Family Vacation: Colorado

Planning the Trip

My cousins thought it would be a great idea to plan a large family vacation to Colorado. They left me in charge of the planning and I was so excited for all the possibilities! I knew this trip had to include skiing, lots of eating, and I wanted to add in there dog sledding as well! We thought February would be a good time to visit, but I found decent prices during the month of March (before the Spring Break prices). We booked a HomeAway that could comfortably fit around 11-12 adults and 4 toddlers. I found a beautiful cabin in the woods that could do just that! We were ready for this Family Vacation to the Mountains.

Our flights were a bit trickier to plan. We had originally booked with American Airlines but the flight had been unexpectedly changed to different departure date. We were able to cancel the flight, receive a refund due to the change of date in departure, and we were able to re-book our flights with United Airlines. Half the family upgraded their flights to include seat choice and carry on bags, while the other half decided to just pay for checked bags and their seat. The day had finally arrived to take our flight out to Denver, Colorado (This was during the earlier stages of the COVID19 outbreak, so we took our precautions). I added our full itinerary below to help you plan out your next Breck getaway!

Just wanted to add in here that I ordered most of my winter gear from Mountain Warehouse, including my snow boots, but my pants and thermal socks are from Amazon. You can find those links in my What to Pack When Traveling Abroad post!

Arriving in Colorado

After arriving, we grabbed our luggage and headed to our car rental spot. Most of the family booked with Alamo that was located at the airport, while I had booked with Enterprise though Expedia. We took a short drive to the enterprise we rented from and picked up our all wheel drive vehicle. I highly recommend getting an AWD or 4WD in Colorado. Not so much for the city but if you’re planning on heading up to the mountains, toward the Breckenridge area, then it’s highly suggested due to the terrain, especially in winter.

We were ready to take our 2 hour drive to our Breckenridge cabin. The winding roads included beautiful views. We enjoyed the ride all the way into town and then up to Blue River where we made it to our HomeAway. Our cabin was gorgeous to say the least! It was a cozy cabin with an old rustic feel. Felt like we were glamping. The neighbors weren’t too far away, which put us at ease since we are used to neighbors being right next to our home. The house was three floors: the basement, main living area and another story with two bedrooms and a bathroom. We made it work and all guests had a bed. Forgot to mention that the home was just a 10 minute drive from Downtown Breckenridge!

Skiing/Snowboarding

The next morning, we were ready to go on the Alpine mountain coaster and go skiing/snowboarding at the peaks. Things took a turn for the worse when my poor aunt slipped on ice and fell on her wrist in our icy backyard. She headed to the local ER just to be safe and our fears were confirmed, a fracture. She took it like a champ and didn’t let that stop her from enjoying this getaway with the family. While half the group stayed back to tend to the toddlers, the rest of us were ready to head to the lifts.

The Alpine Coaster was closed due to heavy snowfall, but the peaks were calling our names. We decided to purchase the 2pm ski lift ticket to spend two hours on the lift, since they close at 4pm. We took the free gondola up to peak 8; a tourist favorite since it has easier slopes and restaurants. We also rented our gear at peak 8.

Good Times Adventures

That Saturday morning, we woke up bright and early for our dog sledding excursion! We had booked the dog sledding with Good Times Adventures, which was about a half hour drive from our HomeAway. Dog sledding was my favorite activity of the trip! The Good Times Adventures team was a dream, so friendly and caring. The dogs were ready to work and were so excited to go out in the field to do what they do best. The pups also receive a nutritious and hydrating meal after a long dog sledding session.

Up to six folks can go at a time, and we occasionally stop so we can swap out those who want to be a musher. What a rush! After our session, we enjoyed some complimentary hot chocolate. You can also go snowmobiling at Good Times if that’s what you prefer!

After dog sledding, we grabbed a quick lunch and headed back to our house to freshen up and drive over to the Ice Castles in Dillon, Colorado. This was about another half hour from our HomeAway. The ice castle was mesmerizing! Incredibly made. It’s great for kids since there are small slides and fire shows for them to enjoy. That night, we all drifted into a deep sleep after such an eventful day.

Frisco Adventure Park

Sunday morning had arrived and while the parents stayed behind to cook breakfast for the kids, I wanted to explore downtown Breckenridge and have some breakfast in town. We headed over to Columbus Cafe which had a bit of a wait, but we were able to get a table and enjoyed some delicious brunch food. Our plans for the day were to visit Frisco Adventure Park in Frisco, Colorado. It was about a 25 minute drive from the HomeAway and only about a 15 minute drive from Downtown Breck. We finished breakfast and headed off to our 12pm scheduled snow tubing session. We signed in and began the fun while waiting for the rest of the group.

After snow tubing, we played in the snow with the kids, made some snow angels, and had a snow ball fight before heading back to the house to rest. We had some dinner at home (we fully stocked the kitchen and you can use the fridge and oven at the HomeAway). We then enjoyed some time in the hot tub before heading to bed.

Heading Home

The next day was clean up day, we had to check out of the home by 10am and our flight was at 5pm that evening back in Denver. We successfully made it out of the house, but a minor fender bender occurred on our rental car (really? On the last day of the trip). We made it to Downtown Denver to have some lunch before turning in our rental cars and heading to the airport. We had purchased car insurance through Expedia, so there was no deductible to pay at the time of return and we only had to do some paper work before we were on our way to the airport. A few hours later and we were ready to board and head back to the warmth of Miami. What a fun family getaway!