snow mountain ranch

We purchased a day pass during our ski vacation. For $ 20 adult (less for children) per day you have use of the entire facility! We used the ice skating rink (skate rental is included in the daily fee), did tubing (good, smaller hill for young children), and visited the stables. All staff were extremely helpful and friendly. You will need a car as each of the areas (Nordic center, arts/crafts building, indoor pool, etc) are scattered thorough out the ranch and you must drive to each one (or quite a long walk in the snow). Snow Mountain Ranch is truly a winter wonderland and would highly recommend.

If you want to cross country ski somewhere that's off-the-beaten path but still has plenty of groomed trails then this is the place for you. A lot of Colorado's Nordic ski areas are right off the Interstate on a flat plane with a few trees scattered around. Snow Mountain Ranch has quite a few trails for different experience levels that wind between the hills and trees in a mountain landscape. It's further from Denver than some other Nordic centers (Breckenridge, Keystone, etc) but the beautiful scenery and lack of crowds make it worth the drive.My boyfriend and I rented our equipment there and paid for a lesson since neither of us had cross country skied before. They offer lessons for both traditional and skate skiing, which is nice since some centers don’t accommodate skate skiing. We chose traditional since it was our first time. The staff was courteous and helpful. Our instructor, Galen, told use he was a volunteer at the center, which made me wonder where our ski lesson money went (this wasn't a huge deal but it did make me curious). Galen spent an hour showing us the basics of Nordic skiing and soon we were comfortable exploring the easy trails on our own. The wind caused some of the trails to become less groomed and harder to navigate, but most of them were in good condition. It was a good workout and I felt more comfortable on my skies as the day went on. Thanks Galen!

Today is the last day in a week of fantastic cross-country skiing at Snow Mountain Ranch in Granby, Colorado. They have 100 kilometers of groomed trails at 2,800 - 3,000 meters altitude. I have skied here many times over the years, but the tracks have never been better than now. That is particularly important when you are a participant or guide in the Ski for Light program for visually and physically impaired people (I am a guide). Kudos to the staff at Snow Mountain Ranch and the Ski fir Light volunteers!volunteers

The Nordic Center has great cross country and snowshoe trails and equipment for rental. They are so helpful and prices are reasonable. When the kids had enough cross country skiing, they were able to tube and ice skate for free. We never made it to the pool or inside activities, but we saw them and they looked great also. Some other people staying on the property were excited to join a campfire scheduled for that evening that sounded like great fun also. We WILL go back, and probably stay in one of the cute cabins next time. Highly recommend for those looking to an alternative to downhill skiing.

This is a great family friendly resort with a great staff and so many activities to do. The only place that I can truly relax. Will continue to go back again and again

We come up here twice a year for different camps and love it!!!! There are so many activities you can do here. Everyone will have something that they want to do. Everything is really easy to get to. Most places you can just walk to. We've been coming every year for 10+ years and always wish we had more time. The food is pretty good in the cafeteria. You can stay in cabins or one of three different lodges. Just make sure you drink water and apply sunscreen!!!

If you are looking for a 4 star hotel with Michelin Diamond rated food, then the Snow Mountain Ranch is not for you. However, if you are looking for a great family vacation destination with lots of things for the kids to do and a little roughing it along the way, then you can’t go wrong with SMR. It’s a YMCA camp that employs teenagers and provides them with a great summer experience in a semi-wilderness setting and Christian values. Because the staff is primarily teenagers, they are not always as helpful or knowledgeable as full time staff would be so you need to be patient and flexible when they can’t answer your questions to your satisfaction and/or give you the wrong answer, which happened to us a couple of times. Rely on the printed daily schedules when scheduling your activities each day.Our granddaughters particularly like the horseback riding (also see Sombrero Stables), crafts at the craft building, and climbing walls. As a family of 5 adults and 2 children, it has become a tradition for us to spend 3-4 days here each summer and it’s usually the highlight of the summer for the granddaughters, in particular.We’ve always stayed in one of the cabins and found them to be comfortable but rustic, clean with a full kitchen, adequate bathrooms and serviceable beds. For us, having the ability to cook our own meals is a high priority and having the cabin as a sanctuary during the day and in the evening is great. Wi-Fi is available in the cabins but it’s slow and prone to drop outs. Reliable and fast Wi-Fi is available in the reception building.Something to be prepared for is the dust. Many of the roads on the property are dirt as are the recreation areas and in the dry Colorado air the dust is easily stirred up and will cling to you and your clothing. Also, don’t expect to have a lot of open fires or do a lot of charcoal grilling due to the high fire hazard. Lastly, remember that you are at 8700 feet above sea level in a very dry climate. Drink lots of water.

I love to snowshoe. I live in New England and I usually shoe in the open woods or up a mountain. This place is very trail-oriented has only rolling hills, so if you're looking to go exploring in the woods or get a climb in, this isn't the place to go. I noticed that all the other snowshoers just walked in each other's trails everywhere. You don't need snowshoes to walk in tracks. What's the point? I broke my own trail next to everyone else's on my entire trek. Maybe those other people will get the idea to be more independent and aggressive. If you're a beginner or are afraid of getting lost, this is a good place to go. There is plenty of good signage and the terrain is not difficult.

We visited the Nordic Center at Snow Mountain Ranch, where you can rent skis and/or snowshoes. We weren't staying at the Ranch, so we got day passes to enjoy the activities. We all got sized, measured and suited up with our ski boots, skis, and poles to do a little cross country skiing. It was a gorgeous November day when we went! (It was actually Thanksgiving morning!) It was 19 degrees when we went out, but once you get moving, your body temperature rises and the layers start coming off! We all did relatively well on the skis… when we were standing still! (We got the hang of it after a while… it’s not too difficult!) The trails were well-defined and the scenery was just breathtaking! We stopped quite frequently to catch our breath and to take pictures. We certainly had a great time during our first cross-country skiing experience! I’d strongly recommend it to others wanting to get out and be active in the cool winter air!

There is lots to do here in both winter and summer. It is a beautiful property with several good hikes.

We stayed at Snow Mountain Ranch July 2nd through the 4th. When we arrived we were sent to an already occupied cabin. We went back and it took them a really long time to figure out which cabin to put us in. There were 6 adults and four children in our group. The cabin blankets were so dirty and smelly we had to put them outside. The picnic bench was unusable, really old, broken, and kept giving the kids splinters. The only large burner on the stove was broken so we could only cook one of anything at a time in a small pan. The toaster was full of melted plastic, the screens were off two of the windows, basically, the place was far from luxurious. Since our stove was broken we decided to eat at the buffet ($14.00 per person!!!!) It was horrible, I guess if you come with a large group they let you eat free but since we only had ten people we had to pay. Not worth it by a long shot! Totally gross and out of almost everything anyway. When I tried to find a worker no one spoke any english so I gave up. The next day we went horse back riding, (33.00 per person). They saddled my brothers horse incorrectly and five minutes into the ride him and his four year old daughter fell off the horse. Seriously! They offered to give them directions to the hospital but were completely causal about the whole thing. Exact words, "Sometimes this happens folks!" I did send the YMCA an email about our stay, they called me the same day and were very apologetic and said they would get back to me...never happened. Can't say I'm surprised. I did receive an email from the ranch offering a refund for the ride! If you have kids I would definitely recommend going somewhere else. Safety is clearly not there number one goal. This place is a rip off! Never going back!

We took our troop of 12 year old girl scouts here for a week. Our package included lodging, meals and activities. We did zip line, high ropes course, team building, archery, canoeing, rock climbing, horseback riding and some other off site activities. The property is great. There is so much for kids (and active adults) to do. When we didn't have planned group activities there was also an indoor pool, a roller rink, tennis courts, mini golf, hiking, fishing, and an arts & craft barn. If you can't find something to do on this property then you there is something wrong with you.The YMCA owns the property and has, I believe, like 5,000 acres. There are a couple of old buildings, like a home and barn that are about 80 years old that you can explore also.Waterfall is a nice hike that will take you about 1 1/2 hours up and back with time to explore the falls. It is a fairly easy hike and worth it.The food was pretty good. It is cafeteria style and available during specific hours at meal time. Plenty of choices for all three meals. Some of the breakfast choices included eggs, pancakes, waffles, french toast, fresh fruit, yogurt, cereals, biscuits & gray, sausage. Coffee, tea and a couple of juice choices were available. Lunch offerings were sandwichs, a couple of hot items (pasta, grilled cheese, chicken, burgers, hot dogs), salad, vegetables, fruit, and P.B & J. Dinner was similar to lunch choices but included some better entrees. They even had tilapia one night. Beverages were milk, water, juice and soda. Oh yes, dessert too. Cake, cookies, brownies. I was pretty impressed with the food given the volume of people they serve at each meal. There is a gift shop and snack shop in the main building. Lots of nice souvenirs to choose from and chips, soda, candy, sandwichs are available in the snack shop.We stayed in Silver Sage Lodge which was conveniently located near the dining hall. The rooms were okay. Two sets of bunk beds and a queen. Bathroom in the room with tub and a single sink. There is no A/C which can mean a little warm but we are on the third floor and just left the windows open. Unfortunately, the sun would rise and wake us up nice and early. No, dresser or anywhere to put clothes away other then one small rack with about 8 hangers. So, we lived out of our suitcases because with 4 to a room it was a little tight. But, other than that, the rooms were okay. They do have quiet hours from 10 p.m. to 7 a.m. and most people were pretty respectful of that. There is a common area with a fireplace, some books, board games and puzzles. Nice area to hang out in the evening if you just wanted to relax.

We had a great time skiing @ the new Granby Ski Mountain Resort. Their latte is not over price like other ski resorts. I just wished they will honor the coupon deals for the most days in March 2013 because majority of the month of March 2013 are blocked.

Faily oriented nordic center. Reasonable rates for day passes. Short trek from lodge into the woods (gets you out of the wind quickly) great views, plenty of snow and well groomed trails for both Skate and Classic skiing. Comfortable lodge

We stayed for one week--six adults and four kids in a 4BR cabin and it was a bit tight. Rooms were small. That said, the kids had a blast--did lots of activities and attended the day camp for three days. Roller skating was a highlight, as was canoeing, climbing wall, and horseback riding. We had a black bear encounter right outside our cabin, and that was both exciting and alarming, He came by two or three times to check our garbage.