WINTER PARK & FRASER CHAMBER PRESS KIT About Winter Park (www.playwinterpark.com) The Winter Park & Fraser Chamber is a non-profit Colorado corporation created to help further and maintain responsible growth in the Winter Park and Fraser Valley area, located in the Rocky Mountains just 65 miles west of Denver. Fraser was recently named an “Affordable Winter Escape in Western USA” by TripAdvisor. Winter Park on Social Media Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/playwinterpark Pinterest: http://pinterest.com/playwinterpark/ Twitter: https://twitter.com/#!/PlayWinterPark Instagram: https://instagram.com/playwinterpark/ YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/WinterParkChamber Blog: http://playground.playwinterpark.com/ Google+: https://plus.google.com/u/0/106201084637213828205/posts Location Winter Park is located 67 miles west of Denver • Driving: Take I-70 to Exit 232 to Highway 40. Proceed over Berthoud Pass and into the town of Winter Park • Car rental: Available at Denver International Airport, and in Fraser and Granby • Airport shuttle: Available to/from Denver International Airport • Train: Amtrak’s California Zephyr provides daily rail service from Chicago and San Francisco to the town of Fraser • Bus: Greyhound available to and from Denver Statistics Winter Park and the Fraser Valley are located in Grand County (pop. 12,000) • Elevation of towns: 9,060 (Winter Park) and 8,560 feet (Fraser) • Miles of biking/hiking trails: 600 • Miles of streams: 1,000 • Miles of shoreline: 165 • Acres of lakes/reservoirs: 12,000 (Grand Lake, Lake Granby, Shadow Mountain Lake, Wolford Mountain Reservoir, Williams Fork Reservoir) • Wilderness areas: 4 (Byers Peak, Indian Peaks, Never Summer, Vasquez Peak) • National forests: 2 (Arapaho, Routt) • National parks: 1 (Rocky Mountain) Additional InFormation Visit the online media center. Photos, logos, interviews available upon request Media Contacts Gaylene Ore Diane Ehlert Ore Communications, Inc. Winter Park & Fraser Chamber [email protected] [email protected] 970.531.2336 970.283.3548 WINTER PARK STORY IDEAS – SUMMER TOP WAYS TO PLAY IN WINTER PARK DURING THE SUMMER (see more activities) From “A” (alpine sliding) to “Z” (zip lining), Winter Park offers fun for all ages. Here are the top ways to play in Colorado’s Favorite Playground during the warm weather months. • Mountain Bike Capital USA™ has over 600 miles of trails to explore, including two downhill bike parks, family-friendly trails and everything in between. Not a biker? Hike the trails instead! • Rocky Mountain National Park (RMNP) celebrated its centennial in 2015 and is located just 45 minutes from Winter Park, which is a great base camp for a RMNP adventure. • There are over 200 events in Winter Park in the summer, which focus on everything from music and mountain bikes to beer. • Dog Sled Rides of Winter Park will pull riders on carts for a thrilling swing around the trails. Take a tour of the kennels, pet the puppies and even adopt a Husky. • Four area courses offer mountain golfing at its best with stop-your-cart-scenery at every turn. • Winter Park is in the center of Colorado trout fishing country where fly fishing is abundant. • For thrills, chills and adventure you can’t beat Winter Park. There’s whitewater rafting, kayaking and stand up paddling. Winter Park also has three options for zip lining – at Devil’s Thumb Ranch, Snow Mountain Ranch-YMCA of the Rockies and Zip Line Adventures. Alpine sliding is a big hit at Winter Park Resort, which boasts Colorado’s longest alpine slide. MOUNTAIN BIKE CAPITAL USA™ (get more details) Winter Park is nicknamed Mountain Bike Capital USA™ because of its 600 miles of trails that offer variety and challenge for every biking level and style. Trails can be found in the Arapaho National Forest, at the 5,000-acre Devil’s Thumb Ranch, two bike parks (Trestle Bike Park - the fastest-growing bike park in North America – and Bike Granby Ranch) and YMCA of the Rockies Snow Mountain Ranch. Check out the Official Mountain Bike and Trail Guide to Winter Park-Fraser Valley, which includes elevation gain, detailed trail descriptions, mileage and difficulty ratings. SIGNATURE SUMMER EVENTS (find more events) Winter Park has an event or festival nearly every weekend during the summer. Musicians, craft brewers and athletes turn Winter Park into a summer playground for visitors. Visit www.playwinterpark.com for a full events list and details. • High-Note Thursdays (June-August) • Winter Park Jazz Festival (July) • Fitness in the Park (June-August) • The Divide Music Festival (July) • Blues from the Top (June) • SolShine Music Festival (August) • Run for Independence / July 4th Celebration • Winter Park Beer Festival (August) • Mountain Bike Capital USA™ Weekend (July) • Winter Park Uncorked Wine Festival (August) • Tequila & Tacos (July) • Winter Park Music Festival (August) WINTER PARK STORY IDEAS – WINTER TOP WAYS TO PLAY IN WINTER PARK IN THE WINTERTIME (get more information) Winter Park really lives up to its name in the wintertime. Visitors can awaken their inner snow bunnies a number of different ways with a trip to Winter Park, Colorado’s Favorite Playground. • Ski or board at Winter Park Resort, one of the country’s top spots for Rocky Mountain powder for more than 60 years. Ski Granby Ranch caters to families with ample parking, easy lift access, glade skiing and night ski. • Mountain biking is a four-season sport thanks to fat biking, which uses wide rims and extra-large tires to enable exploration of the 600 miles of trails in Mountain Bike Capital USA™, even in the wintertime. • Take an exhilarating dog sled tour with Dog Sled Rides of Winter Park. • Cross-country ski or snowshoe at one of the many locations near Winter Park, including Devil’s Thumb Ranch, Grand Lake Nordic Center, Ski Granby Ranch or YMCA of the Rockies Snow Mountain Ranch. • Winter Park and the Fraser Valley have more tubing hills than anywhere else in Colorado. • Ice skating is available at Cooper Creek Square, Devil’s Thumb Ranch, Winter Park Resort, the Ice Box in Fraser and YMCA of the Rockies Snow Mountain Ranch. • A hot air balloon ride with Grand Adventure Balloon Tours is a memorable way to explore Winter Park. WINTER EVENTS (see all events in Winter Park) Winter Park offers a number of family-friendly events in the wintertime that can be a perfect “excuse” for planning a trip to Colorado’s Favorite Playground. Here’s a snapshot of Winter Park’s signature winter events. • Christmas Eve Torchlight Parade (December) • Winter Carnival (February) • New Year’s Eve Celebration, Torchlight Parade, • Wells Fargo Ski Cup (February) Fireworks (December) • Winter Park Wipe Out (April) • Stagecoach Classic cross-country ski race • Springtopia (April) (January) • Coca-Cola® Spring Splash (April) • Mary Jane’s Birthday Bash (January) • Cupid’s Revenge snowshoe race (February) 25 ACTIVITIES UNDER $20 (read the entire list) The Winter Park & Fraser Chamber knows sticking to a budget while on winter vacation is important. The Chamber has made it easy for family vacation planners by announcing 25 activities, all under $20. Here’s just a sampling of the steals to be had in Winter Park. • Tubing at many of the hills in Winter Park. • Ice skating for free (or nearly nothing!) • Ranger-guided snowshoe tours at nearby Rocky • Bowling, movies and museums. Mountain National Park. • Brewery tours and wine tasting. • Snowshoeing/cross-country skiing on the 600 • Yoga, swimming, climbing wall and more. miles of trails that turn Winter Park into Mountain Bike Capital USA™ during the summer. .