SELECT Magazine Fall 2020 | Page 15

SKI RESORTS All Year LONG The best thing about visiting Colorado is the abundance of options that can easily fill a one- or two-week vacation here. Denver is the premier starting and stopping point, a city that can delight kids of all ages thanks to the Children's Museum of Denver and the wildly popular Denver Museum of Nature & Science, where the eagle-eyed among them can spot tiny elves hidden in select exhibits. After sampling just some of what this great city offers, the mountains beckon. While skiing down snow-blanketed mountains is a family adventure many would love, visiting ski resorts off-season provides fewer crowds and more activities. With acres of explorable forests, rock-strewn rivers, mountain trails and outdoor entertainment, ski resorts burst with a variety of adventures far beyond the powdered snow and crisp winter air. Well known for its ski trails, Vail is a veritable hiker’s heaven in its own right. Hiking through the White River National Forest, with 15 trails from two to 18 miles to choose from, you’ll find wildflowers swaying across the vast grasslands, as well as elks and moose ambling through the forests. As glorious as the trails are, Vail is also an ideal place to teach your kids the artistry of fly fishing. In the offseason of Aspen, just down the road and through the mountains from Vail, take a turn on the wild side with horseback riding through the alpine wilderness or strap on life vests and go whitewater rafting on the challenging Class II-III sections of the Middle Roaring Fork, suitable for families with older children. After driving across the Rockies, enjoying ski resorts along the way, you’ll find a vast land packed with national parks. At Black Canyon National Park near Montrose, sheer black walls plummet up to 2,700 feet down to create a jawdropping gorge. Great Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve near Alamosa is home to 750 feet-high sand dunes that challenge the Rocky Mountains themselves. And Mesa Verde National Park near Cortez is home to some of the most unique Ancestral Puebloan dwellings in the world. SELECT The following hotels provide the ideal home base to launch your next family adventure. Plus, you'll enjoy the bonus amenities available through SELECT. SELECT HOTELS & RESORTS Carmel Valley Ranch Carmel, California Halcyon Hotel Cherry Creek Denver, Colorado Hotel Manapany Gustavia, St. Barths The Town Montrose, Colorado ASK ABOUT OTHER EXPERIENCES WE CAN PROVIDE AT THESE DESTINATIONS CONTACT US TODAY TO RECEIVE YOUR FREE VIP AMENITIES | 13