Winter Park, Colorado - Wikipedia

Town in Colorado, United States Town in Colorado, United States

Winter Park, Colorado
Town
Part of downtown Winter Park with the Continental Divide in the background
Motto: Colorado's Highest
Location of Winter Park in Grand County, Colorado.
Coordinates: 39°52′43″N 105°46′58″W / 39.87861°N 105.78278°W / 39.87861; -105.78278
Country	United States
State	Colorado
County[1]	Grand
Founded	August 1, 1978
Incorporated	September 1, 1979[2]
Government
• Type	Home rule municipality[1]
• Mayor	Nick Kutrumbos[citation needed]
Area[3]
• Total	16.89 sq mi (43.74 km2)
• Land	16.89 sq mi (43.74 km2)
• Water	0 sq mi (0.00 km2)
Elevation[4]	10,128 ft (3,087 m)
Population (2020)[5]
• Total	1,033
• Density	61.17/sq mi (23.62/km2)
Time zone	UTC-7 (MST)
• Summer (DST)	UTC-6 (MDT)
ZIP code[6]	80482 (PO Box)
Area code	970
FIPS code	08-85705
GNIS feature ID	2413502[4]
Website	www.wpgov.com
Highest incorporated town in the U.S.

Winter Park is a home rule municipality in Grand County, Colorado, United States. The permanent population was 1,033 at the 2020 census,[5] although with 2,850 housing units within the town limits[7] the seasonal population can be much higher.

It is home to Winter Park Resort, a ski resort owned by the City of Denver and managed by Alterra Mountain Company. The town and resort are served by the Winter Park Express ski train run by Amtrak. The area also has cross-country skiing opportunities, including Devil's Thumb Ranch Resort & Spa. In the spring and summer, Winter Park is known for mountain biking, concerts, hiking, and fishing.

Geography

[edit]

Winter Park is located in southeastern Grand County at the southern end of the Fraser Valley. It is bordered to the north by the town of Fraser. U.S. Route 40 passes through the town, leading south and east over Berthoud Pass 66 miles (106 km) to Denver and northwest 20 miles (32 km) to Granby.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 16.5 square miles (42.7 km2).[7]

Its elevation ranges from approximately 8,700 to 12,060 feet (2,650 to 3,680 m) above sea level, and is considered sub-alpine country. It is snow-covered for about six months a year. Although the town center is at about 9,000 feet (2,700 m) above sea level,[8] Winter Park, using administrative boundaries as a measure, became the highest incorporated town in the United States after the July 2006 annexation of 5,214 acres (21.10 km2) of Winter Park Resort to allow new on-mountain improvements. This claim is disputed since Winter Park has no residences above 9,550 feet (2,910 m), while contiguous residential neighborhoods in Leadville, Colorado, extend to 10,360 feet (3,160 m) and in Alma, Colorado, to 11,680 feet (3,560 m), and Alma's town center is at 10,361 feet (3,158 m).

Climate

[edit]

According to the Köppen Climate Classification system, Winter Park has a subarctic climate, abbreviated "Dfc" on climate maps.

Climate data for Winter Park, Colorado, 1991–2020 normals
Month	Jan	Feb	Mar	Apr	May	Jun	Jul	Aug	Sep	Oct	Nov	Dec	Year
Mean daily maximum °F (°C)	29.8(−1.2)	32.4(0.2)	40.0(4.4)	47.1(8.4)	56.1(13.4)	68.0(20.0)	73.1(22.8)	71.0(21.7)	64.0(17.8)	51.7(10.9)	38.4(3.6)	29.7(−1.3)	50.1(10.1)
Mean daily minimum °F (°C)	6.7(−14.1)	7.1(−13.8)	13.7(−10.2)	19.8(−6.8)	28.5(−1.9)	36.6(2.6)	41.0(5.0)	40.8(4.9)	34.1(1.2)	25.0(−3.9)	14.5(−9.7)	6.8(−14.0)	22.9(−5.1)
Average precipitation inches (mm)	2.13(54)	2.29(58)	2.54(65)	3.34(85)	2.42(61)	1.49(38)	2.16(55)	2.01(51)	1.77(45)	1.88(48)	2.17(55)	2.20(56)	26.4(671)
Average snowfall inches (cm)	33.2(84)	30.8(78)	31.9(81)	31.5(80)	11.2(28)	1.0(2.5)	0.0(0.0)	0.0(0.0)	1.3(3.3)	14.2(36)	26.8(68)	32.1(82)	214.0(544)
Average extreme snow depth inches (cm)	36.0(91)	42.6(108)	44.6(113)	32.9(84)	12.9(33)	0.5(1.3)	0.0(0.0)	0.0(0.0)	1.2(3.0)	6.9(18)	14.2(36)	26.3(67)	46.5(118)
Average precipitation days (≥ 0.01 in)	13.0	11.3	11.0	11.0	9.5	7.2	10.2	11.6	8.7	8.2	10.7	11.7	124.1
Average snowy days (≥ 0.1 in)	12.3	11.0	10.4	9.6	3.8	0.3	0.0	0.0	0.6	5.3	9.7	10.7	73.7
Source: NOAA[9]

Demographics

[edit] Historical population

Census	Pop.	Note	%±
1980	480	—
1990	528	10.0%
2000	662	25.4%
2010	999	50.9%
2020	1,033	3.4%
U.S. Decennial Census

Notable people

[edit]

• Elizabeth McIntyre (born 1965), freestyle skier, Olympic silver medalist; lives in Winter Park
• Ryan Max Riley (born 1979), freestyle skier, US Champion, and humorist; lived in Winter Park
• Michelle Roark (born 1974), freestyle skier, World Champion silver medalist and two-time Olympian; lived in Winter Park
• Ryan St. Onge (born 1983), freestyle skier, World Champion and two-time Olympian; lived in Winter Park

Transportation

[edit]

The Town of Winter Park provides local and regional bus service with The Lift bus system. The Lift provides fixed route and paratransit to Winter Park, CO, Fraser, CO, and Winter Park Resort. The system also provides commuter bus service to Granby, CO. [10]

Amtrak serves Winter Park via the Fraser-Winter Park station located in Fraser, CO. The California Zephyr[11] and Winter Park Express[12](winter only) both have twice daily stops at the station, one westbound and one eastbound.

Year round train service from Denver, CO to Granby, CO that will stop at the Fraser-Winter Park station is scheduled to begin service in November 2026. [13]

Bustang Outrider is a state regional bus service providing twice daily service to Winter Park on the Craig-Denver line. The Morning run provides eastbound service to Idaho Springs, CO and Denver, CO. The afternoon/evening run provides westbound service to Steamboat Springs, CO, Craig, CO, and other intermediate stops. [14]

Other transportation options include Home James Transportation and Grand Mountain Rides which have provided shared shuttle and private charter transportation.

See also

[edit]

• Arapaho National Forest
• Winter Park Resort
• Moffat Tunnel

References

[edit]

1. ^ a b "Active Colorado Municipalities". State of Colorado, Department of Local Affairs. Archived from the original on February 2, 2007. Retrieved September 1, 2007.
2. ^ "Colorado Municipal Incorporations". State of Colorado, Department of Personnel & Administration, Colorado State Archives. December 1, 2004. Retrieved September 2, 2007. {{cite web}}: |archive-url= is malformed: timestamp (help)CS1 maint: url-status (link)
3. ^ "2019 U.S. Gazetteer Files". United States Census Bureau. Retrieved July 1, 2020.
4. ^ a b U.S. Geological Survey Geographic Names Information System: Winter Park, Colorado
5. ^ a b United States Census Bureau. "Winter Park town; Colorado". Retrieved April 23, 2023.
6. ^ "ZIP Code Lookup" (JavaScript/HTML). United States Postal Service. Retrieved January 9, 2008.
7. ^ a b "Explore Census Data". data.census.gov. Retrieved September 26, 2025.
8. ^ City of Winter Park official web site, Retrieved February 22, 2007.
9. ^ "U.S. Climate Normals Quick Access". National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Retrieved September 9, 2022.
10. ^ "The Lift". The Lift. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
11. ^ "California Zephyr Train | Amtrak". www.amtrak.com. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
12. ^ "All Aboard the Winter Park Express | Amtrak". www.amtrak.com. Retrieved August 2, 2025.
13. ^ Hauen, Meg Soyars Van (June 25, 2025). "Mountain passenger rail will roll to and from Granby by 2026, says CDOT". Retrieved August 2, 2025.
14. ^ "Bustang Outrider". Bustang. Retrieved August 2, 2025.

External links

[edit]

• Town of Winter Park official website
• The Lift public transit system
• Winter Park Resort
• Winter Park History
• 3dSkiMap of Winter Park
• Winter Park (Colorado) travel guide from Wikivoyage

v t e Municipalities and communities of Grand County, Colorado, United States
County seat: Hot Sulphur Springs
Towns	Fraser Granby Grand Lake Hot Sulphur Springs Kremmling Winter Park
CDPs	Parshall Tabernash
Unincorporatedcommunities	Radium Troublesome
Ghost towns	Dutchtown Lulu City
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