The Western Slope of Colorado is a hotbed of outdoor activity year-round. While the most popular summer outdoor activities often get the most publicity, there’s no shortage of things to do outside during the winter. This is one of the reasons why winter makes for a great time of year to visit Meeker as an out-of-town orthopedics surgery patient.
Each year, many of our out-of-town patients schedule their orthopedic surgery at Colorado Advanced Orthopedics during the winter so that their family can enjoy a nice mountain vacation. Meeker is located in the heart of the White River National Forest and is just a short drive from many of the most popular mountain towns in the state, making it an ideal location to serve as a home base for your family’s outdoor adventures.
If you’re looking for fun outdoor activities for your family while you undergo your procedure, this guide will help you plan your trip.
Let’s just get the most obvious one out of the way first. If you’re an avid skier or snowboarder, you’ve come to the right place. While Meeker doesn’t have a ski resort, our town is a short day trip from many of the premier Colorado resorts. You can easily drive to Aspen, Steamboat, Vail and Beaver Creek for a day of world-class skiing. If you want to drive a little farther, you can experience some of the best resorts on the Western Slope – Telluride, Crested Butte and Silverton are also easily accessible from Meeker.
If you want to stay a little closer to Meeker, you have access to hundreds of cross country skiing and snowshoeing trails. Enjoy a serene day filled with beautiful winter landscapes, allowing you to chat with your loved ones and soak in the breathtaking scenery. Travel at a leisurely pace if you’re feeling lazy or ramp up the pace if you want to get in a great cardio workout.
For a more relaxing way to spend an afternoon, visit one of the world-class hot springs nearby. Strawberry Park Hot Springs just outside Steamboat is a popular favorite among locals and tourists, providing a beautiful backdrop where the hot springs are built into the natural environment. Glenwood Springs also has several beautiful hot springs and vapor caves within a short drive of Meeker.
Take your kids for an afternoon of sledding or tubing right in Meeker. We’ve got plenty of hills ideally suited for this family friendly activity. Slide down snow-covered hills on a sled or inner tube on your own. You can also visit some of the nearby ski resorts since many of them offer tubing and sledding activities for kids.
There are lots of great outdoor ice skating rinks throughout the Western Slope and the surrounding areas, offering beautiful mountain backdrops for a perfect winter outing. While Meeker doesn’t have an outdoor rink, some of the best outdoor skating rinks in the state are within short driving distance. Outdoor rinks in Winter Park, Steamboat, Crested Butte and Beaver Creek are easily accessible and provide a nice afternoon daytrip from Meeker. If you want to drive a little farther, you visit the Rotary Park Ice Rink in Ouray, which provides stunning views of the nearby mountain peaks in the San Juan Range.
Many of these options allow you to combine your skating trip with a soak in the hot springs. Steamboat and Ouray have hot springs right nearby. If you prefer to skate in Beaver Creek or Crested Butte, you can stop by the hot springs or vapor caves at Glenwood Springs on the way back to Meeker.
If you’re considering bringing your family to Meeker for a winter vacation while you undergo orthopedic surgery, our team at Colorado Advanced Orthopedics can help you plan your visit. We can recommend the best hotels to meet your family’s unique needs, and we’ll give you the scoop on all our favorite restaurants in town to try. If you’re curious about the many outdoor winter activities to experience while you’re in town, our team can also make some recommendations that will help you narrow down your choices.
With a staff containing some of the most experienced board-certified and Fellowship trained orthopedic surgeons and sports medicine doctors in the state, Colorado Advanced Orthopedics has developed a reputation as one of the premier orthopedic surgery clinics on the Western Slope. Our exceptional patient outcomes earned CAO a place on the Healthgrades Top 100 Hospitals for Joint Replacement list.
This stellar reputation, our commitment to providing exceptional patient care and our close proximity to the mountains of the Western Slope have made CAO a popular medical tourism destination. Orthopedic patients across Colorado and throughout the country regularly visit Colorado Advanced Orthopedics to take advantage of the excellent surgical care provided by our team, and they often get to build in a nice vacation for the family at the same time.
Contact us today to schedule an appointment. Colorado Advanced Orthopedics serves patients in Meeker, the White River Valley and throughout the Western Slope. We also serve out-of-town patients.
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