Colorado

A sleigh ride at snow mountain ranch. Natalie & Rufio. HeidiTown.com

You’ve heard about it in songs and perhaps you’ve seen it in a movie or commercials, but did you know that you can do it right here in Colorado? Several places around Colorado offer horse and sleigh rides, and earlier this winter we got to experience an outing at Snow Mountain Ranch, a beautiful YMCA of the Rockies property in Grand County, Colorado. We arrived at Sombrero Stables a little

1st place Team Lithuania at the International Snow Sculpture Championships in Breckenridge, Colorado. HeidiTown (1)

Last year I finally got the opportunity to attend the International Snow Sculpture Championships in Breckenridge, Colorado. I’d known about the event for years and wondered if it would live up to the hype. We were booked at the Village at Breckenridge and our room overlooked the parking lot in which the snow sculpting teams were working on their creations. We were lucky enough to stay for long enough to

Dog sledding at Snow Mountain Ranch. HeidiTown.com

Dog sledding in Colorado? Yes, you can. I’ve done it twice now and our experience this past week at Snow Mountain Ranch was like no other. I was a huge fan of the Iditarod when I was a kid. The race incorporates lots of things I love; dogs, snow and perseverance. Snow Mountain Ranch is part of the YMCA of the Rockies. It is located between Winter Park and Granby,

Beer at Breckenridge Brewery. HeidiTown.com

I was asked recently to write a “tips for attending winter festivals” post. Well, I had already written that post way back in 2014. Since it has some great winter festival survival tips I decided I’d re-post the original article.   The following post originally appeared on HeidiTown.com on February 7, 2014. ***   I was prompted to write this post after an experience I had last month during Breckenridge’s

Top 10 HeidiTown Highlights of 2015. The magic of Crested Butte.

Each year I compile a list of my top ten highlights and each year it gets harder. This year was no exception. From birding festivals to wine festivals to festive Christmas outings, 2015 was chockablock with amazing Colorado experiences. I truly hope you took inspiration from my travels and had a few Colorado festival and travel highlights of your own this year. At the end of this post feel free

Heidi Kerr-Schlaefer, mayor of HeidiTown touring the Bachelor-Syracuse Mine in Ouray, Colorado as part of HeidiTown Fest. Photo by Ryan Schlaefer

The fog was rolling through the minty green aspen trees as we bumped up the road towards the Bachelor-Syracuse Mine above Ouray. It was the day after HeidiTown Fest and folks would be returning home, but first, a handful of festival goers were going to embark on one of Colorado’s most unique experiences, an outside, camp-style breakfast followed by a tour of a historic mine. The Bachelor-Syracuse Mine on Gold

Ray Martinez, conductor of the Cumbres & Toltec Railroad. HeidiTown, photo by Alanna Brake

Part One: The train Do you like trains? Do you like history? Do you like beautiful scenery? Do you like the movies? If you answered yes to any of these you’ll enjoy the Cumbres & Toltec Scenic Railroad. If you answered yes to more than one of these questions, you love this scenic railroad. The Cumbres & Toltec really is the most authentic scenic railroad you’ll find in the United

Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch in Loveland, Colorado. Nature Walk. HeidiTown.com

Our second day at Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch  in Loveland, Colorado, we woke to the sounds of birds chirping cheerily in the trees outside our cabin. Trees play a large part in the history of Sylvan Dale, in fact, a lot of the trees around the cabins have dedications. One tree is dedicated to a couple who met at the ranch many years ago; there has been more than one

The view from Green Ridge at Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch in Loveland, Colorado. HeidiTown.com

Want to get away from it all, but don’t want to drive far? Check out Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch in Loveland, Colorado. Just one hour north of Denver, once you arrive at Sylvan Dale you’ll feel a million miles from civilization. In fact, you may feel as though you’ve time traveled to another century. We had the opportunity to spend a night at Sylvan Dale Guest Ranch during their “Swing

Two resting elk buck in Rocky Mountain National Park near Trail Ridge Road. HeidiTown.com

I’ve lived in Colorado for 14 years and this was my first trip over Trail Ridge Road. It wasn’t for lack of trying. We’d twice planned to drive the road on my birthday, only to be thwarted by snow closures. It turns out the famous road tends to close for the season either on my birthday, October 10, or a day before. Thankfully, we were invited to a wedding in