As the hot summer days start to cool down and the kids go back to school, many families will start thinking about their holiday travel plans.
What could be better than celebrating a white Christmas (or Thanksgiving) with the family in a cozy mountain lodge by a roaring fire? Here are three great choices in the Western U.S. and what they offer for families.
Lone Mountain Ranch in Big Sky, Montana
Known as America’s biggest little ski town, Big Sky is ready to welcome visitors for an unforgettable holiday season at Lone Mountain Ranch, located less than 2 miles from Big Sky Resort. The programming begins with a special Thanksgiving Week, which runs Nov. 24 to Dec. 3 and includes transportation to and from Bozeman Yellowstone Airport, cabin accommodations, yoga classes and all meals — including a Thanksgiving feast.
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During the Christmas season, the ranch’s Holiday Discovery Package (available from Dec. 3 to Jan. 3) offers the same amenities as Thanksgiving Week, plus a sleigh-ride dinner, a ski outing with Santa, a gingerbread-house-making event, a Christmas Day dinner, a New Year’s Eve toast with fireworks and other holiday festivities. The package also includes Nordic-ski rentals and passes, offering access to 53 miles of trails. It also provides a ski concierge and shuttle to Big Sky, which averages more than 400 inches of snowfall on its 5,850 skiable acres throughout four connected mountains.
Off-the-slope fun includes dog-sledding with a team of affable huskies who live to pull sleds through winter wonderlands, as well as snow-coach and snowmobile tours to Yellowstone National Park. Guests can also ice skate or go sledding in the town center.
Snowmass Village, Colorado
This community, just 9 miles west of Aspen, kicks off the holiday season on the ski area’s opening day — typically around Thanksgiving — with its famous Snowmass S’mores. Throughout the winter season, guests of all ages can enjoy the free treats in Snowmass Base Village and on the Snowmass Mall, starting at 3:30 p.m. daily.
The Snowmass Mall gets festive for the holiday season.
Credit: 2022 Jeremy SwansonBeginning in early December, the village welcomes the holiday season with the annual Light Up the Night tree-lighting ceremony, featuring 40 trees at the Snowmass Chapel. The event also includes a countdown, hot cocoa, carols and an in-person visit from Santa.
Holiday programming at Snowmass includes a Hanukkah celebration, which in past years included menorah displays and a menorah lighting on the first day of the season. Additionally, Snowmass Village features holiday carolers and Santa on the days leading up to Christmas. And on New Year’s Eve, locals and visitors alike are invited to experience the annual torchlight parade and fireworks.
Off-the-slope fun includes dog-sledding with a team of affable huskies who live to pull sleds through winter wonderlands, as well as snow-coach and snowmobile tours to Yellowstone National Park.
Jackson Hole Mountain Resort, Wyoming
Located in Jackson Hole’s Teton Village, the Four Seasons Resort and Residences Jackson Hole is the perfect home base for a holiday to remember. Guests can use the services of the resort’s ski concierge to access snowboarding, snowmobiling, sleigh-riding and even taking a snow coach to Yellowstone.
Families will have several chances to see Santa, including a skate session with him at Teton Village’s ice-skating rink (Dec. 23-24 from 3 to 4 p.m.). Then, the jolly fellow will trade his sleigh for a special arrival on Christmas Eve at 4:30 p.m. via the tram. Guests can also ski with Santa on Christmas Day; spot him around Teewinot and the base of the gondolas around 10 a.m.; or find him on the hill afterward on Apres Vous and Casper, where he will be skiing until around noon.
On Dec. 30, clients can join Wyoming Stargazing at the Stilson Parking Lot for free public programs with astronomy educators, who will use large-aperture telescopes to help visitors view planets, stars, planetary nebulae, galaxies and more. And on New Year’s Eve, there will be a free glowworm (glow stick) parade at 5:30 p.m. Around 6:15 that night, families can enjoy a torchlight parade and a fireworks display.
