So you think it’ll be difficult to stay active this winter in Northern Colorado? We’re happy to tell you it’s actually quite easy thanks to our community’s love for the outdoors, our passion for exercise and the abundant opportunities to enjoy both.
Whether you’re looking for one day of fun or a full season of workouts and trails, we rounded up some of our top choices for staying active during Colorado’s snowiest season. Our guide includes indoor and outdoor options as well as opportunities for every age and experience level. Enjoy!
1. Sweat it out at the gym.
Photo courtesy of One Tribe Creative via Old Town Athletic Club
In addition to national gyms like 24 Hour Fitness, Northern Colorado is home to several fitness centers and clubs that are locally-owned and operated. We rounded up 24 of the Best Gyms in Fort Collins which includes features on fitness centers, yoga studios, CrossFit boxes, rock climbing gyms and more.
One of the highlights is Old Town Athletic Club which has been a part of Fort Collins culture since 2003. Current owners, Josh and Kristin Slattery, fell in love with the town and the club as students at Colorado State University, and strive to maintain a facility that embraces all that we love about Fort Collins. In addition to personal training opportunities, you will find classes in yoga, pilates, spinning, sculpting, boot camp, toning, nia, step, and more.
2. Practice yoga.
Beginning a yoga practice this winter can introduce you to full body workouts that are also great for your mind and holistic health. And it’s a practice that you’ll definitely want to continue year round! In The Top 10 Yoga Studios in Fort Collins, we highlighted some of Fort Collins’ most warm and welcoming studios.
Looking for yoga outside of Fort Collins? Check out LC Yoga or Loveland Yoga & Core Fitness in Loveland, Sacred Space Yoga or Tree of Life Yoga Studio in Greeley, and The Pilates Yoga Company in Windsor.
3. Hit the ice rink.
Photo courtesy of The Promenade Shops at Centerra
Ice skating is one of the most festive and fun ways to get exercise during the winter season. Luckily, Northern Colorado has both indoor and outdoor options, seasonal and year-round.
In Fort Collins, one of the most popular options is Edora Pool Ice Center (or EPIC, for the locals). Their indoor rink offers public skate hours and rentals year round.
For seasonal outdoor skating, we recommend heading to The Ice Rink at The Promenade Shops at Centerra in Loveland. Skate hours begin in early November each year, continue through the holiday season and the New Year’s Eve party, and typically continue through February.
And if you’re in Greeley, head to Greeley Ice Haus!
4. Go sledding.
If you want to make exercise fun and do something the whole family can enjoy, we recommend hitting the smaller slopes on a sled. Our guide, The Best Sledding Hills in Fort Collins, Loveland and Greeley, includes popular options and hidden gems in three of our favorite NoCo communities.
For example, in Fort Collins’ Spring Canyon Park, you can enjoy 100 acres of fun in every season. When the snow falls, hit the wide open fields to build igloos and snowmen, the two-acre dog park to romp with your pup, and the easy-going sled hill for some kid-friendly fun.
5. Take a class at Foco Da Vinci Body.
This new gym located at The Exchange hosts classes that can provide a full body workout in just 30 or 45 minutes. Open to all experience levels, their classes utilize The BodyBoard Program, a combination of resistance band training, high-intensity interval training, strength training, cardio and stretching. In addition to increasing muscle tone, strength and size, their team of fitness experts can help you reach the smaller muscles and ligaments, too, to create full body integrity and balance.
6. Rock climb indoors.
Photo courtesy of JMV Digital via Ascent Studio Climbing & Fitness
Whether indoors or out, rock climbing is one of Northern Colorado’s most popular sports. In fact, it’s often said that bouldering was popularized right here in Fort Collins at Horsetooth Reservoir! During the winter season, if you want to avoid the ice, head indoors to gyms like Ascent Studio Climbing & Fitness in Fort Collins or Greeley Recreation Center in Greeley.
For more information, check out The Best Outdoor and Indoor Places to Go Rock Climbing in Northern Colorado.
7. Head to Beaver Meadows Resort Ranch.
Beaver Meadow Resort Ranch in Red Feather Lakes is a must-visit winter destination for every person in Northern Colorado. Tucked away in Red Feather Lakes, their grounds transform into a snow tube park complete with 12 exhilarating runs, and they also offer pond skating, outdoor ice skating, cross-country skiing trails and ice fishing.
8. Try snowshoeing.
Much like summertime hiking, snowshoeing is a great way to take in the sights and sounds of Northern Colorado, but now it’s under a blanket of snow! Though many of our warm weather hiking favorites are suitable for snowshoeing after a recent snowfall, we picked out a few of the most beautiful and accessible options in our guide, The 12 Best Snowshoe Trails in Northern Colorado. It includes destinations in Fort Collins, Red Feather Lakes and Estes Park!
9. Explore on cross-country skis.
Similar to snowshoeing, cross-country skiing is a great way to explore Northern Colorado’s hiking trails and open spaces while they’re covered in snow. And luckily for us, we don’t have to travel far for prime cross-country skiing. There are plenty of incredible trails and parks for all levels and they’re all within easy reach of Fort Collins, Loveland and our other nearby communities. Ranging from backcountry havens to wide-open parklands, we rounded up some of our top picks in this guide: The Best Cross-Country Ski Trails Near Fort Collins. It even has an interactive map so you can track them down!
10. Road trip to a ski resort.
It wouldn’t be a Colorado winter guide without mentioning downhill skiing right? Famously, our state offers some of the best slopes in the country and many of them are just a couple hours from the heart of Fort Collins. Some of the closest are Eldora Mountain Resort near Boulder and Loveland Ski Area which you can access by driving through Denver.
For more ideas, check out Things to do in the Fort Collins Area this Winter which includes details on five nearby destinations.
Do you love winter?
In the comments below, tell us how you like to stay active during the snowy season in Northern Colorado.
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