Winter Park Resort is making progress on its latest development plans. Since our initial development announcement, we’ve listened to our community leaders, our staff, residents and guests. We have adjusted and refined plans and laid out more specific timelines and priorities.

As a part of our early stage priorities, we are planning for significant investments in the development of Winter Park Resort, while we remain steadfast in our vision to stay true to who we are, honor our authentic local character and community, connect residents and visitors alike, respect and embrace the natural world around us, and ultimately enhance the experience for everyone, both on and off the mountain.

We have identified four priorities that will lead our development plans in the first phase: Mountain Expansion, Public Spaces and Parking, Connectivity and Transit, Hotels and Residential.

Mountain Expansion

Winter Park Resort is embracing thoughtful growth with plans to expand terrain, enhance access, and improve guest experiences. Our early stage priorities include expanding skiable terrain in Vasquez Ridge, building the first leg of the Connect Winter Park aerial transit system, and improving on-mountain food and beverage.

Mountain Expansion Details:

• Add approximately 700 acres of new skiable terrain in the Vasquez Ridge area
• Replace and relocate the Looking Glass Lift that will ultimately connect to the planned aerial transit system, Connect Winter Park, and ski-back trail
• Replace the current Gemini Lift with a gondola from the Winter Park base up to Discovery Park, which will ultimately become part of Connect Winter Park, the aerial transit system
• Make improvements to on-mountain dining

Public Spaces and Parking

Winter Park Resort’s early stage priorities include key enhancements to improve accessibility, connectivity, and guest experiences. New arrival and parking options expanded public parks and trails with additional green spaces, a new Mountain Center for guest and skier services, additional retail and dining spaces, and upgraded infrastructure to support long-term sustainability and growth are all included in this.

Public Spaces Details:

• A public parking garage at the main entrance to Winter Park Resort with approximately 1,500 parking spaces
• Enhance public open spaces including hiking and pedestrian trails that connect lodging and amenities, create more public green spaces throughout, and create a river park that improves access, stewardship and connection to the Fraser River
• A new Mountain Center and Ski Beach at the base adjacent to the existing Gondola
• Additional space for retail, dining, and guest services
• Infrastructure maintenance and upgrades, including road, facility and utility improvements

Connectivity and Transit

Winter Park Resort’s early stage priorities focus on seamless connectivity between the resort and the greater community. Key initiatives include the development of Connect Winter Park, and further advancement of mountain passenger rail in partnership with CDOT and local entities.

Connectivity and Transit Details:

• Development of Connect Winter Park (town gondola), which will provide aerial transit between the resort and downtown Winter Park, along with the ski-back trail
  • Further development of mountain passenger rail in partnership with CDOT and other state and local entities
  • Enhanced trail connectivity throughout the resort and between downtown Winter Park

Hotels and Residential

Winter Park Resort’s early stage priorities include expanding lodging options to enhance guest experiences and support the community. Plans call for three new hotels and continued collaboration with community partners to address workforce and community housing, building on the success of Conifer Commons, our recently completed workforce housing project.

Hotel and Residential Details:

• The addition of around 450 guest rooms among three proposed new hotels, each with separate, dedicated parking for hotel guests
• Each hotel will have its own concept: one will prioritize meeting, event and gathering space, another is planned as a modern alpine ski-in, ski-out lifestyle hotel, and the third will be a new base-area lodge.
• Continued collaboration and partnership with community partners to address workforce and community housing; and build upon the success of Conifer Commons, Winter Park Resort’s recently completed workforce housing project

How did we determine which components are in our early stage priorities?

While we have more clarity around the components of the proposed plan, Winter Park Unlocked remains complex and evolving. We have discussed and collaborated with partners and stakeholders, and it is clear that we need to prioritize multiple components up front to create the best experience for our guests into the future.

Winter Park Resort attracts guests from across Colorado, the U.S., and the rest of the world, so naturally it’s exciting to add more terrain, amenities and expanded experiences. At the same time, we know we must address parking challenges, aging infrastructure, and the limitations of existing hotel and overnight lodging accommodations. All of these components must be co-created in parallel to ensure we address the holistic experience with transportation and parking, lodging and housing, and the interdependencies with our staff, residents and communities.

As we all looked at the whole of Winter Park Unlocked, it became clear that the development components were intertwined and dependent on one another, and we must take on multiple project components simultaneously to unlock the next evolution of Winter Park and enhance our resort for generations to come.

You can learn more about Winter Park Unlocked through our website and updates here on our blog.