Photo courtesy Great Glen Outdoor Trails Center.
A guest post by Roger Lohr of XCSkiResorts.com
While the kids are still young enough to accompany their parents on a trip, head up to the hills during the winter school breaks.
Cross-country (XC) skiing and snowshoeing are easy enough to enable the family to have a memorable adventure together and the nation’s top XC ski resort areas are exceedingly family-friendly with lots to enjoy together both on the snow and off.
Family oriented activities such as talent shows, child-friendly classes, and family style meals make your cross-country ski or snowshoe vacation the perfect memorable getaway. Families can find resorts that offer a carefree atmosphere, scenic views, beautiful lodging, family dining, and expertly groomed trails to enjoy the winter outdoors together.
The following are top suggestions across America that are featured on XCSkiResorts.com.
EAST
Lapland Lake Ski & Vacation Center in Northville, NY is an XC ski resort with ties to Finland with weekend bonfires, reindeer on site, tubing, ice skating, and the kids game Napa Kikku, which is a Finnish game on ice with a sled and a pole. Parents use pulk sleds to pull the kids along the XC ski trails.
Pineland Farms in New Gloucester, ME engages kids and adults with outdoors and educational activities such as XC skiing, exploring life and animals on the farm, apple cider making, butter making, milking a cow, carving pumpkins, and much more.
Trapp Family Lodge in Stowe, VT is one of the most famous family resorts where the hills come alive with the “Sound of Music.” In the Green Mountains of Vermont, has a fitness center, an indoor pool and the Mountain Kids Club provides playtime, craft time and movies for kids.
Smuggler’s Notch Resort in Smuggler’s Notch, VT has a dynamic lineup of family programs with 1,000 acres for alpine skiers and snowboarders, XC ski and snowshoe trails, winter walking, ice skating, teen centers, kids camps, the FunZone play area, resort village with shops and restaurants, condo lodging, and walk-to free shuttles.
CENTRAL
Maplelag Resort in Callaway, Minnesota is run by a 3-generation extended family, which has families coming back year after year. Family style meals are served on long tables a talent/variety show, which is a big hit for families is hosted on the weekends. Kids love the famous bottomless cookie jars, sledding, ice skating, and XC ski/snowshoe trails and parents love the regions largest hot tub.
In Brantwood, WI the Palmquist Farm an XC ski center on a farm that has animals such as horses and a dog. There are sleds to use on sliding hills and ice skating pond, and kids’ rental ski equipment. A visit to Palmquist’s is like coming home to Grandma’s house.
WEST
Cross-country skiing at Skyway, Colorado.
Devil’s Thumb Ranch Resort & Spa in Tabernash, CO has outdoor adventures from XC skiing and snowshoeing to Zipline, horseback riding, and laser biathlon. The “cowpoke camps” for overnight guests with kids provide half and full day programs, heated pool, movie nights, game room, and more.
Snow Mountain Ranch in Granby, CO is one of the most affordable destinations for the whole family with lodging that includes a Day Pass covering a weekend kids program with outdoor fun and indoor activities such as a pool, climbing wall, roller skating, craft shop, and more.
Lone Mountain Ranch in Big Sky, MT has programs for outdoor youth adventures that kids will love such as animal tracking, snowshoeing, tubing, snow kickball, obstacle Olympics, finger painting, scavenger hunts, and ice cream socials. Parents will love the cuisine, massage, and trips to nearby Yellowstone National Park.
Montecito-Sequoia Lodge in Kings Canyon National Park, CA has a program for kids with a mid-day break when families can meet up for lunch. The kids build igloos, go tubing and XC skiing or snowshoeing on nature hikes to see and learn about animal tracks. At night there is a dance, karaoke and bingo. The giant trees in nearby Sequoia National Park and Monument are breathtaking.
A family vacation including cross-country skiing and snowshoeing delivers multi-generational participation, quality time, and shared memories.
It’s a perfect prescription for families.
Roger Lohr is the owner and editor of XCSkiResorts.com and has an extensive distribution of XC ski news and information on outlets such as SnoCountry.com, SnowshoeMag.com, and FamilySkiTrips.com. Find him on Twitter @XCSkiTravel.
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Whitegrass XC ski area in WV is a great place for Families !!
Nice restaurant also !
Thanks so much Steve! Always good to get more suggestions! Anyone else have a favorite? My “local” XC area is Skyway, Colorado. Amazingly beautiful and relatively remote…just a warming yurt. But great trails.
Heck yea white grass is so much fun
Would LOVE to ski there someday!