Ice Castles

The Ice Castles in Colorado have been on my bucket list since I found out about them a few years ago.

There are currently 6 Ice Castle locations. 5 of them are in the U.S. including:

• Utah

• Colorado

• Minnesota

• Wisconsin

• New Hampshire

There is also one location in Alberta, Canada.

Since we’re in California, Colorado was the easiest destination to travel to.

I recommend flying into Denver and you have about 3 options for where to stay.

Denver is an awesome city with great food & a variety of different places for where to stay, but the drive to the Ice Castles from Denver is about 1 hr 20 mins.

Dillion is where the Ice Castles are actually located, but it’s a very small town with only a few options for other things to do.

Vail is an hour further out from the Ice Castles. Vail is 30 mins from Dillion, but 1hr 50 mins from Denver. It’s a beautiful little town with lots to do, but keep in mind it is one of the most expensive snow towns in Colorado. You can always out on staying in Vail, but include it in your trip to at least visit because it’s worth seeing.

Blog on things to do in Vail

Pro tip: Visit the Ice Castles once it’s dark and see Vail during the day. They are close enough to do both in 1 day.

When to buy your Ice Castle tickets: Locations are only open during the winter & hours depend on the weather so I don’t recommend buying tickets to far in advance because the weather could change everything. However, note that if tickets are available for purchase on their website that means they plan to be open for that date. We bought our tickets the day before going & had no problem finding available time slots.

When you buy tickets to the Ice Castles you will be getting a 30 minute time slot, but we only spent about 15 mins there. It was freezing & we our bodies could not handle being in the cold longer.

How long do you need: If your main objective is to visit the Ice Castles (and maybe Vail or any other nearby snow town) then you need 3 days minimum. This is the kind of trip you could do over a weekend if you are just looking to do a quick getaway. It’s a great idea for romantic trips.

What you should take: Warm comfy clothes! Colorado can get pretty cold during the Winter, but if you are prepared then you will be able to make the most of it and enjoy the snow.

When to go: Depending on the weather The Ice Castles are typically open for operation starting in late December or early January till late February or early March.