Colorado Cross Country Ski Areas

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Recent Ratings of Colorado XC Areas

Map of Colorado Ski Areas

Colorado's 36 cross-country ski areas are all located in the Rocky Mountains which runs north-south through the center of the state. Many alpine ski centers are twinned with nordic trail systems.

Aspen-Vail Region

Cross Country Ski Areas in Colorado

Location	Length	Nbr of Ratings	Average Rating
1 The Home Ranch	20 km
2 Vista Verde Ranch	30 km
2A Steamboat Lake State Park/Mountain Rec Co*	20 km
3 Steamboat Touring Center	30 km	1	5.0
2A Howelsen Hill Nordic Center*	21 km	1	2.0
3B Lake Catamount Touring Center*	38 km
4 High Meadows Ranch	12 km
5 Whistling Elk Ranch	35 km
6 Beaver Meadows Resort	20 km
7 Rocky Mountain Nat'l Park	BC	1	3.0
8 Grand Lake Touring	30 km
9 C Lazy U Ranch	25 km
10 Silver Creek Resort	40 km
11 Snow Mountain Nordic	100 km	1	4.0
12 Devil's Thumb Ranch	105 km
13 Eldora Mountain	25 km	1	4.0
14 Latigo Ranch	55 km
15 Keystone Resort	33 km
16 Frisco Nordic	40 km	1	4.0
17 Breckenridge Nordic	35 km
17A Gold Run Nordic*	20 km
18 Copper Mountain	25 km
19 Vail Ski Resort	15 km
20 Beaver Creek	32 km
21 Lodge at Cordillera	8 km
22 Ski Sunlight Nordic	10 km
22A Spring Gulch Trails	19 km
23 Avalanche Ranch	BC
24 Frying Pan River Ranch	35 km
25 Ashcroft Ski Touring	43 km
26 Aspen Cross Country	70 km
27 Piney Creek Nordic	25 km	1	4.5
28 Fairplay Nordic	20 km
29 Crested Butte Nordic	30 km
30 Powderhorn Resort	12 km
31 Grand Mesa Trail	33 km	3	4.8
32 San Juan Guest Ranch	10 km
33 Telluride Area	53 km
34 Purgatory Cross-Country	16 km
35 Chicken Creek XC	16 km
36 Mesa Verde Nat'l Park	10 km BC

*New listing - not shown on map

Trail ratings are submitted by visitors to this site who have skied the trails and thus are subjective. You can rate the trails at an area that you have visited by clicking on the "Rate this Area" link found under that area's listing.

Index of Colorado XC ski areas

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Backcountry Skiing

Colorado's mountain ranges are ideal for backcountry skiing. Pick up a map of backcountry trails at the nearest ranger station before heading out as maps are seldom available at the trailhead. There are several guidebooks describing the backcountry huts and trails of Colorado. When skiing in backcountry areas, it is especially important to follow the basic winter safety precautions.

Backcountry huts located in several areas:

10th Mountain Division Trail System - 16 backcountry huts located at various points along the 100-mile long trail network south of Vail.
Summit Huts north of Vail (booked through 10th Mountain)
Alfred Braun Hut System (6 huts) and Friends Hut - between Aspen and Crested Butte (booked through 10th Mountain)
Never Summer Nordic - eight yurts in the Colorado State Forest near Gould
Elkton Huts near Crested Butte - reserve through Crested Butte Nordic Center
Hinsdale Haute Route - four yurts along the Continental Divide in southwest Colorado's San Juan Mountains
San Juan Hut System - five backcountry ski huts connecting Telluride, Ridgway and Ouray.

CAUTION Avalanche Danger: Before skiing on backcountry trails in mountainous areas, take the necessary avalanche safety precautions.
Avalanche Bulletins: Cyberspace Avalanche Center, Westwide Avalanche Network, Colorado Avalanche Information Center

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XC Skiing Resources

Colorado Cross Country Ski Association has info on resorts and backcountry huts www.colorado-xc.org

Colorado First Trax Webzine describes some backcountry skiing tours and has an excellent avalanche info page www.firstrax.com

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