67 miles NW of Denver
Originally an Arapaho and Ute hunting ground, Winter Park was first settled by whites in the 1850s. The laying of a rail track over Rollins Pass in 1905 and the completion of the 6 1/4-mile Moffat Tunnel in 1928 opened forests here to logging, which long supported the economy while providing Denver with raw materials for its growth.
The birth of the Winter Park ski area in January 1940, at the west portal of the Moffat Tunnel, helped give impetus to the Colorado ski boom. Although it hasn't yet achieved the notoriety of Vail or Aspen, the tiny town of Winter Park -- population around 700 -- still manages to attract a million skier visits per season. One of its draws is the Ski Train from Denver to Winter Park, the last of its kind in the West. Elevation here is about 9,400 feet.
