Snow Mountain Ranch’s summer day camp runs Monday through Friday for kids 5 through 16. Just like at Estes Park Center, the kids are divided into groups by age. Kindergartners and first graders spend their days with swimming, hiking, hay rides, climbing wall and archery. The activities get progressively more challenging as kids get older. For example, second graders will try out the low ropes course and go horseback riding. Fourth graders will add in mountain biking and archery. In addition to all the other activities, middle schoolers take on the high ropes challenge and canoeing.

In the winter, families flock to Snow Mountain Ranch for its Nordic Center, which offers 75 miles of groomed trails for cross-country skiing and snowshoeing, plus ice skating, sledding, tubing, and sleigh rides.

Planning your trip
Estes Park is located about 70 miles northwest of Denver. Snow Mountain Ranch is about 66 miles west of Denver. The YMCA of the Rockies operates year-round, and rates are slightly higher in the peak summer season. YMCA members receive a $10-per-day discount on their lodging.

Estes Park Center has lodge rooms that sleep four to six people. Cabins range in size from two to four bedrooms and sleep four to 10 people. All of the cabins have kitchen facilities and some have fireplaces. A few three- and four-bedroom vacation homes also feature microwaves, dishwashers and televisions. Basic lodge rooms, which sleep 4, start at $104 per night; two-bedroom cabins start at $114 per night; three-bedroom cabins start at $229 per night. Note: Beginning May 31 2008, families that book a lodge room at Estes Park Center or Snow Mountain Ranch will get a free daily breakfast for two people.

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Snow Mountain Ranch’s lodge rooms sleep four to six people. Its cabins have two to four bedrooms and can accommodate five to 12 people. All of the cabins have kitchen facilities. A half dozen vacation homes boast microwaves, dishwashers and televisions. Basic lodge rooms, which sleep four, start at $94 per night; two-bedroom cabins, which sleep five people, start at $169 per night; three-bedroom cabins start at $229 per night. Campgrounds run as low as $25 per night and are open Memorial Day Weekend through September.

The cabins are extremely popular and tend to get snapped up first. Renting a cabin with kitchen facilities can be a great way to keep your food bill down. Member requests are processed first. Tip: It boosts your chances of receiving your desired lodging choice if you purchase a $200 annual family membership to the YMCA of the Rockies.

In addition to admission fee for day camp, there is a one-time registration fee of $10 per family. Tip: To be guaranteed a place for your child in day camp, it’s advisable to register online before you leave home. Don’t forget to pack your child’s immunization records along with a doctor’s note affirming his or her good health.

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