Question for the Winter Park area folks

[dtown]

Looking for a good place to take the little kids sledding and sno-scootin' on Christmas Eve morning. Want a spot with a good sledding hill, a small meadow to sno-scoot, and close to the parking lot so the kiddos can warm up in the trailer. I've seen lots of people at the hill on the east side of 40 just after the Mary Jane turn off. The gate is always closed, but people park along 40. Is it possible to drive up through Lakota neighborhood, but then hang a right and follow the canal road back over to that meadow along 40? Do they plow it all that way?

Thanks!

 

[Rinker]

Take the second light coming into winter park. The Lakota turn. Go up the hill and I believe it is the next right- not sure about name of road. Follow this road and it will take you back into a parking area. It's kind of hard to describe but you will probably see other fellow sledders heading to this lot so you can follow them as well. There is a great hill right by the parking lot for sledding. Last weekend there were quite a few stumps showing but hopefully covered with these next storms moving through. You could also tool around with the sno scoot up there as well. Have fun!

 

[ManBearPig]

I could be wrong but I believe for the spot you show along highway 40, the forest service closed it down to winter activities a couple years ago. A question of liability I believe with too many tubers bouncing off of parked cars. Either way, you cannot access it coming back from Lakota in the Winter. The county quits plowing #128 above Lakota right where guided tours of Grand Adventures come up from their staging area.

A better spot anyhow is on County Road 72. In Fraser, heading up behind the Alco, it is the road that takes one to the commercial tubing hills but just keep following (#72) until it dead ends at the snowmobile trail head. Nice wide open meadow to sno scoot in and a couple little hills off to the side that would make for some decent do-it-yourself tubing.

See Page 30 of 32 in the following pdf.

co.grand.co.us/GCHome/downlads/ApprovedSnowmobileRoutes.pdf

Gary

Looking for a good place to take the little kids sledding and sno-scootin' on Christmas Eve morning. Want a spot with a good sledding hill, a small meadow to sno-scoot, and close to the parking lot so the kiddos can warm up in the trailer. I've seen lots of people at the hill on the east side of 40 just after the Mary Jane turn off. The gate is always closed, but people park along 40. Is it possible to drive up through Lakota neighborhood, but then hang a right and follow the canal road back over to that meadow along 40? Do they plow it all that way?

Thanks!

 

[Leardriver]

The road after you enter the Lakota area is called Arrow Trail. It is slightly more than a 90 degree right turn.

Follow it up a few blocks and turn left onto the water service road, until it dead ends at the parking area.

 

[silvester]

I think the area as the original poster described and as gary mentioned, isn't public land, it is water board property as i understand. As the 10 other posts describe the directions to the snowmobile lot above lokota, there really are not good packed meadows for kids near it. The big logged out hill is shallow and full of stumps beside the lokota lot and i think it is waterboard property as well. The elk creek parking lot does have a meadow right beside it good for kids. That is where i would go too.

 

[dtown]

How far up 72 past the commercial tubing hill is the trailhead? Enough room to turn around a 4-place trailer?

Thanks guys!

 

[Tec]

Church park is CR 50, and yes you can turn a 4 place around, IF the road and lot have been plowed.

 

[ManBearPig]

2 miles. Parking area allows for trailer turnaround depending on if it full or not, which this one usually is less crowded. Last time I was up there, turning my 28 ft enclosed around was not an issue.

How far up 72 past the commercial tubing hill is the trailhead? Enough room to turn around a 4-place trailer?

Thanks guys!