not dine at the cafeteria/buffet, but the rest of our group did, and they did not give positive reviews. There was also a Grill that did have good pizza and burgers. And, the bread bowl chili at the Nordic center was delicious!!

The service...when we checked in, they gave me the keys and a flyer with the activities, and we left. I would have expected them to go through some of the various activities offered, but I was able to find everything in the flyer. But, let me tell you where the service was EXCEPTIONAL. On Christmas day, someone from programs was able to arrange a personal game of Minute to Win It for our family. Then, that evening, when we went back to our cabin to cook our Christmas dinner , we realized one of our ovens was not working. Normally, one oven would be enough, but We already had 2 turkeys in 1 oven and needed the other oven for everything else. I called the front desk hoping I could possibly utilize an oven in another cabin, but,no...instead, they sent not 1, but 3 maintenance workers within 5 minutes to look at the oven. When they decided it could not be repaired, they REPLACED the oven within an hour (did I mention this was Christmas day). Then, when Kristen from the front desk found out it would be an hour before the oven was replaced, she called and offered for me to use the oven at her own house on property !! (where her own family was celbrating Christmas) I would say that service is definitely above and beyond what I would have expected. Everyone was very friendly and helpful!

We would love to try SMR in the summer!