Go Sledding at Hidden Valley Snow Play Area

Play in the snow among majestic peaks and towering forests. Head to Hidden Valley Snow Park inside Rocky Mountain National Park, where you and the tikes can go sledding, build a snowman, and have the ultimate Calvin vs. Susie snowball fight. Of course it also is a pretty good place to bond.

History of Hidden Valley

In 1941, a tow rope lift was built at Hidden Valley and the ski area was established. In 1955, the area was developed with a lodge and ski lift. After much controversy over an active business inside the park, the ski slopes closed in 1992 .The chair lifts are long gone and the area no longer offers downhill skiing, but the bottom of the old bunny hill has been made into a popular snow sledding and tubing area.

Sledding and Tubing

The sledding area is open most days in the winter, conditions permitting. Check the current conditions at nps.gov/romo/planyourvisit/winter_activities.htm. There are no rentals inside the park, so bring your own sleds. You can also rent sleds and tubes at several locations in Estes Park including the Estes Park Mountain Shop and The Warming House. Sleds with metal runners are not allowed. The Snow Play Area is not supervised and you have responsibility for your own safety.

Warming Hut and Restrooms

There are heated bathrooms to help keep you warm, but the warming hut, staffed with volunteers, is only open intermittently, usually on weekends and holidays.

When you’re ready to warm up for the afternoon, head to Estes Park and grab a hot chocolate or coffee at Kind Coffee, a fun locally owned spot.

Directions to Hidden Valley

To get to Hidden Valley, enter at the Beaver Meadows Entrance from Estes Park and pay the entrance fee. Drive Trail Ridge Road to the Hidden Valley parking lot. (Trail Ridge Road closes in winter from Hidden Valley onward to the West)

Call 970-586-1206 for Rocky Mountain National Park’s information line or the Estes Park Visitors Center at 800-44-ESTES for the latest snow reports and information about sledding in Rocky Mountain National Park.