Snow Mountain Ranch sits on 5200 acres just off Hwy 40 between Tabernash and Granby.  It is a year- round playground offering over 120 km of groomed trails for cross country skiing, snowshoeing, fat biking, tubing, sleigh rides, A/T skiing classes and other winter outdoor activities as well as mountain biking, hiking, horseback riding, Frisbee golf, zip line, climbing wall, and tubing in the summer. Renovations in the parking area at the Nordic Center are complete for the winter but construction of the new buildings for Camp Chief Ouray and Activities Center will continue through the winter.

Snow Mountain Ranch is considered one of the best-groomed Nordic Centers in the country and you can cross country ski usually from mid-November until mid-April. The terrain can accommodate everyone from the first-time skier to the elite racer.  Be sure to ski with your dog on the dog-friendly loops next to the Nordic Center – but remember, leashes are required. This year the Nordic Center officially opened Nov 16.

Snow Mountain Ranch Nordic Center opened last weekend with lots of skiing on upper north facing slopes.  Storms on the horizon could change that at any time. Visit the Conditions and Grooming information page on the website for updates.  Learn about backcountry skiing covering modern Alpine/Touring equipment, basic avalanche safety, terrain management-travel-preparedness and touching on use of avalanche beacon, probe, and shovel in the Intro to Backcountry A/T class.  Six dates are offered in January, February and March, making this a perfect fit for those wanting to ski on their own outside the lift served ski resorts.  

Grand Nordic partners each year with local nordic facilities to bring free nordic lessons to those that are interested in trying it out. The first event will be at Devil’s Thumb Ranch December 7th, then at Snow Mountain Ranch December 15th and the 3rd in the series this year will be January 12th at the Grand Lake Nordic Center. The free Grand Nordic Kids program starts after the Christmas holiday Jan 10 with Friday afternoons at 1pm for kids 5-10 and runs every weekend in January and February ending with a Nordic Festival Feb 28. Visit the Grand Nordic Website for more information on all the programs and benefits of becoming a member. grandnordic.org or call Diana Lynn Rau at (970) 887-0547.