In a recent blog post, Winter Park Resort in Colorado presented updates on its ambitious 10- to 15-year master plan to make it the third-largest ski resort in the state. This comprehensive, publicly accessible plan calls for significant improvements, including new and improved lifts, expanded terrain, remodeled lodges, and enhanced on-mountain dining experiences. A key feature is the long-awaited gondola that will connect the resort to the town of Winter Park, improving accessibility and connectivity for visitors.

Our overall development plans aim to:

• • We strengthen our authentic community character and celebrate who we are and have always been. Our plans aim to create unique neighborhoods with their own distinctive character and intervening public spaces where our community can gather, recreate and connect with nature and each other.
  • Provide flexibility for the future that promotes sustainable, responsible development by using innovative, adaptable design so we can focus our resources on the long-term needs of our guests, community and environment.
  • Improve connectivity through new on-mountain connections, redesigned transportation, mobility, arrival and parking systems, and better connecting the resort to the City of Winter Park and other communities, including Front Range residents and destination visitors, all leading to more meaningful connections between people and nature and each other.
  • Create vibrant year-round experiences that offer diverse opportunities for recreation, living and working and are consistent with the community’s vision in the city’s comprehensive development plan.
  • Respect our natural environment and create a resort that maintains or enhances our connection to our natural surroundings. We will continue to put nature at the heart of everything we do by adopting sustainable building practices, improving connectivity to public trails and green spaces, and better integrating the Fraser River.
  • Strengthening the sense of inclusion through improved mobility within the resort and surrounding areas, as well as economic opportunities, housing, services and jobs for people of different ages, incomes and households.

The resort will operate under a special use permit on 7,555 acres of land managed by the U.S. Forest Service and is required to develop a master development plan. This plan serves as a guide for future development and ensures a sustainable recreational experience that respects the surrounding environment. Many improvements in the master plan build on the previous plan from 2005.

Connectivity

A central component of the Winter Park Resort and City redevelopment plans is connectivity. Both the resort’s Base Area PDP and the USFS MDP envision how to better connect Winter Park Resort to the City of Winter Park and to other communities along the Front Range and across Colorado’s northern mountains. Public and private transportation plans include:

• • The aerial tram system (Town Gondola) that connects town to the mountain and Discovery Park area and down to the base area of ​​the resort.
  • Mountain passenger rail service in partnership with public and private agencies, including CDOT and communities of Denver and Arvada, to Steamboat and Craig.
  • A new ski-back route that further connects the resort with the city.
  • Improved access to public trails and open spaces.

A major expansion includes a new area on Vasquez Mountain, increasing the ski area by 358 to 3,439 acres. This expansion will make Winter Park the third-largest ski resort in Colorado, behind Vail and the recently expanded Steamboat. The plan also calls for several new chairlifts, including a surface lift that will provide access to the Cirque from the new Vasquez area, as well as additional chairlifts in the new area. The resort plans to replace the aging Looking Glass, Pony and Iron Horse lifts with modern six-person chairs and an eight-person gondola. A significant addition is the nearly two-mile-long 10-person gondola from Cooper Creek Square in downtown Winter Park, which will improve access to resort amenities.

Mountain Master Development Plan (USFS MDP)

Winter Park Resort is known for its diverse terrain across more than 3,095 acres. Plans for the mountain are designed to enhance existing terrain, improve connectivity, and expand intermediate terrain to meet guest needs. The USFS’s 2022 MDP includes plans that:

• • Rethink and redesign our learning area, with new lifts and access points and an on-mountain day lodge that provides an indoor base for new skiers and snowboarders.
  • Integrate additional snowmaking improvements to ensure we can cover more terrain early in the season.
  • Improve and modernize existing mountain restaurants and day huts to better serve guests.
  • Expand the Vasquez Ridge terrain, including a new dining option at the top of the Wild Spur Express lift.

The master plan also calls for increasing skier capacity by 41% from 15,830 to 22,375 and expanding snowmaking capacity from 280 to 605 acres. The mountain restaurants Sunspot and Snoasis will be remodeled to enhance the guest experience. In addition to winter operations, the resort plans to introduce new summer activities, including hiking and biking trails, to offer year-round recreational opportunities.

Base Area Development Plan (currently Preliminary Base Area Development Plan (PDP))

The Base Area PDP rethinks how people arrive, stay and play at Winter Park Resort, creating a better and more seamless experience. The Base Area Development Plan includes plans that:

• • Develop neighborhoods with distinct identities within the resort to capture and enhance the authentic character of Winter Park.
  • Improve and update pedestrian and guest mobility in the resort and its surroundings.
  • Update parking and arrival scenarios to make it easier to arrive, park, climb, and access other activities.
  • The focus is on preserving and better integrating the Fraser River to make it a focal point of our resort and improve access for our community and guests.
  • Expand open spaces, parks and trails within the base area and transform previously disturbed land back into green spaces and natural environments.
  • Create an enriching village that is closely intertwined with nature and its natural environment.
  • Consider new accommodation and food options within the base village to encourage people to stay a little longer.

Winter Park Resort has already invested over $100 million in improvements, including a new employee housing complex called Conifer Commons, which addresses the resort and community’s most pressing housing needs. The new high-speed, six-passenger Wild Spur Express lift provides improved access to Vasquez Ridge terrain, allowing intermediate and advanced skiers and snowboarders to spend more time on the mountain.

Although the Master Plan represents a forward-looking vision, its implementation depends on site-specific environmental assessments and approvals under the National Environmental Policy Act. The resort welcomes public comments on the plan and wants to highlight its commitment to the community and environmental protection.

The Winter Park Resort master plan reflects a strategic vision to expand its offerings, improve connectivity and preserve its authentic community character while becoming a premier destination for winter and summer activities.

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