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Monarch Ski Resort, just 3 miles up U.S. 50 from the town of Monarch (Garfield), is ideally situated to provide a great Rocky Mountain skiing experience. Its high altitude (10,800 - 11,800) gives it an extra-long season (usually Thanksgiving into April) and unsurpassed powder snow (350 inches annually--all natural). Five chair lifts serve 670 skiable acres, with additional acreage open to guided snowcat tours. Always emphasizing family-friendly skiing, Monarch recently celebrated their 60th anniversary and is one of the best values in the Rockies. More information is available on their web site: www.skimonarch.com/.

The multitude of trails in the Monarch
area, along with abandoned railroad
grades (where trains chugged carrying
silver and gold during the area's boom
times) provide lots of good locations for
cross-country ski touring for all ability
levels. Snowmobile tours are another
way to experience the awesome beauty of the back country in winter. For a break from the snow and cold, 14 miles away in Salida (where annual snowfall is much less) is an indoor hot springs and swimming pool, as well as restaurants, a movie theatre and an increasing number of shops and galleries.