If you stopped in Silverthorne, Colorado 10 years ago, you were likely shopping at the Outlets or topping off your gas tank. In recent years, town leaders have worked to reinvent Silverthorne as a destination in its own right. The city has built new parks, trails and places for tourists to stay. Silverthorne’s development has created a variety of free-outdoor activities visitors can enjoy. If you’re looking for fun winter activities, Silverthorne offers great cross-country skiing, snowshoeing, sledding and ice skating.
READ: Silverthorne Is Transforming a Historic Inn To Become a Part of a New Food Hall
Cross-country skiing
With people looking for COVID-safe activities this winter, cross-country skiing is gaining popularity. The sport provides an excellent workout, access to stunning outdoor landscapes and a chance to spread out. Silverthorne boasts a number of great trails to try your feet at cross-country skiing.
The Raven Golf Club
Where: 2929 Golden Eagle Rd., Silverthorne
When: Open daily, 6 a.m.–6 p.m., through March, depending on conditions
Cost: Free
The Lowdown: The Raven Golf Club — located just North of Silverthorne’s main drag — offers free access to their groomed cross country trails. Trail offerings aren’t vast. They have one green run for beginners and one blue run for intermediate skiers. The golf course provides the perfect flat terrain for folks to try cross-country skiing for the first time, or get a quick workout. Skiers must bring their own equipment. If you don’t have skis or boots, check out our list of gear rental shops below.
Sledding
Finding the best sledding hill is a worthy pursuit for any family with kids. Silverthorne offers several choice hills, both of which are free.
Rainbow Park
Where: 430 Rainbow Dr., Silverthorne
When: Dawn to Dusk
Cost: Free
The Lowdown: Rainbow Park offers stunning mountain views and a great sledding hill. The park is located adjacent to the Recreation Center and offers free parking, grills and restrooms.
Maryland Creek Park
Where: 20 Maryland Creek Ln., Silverthorne
When: Dawn to Dusk
Cost: Free
The Lowdown: Maryland Creek Park is Silverthorne’s newest park, part of the town’s outdoor development initiative. The park is located at the north end of town, near the Summit Sky Ranch. Maryland Creek offers excellent sledding and 20 acres of open space to explore on snowshoes.
Snowshoeing and Hiking
In the summer, Summit County offers miles of trails to explore. While winter closes many trails, Silverthorne offers several options for hardy hikers and snowshoers. Snowshoers can also access the trails at the Raven Golf Club and Maryland Creek Park. See descriptions above. Here are several more fun trails.
Lily Pad Lake Trail
Where: County Road 1260, Silverthorne
When: Anytime
Cost: Free
The Lowdown: The Lily Pad Lake Trail makes for a great snowshoe-hike. The trail is three and a half miles and relatively flat. Lily Pad Lake is fairly popular. The trail is usually packed down, but traction devices or snowshoes might help. Make sure to bring a map and other essential items, like warm layers and water.
Blue River Trail
Where: 1354-1356 River Rd., Silverthorne
When: Anytime
Cost: Free
The Lowdown: The Blue River Trail is a great paved-path through town. When other paths are packed with snow, the Blue River Trail offers easy access to go for a walk, run or bike ride. The nearly-two mile trail is a great way to see Silverthorne or scout a restaurant in town.
Ice Skating
In Colorado, it can be hard to find lakes that freeze in the winter and are suitable for skating. Silverthorne’s North Pond is one of the best outdoor skating locations in Summit County.
North Pond
When: 8 a.m.–5 p.m. daily
Where: 108 Hamilton Creek Rd., Silverthorne
Cost: Free
The Lowdown: North Pond is a well-known destination for ice skating and pond hockey in Summit County. In the past, the town has organized hockey leagues and a hockey tournament on North Pond. You don’t have to be Wayne Gretzky, to skate here though. Workers smooth the ice surface using a Zamboni. Skaters must bring their own equipment. Since day-long rentals for ice skates can be hard to find, we encourage you to look on Craigslist, in a thrift store or used sports equipment store.
Outdoor Equipment Rental
Gore Range Sports
Where: 58 Blue River Pkwy Suite F, Silverthorne
When: Friday–Saturday 9 a.m. –7 p.m., weekdays, 9 a.m.–6 p.m.
Cost: Call for details
The Lowdown: Gore Range Sports is a new local shop that opened during the pandemic. They rent cross-country and backcountry ski gear. They also have a full-scale tuning shop if you want to wax your skis or if something breaks.
REI Denver
Where: 1416 Platte St., Denver
When: 9 a.m.-9 p.m., Sundays, 9 a.m.-7 p.m.
Cost: Call for details
The Lowdown: REI offers a variety of summer and winter rentals. They have a large amount of cross-country ski gear and snowshoes. Be sure to call ahead to check the availability of products.
REI Dillon
Where: 306 Dillon Ridge Rd, Dillon
When: Monday – Saturday, 9 a.m. – 7 p.m., Sunday 10 a.m.- 6 p.m.
Cost: Call for details
The Lowdown: REI Dillon is very close to Silverthorne. If the Denver location doesn’t have what you need, try this store. Make sure to call ahead to check availability and reserve rental gear. They only stock winter rentals, like cross-country skis and snowshoes.
All photos courtesy of Silverthorne, unless otherwise noted.
Isn’t it Ironic that a skating pond is hard to find in Colorado? But you can keep the frigid weather in those moutains, I’ll take our 50 degrees in January down here in Denver. That’s another irony, we are 5,280 feet hi, Mile Hi City, but we are “down here”.