Late last year I was doing my normal weekly routine of looking through flight deals and I found a great deal from Dallas to Denver. I knew we’d have a busy February and March for travel, but April was wide open. After doing some research on the ski conditions for Colorado in Spring, I knew that we’d use the flight deal to set off on our first family ski trip. Alyssa (our oldest traveler) and I have gone skiing before when she was younger, and I’ve gone skiing on girls trips in the past, but this would our first as a big family, so from the outset we were all very excited.
In an effort to avoid the massive crowds the Colorado ski season usually brings, we planned for the final ski weekend of the season, and that couldn’t have been a better idea. We even got a last day snowfall that ended our first experience beautifully.
How To Get To Keystone
I’m always on the look out for flight deals, my favorite sites, and the ones I check daily, are Skyscanner and Scott’s Cheap Flights – the paid subscription is totally worth it. I found a deal for $70 roundtrip from Dallas to Denver on Frontier airlines through skyscanner. I’ll admit, I am not a fan of budget airlines, but the kids have been talking about skiing for a while, and I couldn’t pass up this deal. I also convinced myself to jump on it because the flight was only a couple of hours, so even if it was terrible, it would at least be over quickly, lol. Turns out Frontier wasn’t terrible after all. I still prefer airlines that allow free carry-ons, provide complimentary snack and beverage service, and have in-flight entertainment, but overall the flight attendants were kind, the leg room was good and we made it through with no real complaints.
Keystone is about 90 miles away from Denver, so you can either rent a car or catch a shuttle. If we were going directly to Keystone and back to the airport, I would have booked us on a shuttle service, but we really wanted some time to explore Denver as well. For that reason, we rented a car.
How to Experience Denver With Kids
While the main purpose of our visit was skiing, I didn’t want to fly into Denver and immediately drive to the mountains, so I planned a day in Denver that was delicious, fun, and perfectly scheduled.
- Where To Eat Brunch In Denver – Our flight arrived early morning, so after getting our rental car we headed straight to Four Friends Kitchen for brunch. Everything was absolutely delicious. I had the brisket hash with a pancake on the side…because, who doesn’t love pancakes?? My husband had a divine trio of French toast that I wanted to steal right off his plate, but I accepted the sampling he gave me, and went back to my Hash. In addition to the food, the vibe is very unique and laid back and the service was great. Tip: The restaurant doesn’t accept reservations, but you can “get in line” through their yelp page here. It was a convenient option and we were seated as soon as we arrived.
- Find the Candy In Denver – Take a tour of The Hammond’s Candy Factory. What kid (young and old) doesn’t love candy?? This is a perfect activity for kids to see how candy, and especially the magic of candy canes, are made. The best part, at least for my children, was the free treat at the end of the tour. Once the tour concludes, you’ll be led to the candy showroom/store where you can purchase more goodies. Prepare to have your kids act like stereotypical Kids In A Candy Store, lol. Sorry, I couldn’t help it. Oh, did I mention, the factory tour is absolutely free! Free fun is always a welcome treat for our big family. Now, you won’t leave without spending money, unless you’re one of those impressively principled families, which we are not. We ended buying almost $40 in candy…too much, but we were on vacation so it didn’t count, right?!?
Kid Friendly Fun and Learning In Denver – I’ve said it many times before, but it stands true, it’s my goal to make sure each of our trips involves some kind of learning with fun. The Children’s Museum of Denver hit the mark on this goal. The entire museum is hands on and perfectly catered to children from babies to 8 years old, but I’m no where close to 8 and I had a great time, too. There is a food tasting kitchen, an amazing outdoor play area, altitude climber, an entire room dedicated to bubbles, and so much more. We spent an entire 4 hours there and the kids still weren’t ready to leave.
Chasing Murals – Denver has a robust mural scene. We saw some of the coolest murals and street art in the RiNo Neighborhood. Make sure your schedule provides at least a couple hours to explore…there is so much great creativity to see.
It was a long, but fun time in Denver. But, the main reason for our Colorado visit was skiing, so we headed to Keystone after our Denver excursions.
Where To Stay In Keystone
Keystone Resorts is the perfect option for your accommodations. There are a plethora of options. We stayed at JackPine Lodge in River Run Village. It was a 2 bedroom, 2 1/2 Bathroom condo. There was a third room set up as a bedroom, but with no closet or windows, it wasn’t officially listed in the description. The lodge is truly a ski in/ski out property, which is very convenient when skiing with kids. From our front gate to the lift was a one minute walk. As well, it’s positioned well in the River Run village, so you’re steps away from several restaurants, fire pit stations, and shopping.
The Lodge also offers lockers for each condo to hold ski gear. This amenity meant we avoided the $10-$15/per day storage locker fees on other parts of the property.
The Best Options For Ski Gear In Keystone
Keystone is truly a one stop shop for your ski trip. There are a few different options to rent gear in Keystone, but the most convenient is to rent through the resort. You can even schedule to have it delivered directly to your lodge the evening before your big ski day begins. Make sure to rent the skis AND the helmet.
Our actual ski clothing came from amazon. All of our suits were warm, comfortable and super cute! Click the images to check them out:
Is Ski School Worth The Cost?
In a word, Absolutely! We have a big family, so it doesn’t take long for ski school to add up to a hefty pricetag. However, if it’s your kids or your first time on the slopes, it’s a must. Initially, we were going to put the kids in full day ski school and my husband was going to go to adult half day. The cost was just around $1,000 so instead I called about a private group lesson, and for all 5 of us, I only paid $630 for a half day. It was the perfect amount of time and we got to do it together instead of splitting up. One of the great benefits of enrolling in ski school is that you have access to a halfway point on the mountain that is only for those enrolled in private lessons. This was wonderful because it wasn’t crowded and every slope was for beginners.
Where To Eat In Keystone
Don’t…I repeat, DO NOT eat lunch at the top of the mountain (Summit House). The food is extremely overpriced and mediocre at best. There are a ton of delicious options in the River Run Village, so I’d advise you to choose one of the yummy restaurants there. I highly suggest you stop at the crepe stand for breakfast or lunch. I love a good crepe!
Why Keystone and Not Another Nearby Ski Resort
We were torn between Breckenridge and Keystone. Both areas are amazing, but once I found out that kids ski free at Keystone if you stay in one of the lodges for two or more nights, I was sold. Yes, you read that right – Kids ski FREE at Keystone. For $84 per lift ticket/per day multiplied by three kids, it was a pleasant savings.
Bonus Tip…take altitude pills before you land in Denver. Don’t wait until the nausea and light headedness sets in because it’s the pits. We had to contend with some sickness on our first day, but it didn’t keep us down. We had an amazing time the entire long weekend.
Have you been to Keystone? What other tips would you add to this list?
Please save and share for future ski trip planning.
Happy Travels!
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