Intimate and unpretentious, Sunlight Mountain ski resort is nestled in the northern end of the Elk Mountains in between ski hub Aspen and popular tourist hot spot Glenwood Springs. A great overall family resort destination, many visitors are attracted to Sunlight not just for its slopes, but to hit up the nearby, world-famous Hot Springs pool, and enjoy Glenwood Springs' wide range of dining and shopping options. After a long day on the slopes, spa treatments, massages and natural underground steam baths certainly redefine the laid-back, ski vacation experience. But the town offers up plenty of options for adventurers as well, such as cave tours, thrill rides and gondola rides to the top of Iron Mountain.
Sunlight Mountain offers a simple trail system with all runs leading back to the base lodge. There are acres of gentle green cruisers, intermediate runs, heart-stopping steeps and extreme black diamond trails. At a 52 percent pitch, the Heathen is one of the steepest runs in the state and Ute Trail is one of the longest cruisers, winding more than 2.5 miles from the summit to the base. There is also 29 kilometers of groomed cross-country and snowshoe trails. The new Center of the Rockies Terrain Park makes Sunlight Mountain a favorite of snowboarders, who come from all over Colorado for the varying features at all difficulty levels. It is actually three separate parks; the Roaring Fork Slide-n-Grind Park hosts the resorts annual Rail Jam Series and has three levels of booters, shotguns, triples, rainbow rails and a volcano. The Volvo Fast Lane Park is home to an enormous quarter pipe. Finally, the Land Rover Epic Adventure Park is known for its expert rails and two huge jumps.
4 lifts including 1 surface lift and 3 chair lifts.
$$ (Moderately Priced)67 runs - 20% beginner, 55% intermediate, 25% expert. Longest run is 13,200 feet.
29 km of Cross Country trails.
Mountain Statistics: 2,010 feet vertical drop, 9,895 feet summit elevation, 470 acres, average annual accumulation 250 inches.