Wolf Creek Snowboard Area Description:
Tucked away in southern Colorado, 24 miles up the road from Pagosa Springs, Wolf Creek is one of Colorado's lesser-known snowboard resorts. Wolf Creek is a hill for a certain type of snowboarder. There are some things that Wolf Creek is, and some that it is not. If the following description doesn't make your head spin with excitement, then it's probably not the place for you.
If you do find the description enticing, however, you'll be hard pressed to find a resort with such low prices where you'll have an equally awesome time.
Wolf Creek is not for serious jibbers. The hill has no terrain park to speak of, although they do install some features. No, Wolf Creek is for big mountain powderhounds.
Wolf Creek is a mountain that gets a lot of snow (460 inches per year, which is the most in Colorado) and has a lot of hike-to terrain. If you love tons of snow, small crowds, and sidecountry terrain that keeps you in thigh-high fresh tracks all day long, then Wolf Creek is exactly where you want to be -- especially once the complete their planned expansion, which will open up even more glorious steep, cliffy, powder-holding slopes.
Just be sure that you're ready for the workout your lungs are going to get. With a base elevation of 10,300 feet (3,139 meters), this is not a hill for the short of breath.
Wolf Creek Snowboard Area Location/Directions:
Wolf Creek is located in southern Colorado 250 miles from Denver, 230 miles from Colorado Springs, and 235 miles from Albuquerque. Although this puts it a fairly long drive (4 - 5 hours) from the nearest major airports, it's also possibly to hop a local flight to the Durango-La Plata County Airport or the Alamosa Municipal Airport, which are just 83 miles and 67 miles, respectively, from the resort.
If you don't feel like driving to Wolf Creek from Pagosa Springs, Wilderness Journeys operates a shuttle from downtown to the hill twice a day.
- Driving Directions to Wolf Springs
- Colorado Department of Transportation Road Reports and Webcams
- For road report updates call: (301) 639-1111, (877) 315-76223, or in-state call 511
Wolf Creek Snowboard Area Statistics:
- Trails: 1600
- Beginner Terrain:20%
- Intermediate Terrain:35%
- Expert Terrain:45%
- Longest Run: 2 miles (kilometres)
- Lifts: 7
- Uphill Capacity: 8,480 people per hour
- Acres: 1,600
- Snowmaking Coverage: 299 acres
- Summit Elevation: 11,904 feet (3,628 meters)
- Base Elevation: 10,300 feet (3,139 meters)
- Vertical Drop: 1,604 feet (489 meters)
- Superpipe: No
- Terrain Parks: No
- Average Snowfall: 465 inches (centimeters)
- Night Snowboarding: No
Wolf Creek Snowboard Area Reservations:
With full-day lift tickets starting at $56 for adults, Wolf Creek is extremely affordable. They also have discounts for children, seniors, and active military.
According to their website, Wolf Springs doesn't require ID for local appreciation rates (adult lift tickets for $35 per day) on local appreciation days. One should never engage in dishonesty for a cheap lift ticket, but in case you're wondering when these local appreciation rates apply, you can find out on their event calendar.
Wolf Creek also works with online discount lift ticket vendor Liftopia. Information about discount Wolf Creek lift tickets can be found on their website.
Wolf Creek Area Accommodations:
Although both South Fork and Pagosa Springs are comparable distances from Wolf Creek (about a 25-minute drive), staying in Pagosa Springs comes highly recommended because of its natural hot springs.
A good middle-of-the-road lodging option in Pagosa Springs is the Healing Waters Resort and Spa, not only because it's has it's own hot spring pool, but because it's across the street from The Springs Resort, which has 23 outdoor pools of varying temperatures beside the beautiful San Juan River that runs through town and which serves adult beverages for consumption in said pools.
Wolf Creek Snowboard Area Alternative Activities:
Wolf Creek is a small resort and Pagosa Springs is a small town, so off-hill activities are somewhat limited. That being said, the aforementioned Springs Resort with 23 outdoor hot spring pools is a fantastic place to kill a few hours. Pagosa Springs also has a wealth of charming locals shops, cafes, and restaurants worth exploring.
