6 Best Places to Go for Spring Break in Colorado
Spring break in Colorado is a great time to get some great skiing in. Locals here call it “spring skiing,” the time of year when it’s likely to lose the winter coat and ski down the mountain in your sunglasses. But even if you don’t call yourself a skier, there are plenty of great places to go for spring break in Colorado.
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We actually spent our spring break driving around Colorado to a few awesome places. So from our own experience and thorough knowledge of our home state, I give you some of the best places to go in Colorado for your spring break.
Note: Spring breaks in Colorado are typically in March. The places and activities below are based on a visit to Colorado in March.
Spring Break in Colorado
Here are a few places to spend spring break that are fun, even during Colorado’s snowiest month!
1. Ski Resorts
Take your pick. Spring skiing in Colorado is a favorite springtime activity.
March is Colorado’s snowiest month of the year, but on average 2/3 of the month of March is also very sunny. Win-win for those wanting the best of both worlds.
Popular ski resorts to visit during spring break include Breckenridge, Vail, or Keystone.
If you want less popular ski towns, you’ll have to drive a little, but it’ll be worth the space on the mountain. Try places like Telluride, Aspen/Snowmass, or even Wolf Creek down in southern Colorado.
The great thing is that even if you don’t want to spend your entire spring break skiing, these town still have plenty of other great things to do in the cold months!
Where to Go: Breckenridge Vs Telluride
2. Colorado Springs
Colorado Springs is filled with plenty of indoor and outdoor activities to enjoy during the cold months. If you are looking for some outdoor snowy adventure like snowshoeing or spotting Garden of the Gods glistening with white powder, this is the place.
Likewise, there are plenty of indoor activities like museums, the Olympic Training Center, Space Discovery Center, and more that will keep you and the kids entertained for a while.
But the main reason Colorado Springs makes a great spring break for families is the fact that you can stay at Great Wolf Lodge.
This giant hotel is located in the northern part of CO Springs and is a ton of fun. The main attraction is the huuuge indoor waterpark that’s truly perfect for all ages. The waterpark is included in your stay.
You can also add on experiences like an aerial course, mini golf, the arcade, salon (for kids), and more. Great Wolf Lodge is a vacation in and of itself.
While there are restaurants on site, it’s also nice and close to a lot of restaurants outside the hotel.
So get the best of both worlds with in-house entertainment and adventure right outside the door with plenty of March appropriate activities in Colorado Springs.
👉🏼 Find Current Great Wolf discounts here!
3. Great Sand Dunes National Park
Great Sand Dunes National Park is one of the coolest national parks to bring kids to. While we enjoy hiking and finding waterfalls, the sand dunes are more of a place to actually play all day long.
Spring is the perfect time to visit because it’s not too hot. For real, if you visit in mid summer, you risk burning your feet or skin being on the burning 150 degree sand.
But not in spring. In spring, the dunes may even have a blanket of snow on them. The trick is to find a south-facing dune. This will give you a clear area to sled down (and hike back up) all day long.
It snowed the night before we arrived in Great Sand Dunes (in March.) But by the next day, there were plenty of places to sled that had cleared by the time we hiked in.
Spring is a GREAT time to visit this unique national park!
👉🏼 Find a Great Place to Stay near Great Sand Dunes
4. Pagosa Springs
Just 2 hours from the sand dunes is the town of Pagosa Springs. This is a charming town with a nice recreational path that follows the San Juan River.
But the best part about taking your Colorado spring break in Pagosa is that you get to enjoy the awesome hot springs.
Stay at The Springs resort to enjoy 25 hot springs pools that overlook the San Juan River. The resort is beautiful and a main attraction of the town.
But if you aren’t up for staying there or spending money, you can soak in the hot spring pots in the river directly! It’s an adventure to sit among the mud and take in the healing properties and warm water on a chilly day.
While in Pagosa, make sure to bring some clamp ons for your shoes and make the hike up to the frozen Treasure Falls.
👉🏼 Find a Great Place to Stay in Pagosa Springs
5. Rocky Mountain National Park
Rocky Mountain National Park truly has our hearts. It’s great anytime of year. But spring is a great time to go because you won’t get the huge crowds like you do in summer.
RMNP has gone to a reservation system for busy season, which means you don’t have to worry about getting a spot in March.
Grab your snowshoes to do some exciting trekking through the park. Otherwise, just get some clamp ons (or snow boots for easy walks) to still get to see some great areas of the park.
Bear Lake makes for an easy walk around and has plenty of trailheads from there. We personally LOVE heading to Dream and Emerald Lake. If you have kids trekking in the snow, even just getting to Bear Lake or Nymph Lake just a half mile beyond is awesome.
While visiting Rocky Mountain National Park, make sure to stay at the local YMCA. It is SO. MUCH. FUN. We stayed here for our spring break and loved swimming, playing basketball, playing community games in the gym, learning about birds on nature walks, taking a knot-tying class, making ice cream in a bag, and just being able to stay in an awesome cabin.
The YMCA is just down the road from the national park, so it’s really convenient to do both!
6. Denver
Last but not least, if you don’t have a lot of time to travel far from the airport, you can still have a great spring break in Colorado by staying in Denver.
Denver has plenty of outdoor activities within a short driving distance (like checking out Red Rocks), but it also has a lot of great indoor activities if the weather outside is too frightful.
Check out the local Meow Wolf, a sensory exploration with unique visual sites. There are 6 in the nation at the moment and the one in Denver is the largest of its kind so far.
You can also head to the Downtown Aquarium to check out sharks, fish, a tiger, and mermaids. Next to the aquarium is the Children’s Museum, a very loved destination for families in the area.
And if you want to get out but also stay warm, head to the Rocky Mountain Arsenal. It’s free to visit and drive through this wildlife area, where you are sure to see all sorts of animals that include herds of buffalo.
Spring Break in Colorado: Wrap up
It may not be sunbathing on golden sands at the beach, but there are still plenty of ways to make a Colorado spring break tons of fun!
Stay warm in the hot springs, play all day on sand dunes, or find out why spring skiing is such a hot commodity around Colorado.
If you’re not sure where to start, I’d go for the YMCA near Rocky Mountain National Park. Our kids had a BLAST here and it’s one of the top places they ask to go back. Combine in-house activities with the national park and you’ve got yourself a perfect, fun, spring break in Colorado.
