Much as there is to love about Coronado, sometimes a change of scenery can serve as a great winter pick-me-up. Here are three easy trips, all without an ocean in sight!
Apres ski!
Play in Vail’s
perfect powder
By Samantha Bey
For those who want to hit the slopes this winter, Vail Ski Resort is the place to play. Just under a two-hour drive from the Denver airport, Vail is one of the nation’s largest single-mountain resorts, boasting 5,289 skiable acres covered in primo powder, 195 trails, and more than 30 lifts. Across its terrain are four parks with runs for every skill level, from superbly manicured bunny slopes for novices to rugged terrain for experienced skiers and snowboarders. Slopes are open through late April; lifts operate between 9 a.m. and 4 p.m. Lift ticket prices vary by month, but expect to pay at least $116 for a one-day adult ticket; $80 for a child, 5 to 12.
Snow bunnies who aren’t up for skiing can head to the resort’s Adventure Ridge, a kid-friendly, football stadium-sized park with powder for ski bikes, snowshoes and snowmobiles as well as fast-paced snow tubing lanes. At the ridge’s renowned eatery Bistro Fourteen, you can get hot chocolate or a full meal and take in the majestic views. Adventure Ridge is at the top of the Eagle Bahn gondola and is open Tuesday-Saturday, 1-7 p.m.
After a long day on the slopes, get cozy in Vail Village along bustling, pedestrian-friendly heated streets, which are easily accessible via an extensive free transportation system. Even with its many world-class restaurants, shopping and late-night hot spots, the village has a peaceful, small town ambiance that Coronadans are sure to love.
Stay at the iconic Lodge at Vail, which evokes the charm, warmth and allure of Europe’s chalets. The first hotel built in Vail in 1962, it remains the cornerstone of Vail Village and is just steps from Gondola One.
Vail’s multiday lift tickets are also valid at Beaver Creek, about 13 miles west of Vail, with another 1,815 acres of skiable terrain (about half of which is devoted to novice and intermediate skiers) and 150 trails.
.IF YOU GO:
Vail Ski Resort:
(888) 500-5155 or vail.com
Beaver Creek Resort:
(970) 754-0020 or
beavercreek.com
The Lodge at Vail:
(888) 328-1005 or
thevailcollection.com
Colorado Ski & Snowboard Museum: (970) 476-1876
or skimuseum.net
To check snow conditions (970) 754-4888
To check driving
conditions (877) 315-7623
It’s beginning to look a lot like a Southwest Christmas.
This December, you might want to carve out three days to hop a Southwest airlines flight to Scottsdale, Arizona, where holiday celebrations are as expansive and beautiful as the sunsets over Camelback
Mountain.
by Kris Grant
Here are a few Scottsdale sugarplums:
Las Noches de Las Luminarias at the Desert Botanical Garden
The 21,000 plants at the Desert Botanical Garden are spectacular by day and under the evening stars at “Las Noches de Las Luminarias” the botanicals are downright magical.
In addition to twinkle lights that outline the garden’s buildings, hand-lit luminaria bags will outline both sides of each of the six meandering garden trails and their tributaries.
It’s no small task to individually light 8,000 candles for each of the 21 nights of the luminaria, testified Amber Salazar, the garden’s special events manager. “We depend on our staff and hundreds of volunteers who sign up for ‘lumi lighting’ or ‘lumi snuffing’ each night,” Salazar said. “But for our guests to know that each candle was carefully lit and placed makes the event even more amazing.”
Each night at the garden, located on the Phoenix-Scottsdale border, a host of entertainment ensembles include mariachis, bluegrass, world fusion, Arizona country, classical, and seven hand-bell ringer groups from area churches. Plant specimens are uplit and trees are outlined with lights, so visitors can easily see the botanicals that have been thriving at the gardens since it opened in 1939.
Luminaria is a special ticketed event: $30, adults; children, 3-12, $12.50; free, under 3.
A special catered buffet dinner is $22, adults; $12, children. Check dates, hours and purchase tickets at dbg.org.
Christmas at the Princess
The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess transforms into an enchanting winter wonderland during its eighth annual Christmas at the Princess festival, Nov. 22-Dec. 31. It starts at the “Enchanted Plaza” with a four-story tall musical Christmas tree bedecked with 70,000 LED lights that “twinkle and dance” to 17 classic holiday songs.
“Lagoon Lights” shines with 4.5 million LEDs. Visitors enter the festivities through a 17-foot-long infinity tunnel with ever-changing colors. They can then stroll or ride the Princess Express Train through the Lagoon Lights, a lit fantasyland of sculptural treasures.
Throughout the resort, 280 trees are wrapped in lights, many draped with icicles and snowflakes.
General admission is complimentary for hotel guests who also receive express VIP access to the rides and attractions. General admission/parking for non-hotel guests is $55 per vehicle for self-parking valid up to six people. scottsdaleprincess.com.
Gingerbread anyone?
Stop in (or better yet, stay!) at Hyatt Regency Scottsdale at Gainey Ranch and check out the giant gingerbread house, fashioned by the resort’s pastry chef Martin Nakatsu, aided by all his pastry elves. Construction of the house, which stands 12 feet tall and seven feet wide, requires three weeks and includes 925 pounds of gingerbread, 270 pounds of royal icing, 125 pounds of fondant and 40 pounds of gumdrops, candy canes, starlight mints and lollipops.
You’ll find a host of holiday events, including Christmas gondola rides, bead working and Native American dancing on the resort’s website,
Scottsdale.hyatt.com. (And do treat yourself to a treatment at Hyatt’s Spa Avania, a luxurious indoor-outdoor oasis.)
Desert Ridge Marketplace snowfall
The snow will fall on the outdoor shopping mall, Desert Ridge Marketplace, at Loop 101 and Tatum Boulevard at 7 and 8 p.m. nightly in December, transforming the AMC Fountain and Fireplace into a living snow globe. On Christmas Eve, it will snow hourly from 11 a.m. to 8 p.m. Each snowfall lasts about
10 minutes and, yes, it’s real! shopdesertridge.com
captions
Las Luminarias at the Desert Botanical Garden
The Fairmont Scottsdale Princess lagoon lights
Desert Ridge Marketplace snowfall
Take a Hike!
You’ll find some good ones at Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
By Samantha Bey
Winter is the best time to get away to Anza-Borrego Desert State Park. At 600,000 acres, it’s one of the nation’s largest state parks, and just about an hour-and-a-half east of San Diego. As you crest the Laguna Mountains and gaze upon the vast sun-drenched valley below, the quiet serenity of the place is palpable, if not awesome.
The park is an immense area of canyons, mountains and badlands. Let the small town of Borrego Springs serve as home base — many of the park’s celebrated attractions are within a one-hour drive.
Start with a visit to the Anza-Borrego Visitor Center, where you’ll find books, brochures, an excellent map and friendly staff to help you navigate the expansive stretches of desert roads and trails.
You’ll find the trailhead for Palm Canyon hiking trail about a mile west of the visitor center in the park’s official camping area. It’s a very popular, moderate three-mile hike, and at the end of the trail you’ll be rewarded with an oasis of palm trees and cold water. Plus, your chances of seeing bighorn sheep here are extremely high. This trail is one of the only ones in the park that requires a day-use fee ($10).
The “slot canyon” trail is a spectacle not to be missed yet quite easy to miss, so be sure to bring a map. Formed by flash floods, the hike weaves through an otherworldly canyon where 40-foot high walls arch above the canyon floor, which is at points only a foot or two wide. The trail loop is 2.3 miles and accessible for all skill levels. If you prefer some guidance, book a half or full-day excursion with California Overland Desert Excursions, (760) 767-1232 or californiaoverland.com; they can also take you to other hikes in the area.
Catch a golden sunset from Font’s Point (nicknamed “California’s Grand Canyon”), overlooking the Borrego Badlands. Here the landscape is a vast maze of parched hills and arroyos, made more surreal by the fact that it was shaped by water (fossilized seashells found in the region prove it was once submerged under both saltwater from the Gulf of California and fresh water from the Colorado River). It’s a slow-going sandy, rutted, four-mile road to get to the point and you’ll need a car with four wheel drive. Better yet, book an excursion with Borrego Jeep Photo Tours. The company will drive you to the point and around to some of the parks most photographable vantage points. (760) 484-1700 or borregojeepphototours.com
The town of Borrego Springs is so quiet, you’d never expect to dine at a place like Kesling’s Kitchen — a beautifully remodeled modern restaurant adjacent to the Borrego Springs Art Institute that opened in spring 2016. The menu offers a range of creative wood-fired pizzas, salads, sandwiches, gourmet desserts and wine and craft beer. After the much-needed sustenance, you can meander into the art gallery next door, which features paintings, photography and sculpture by local artists. Both establishments are in the circa-1949 Borrego Springs Mercantile Building (665 Palm Canyon Drive) designed by famed architect William Kesling.
At the end of the day, don’t forget to look up into the night sky. Away from the city lights, the overwhelming blanket of stars is truly something to behold.
IF YOU GO:
Where to stay: Since it opened in 1937, La Casa del Zorro has been an oasis of luxury in the desert. Situated on 42 acres and offering both guest rooms and casitas, the resort is romantic and serene. Three pools, a full-service spa, five lighted tennis courts, peaceful grounds, and two tasteful restaurants add an unassuming elegance to the otherwise rustic adventures of the desert.
(855) 402-2272 or
lacasadelzorro.com
Borrego Springs Chamber of Commerce 786 Palm Canyon Dr.
(760) 767-5555
borregospringschamber.com
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park Visitor Center
300 Palm Canyon Drive
(760) 767-4205
captions
Font’s Point
Bighorn sheep on the Palm Canyon trail
Slot canyon
Hiking trails abound for all ages and skill levels