Colorado is a known as a winter wonderland, renowned for its snow-covered ski slopes and breathtaking landscapes. But beyond skiing, the Colorado Rockies offer a magical winter experience that captivates both kids and adults alike. Who wouldn’t want to step into a magical ice castle of twinkling lights, if only for a short while? This winter, Colorado’s Western Slope will be home to the second Colorado Ice Castle location, alongside Cripple Creek. Eagle, Colorado is the new second Colorado home to a glistening ice castle, offering a sparkling escape into a frosty fantasy world.
As a fan of Ice Castles and a resident of Eagle, I couldn’t be more excited about this surprise announcement. In past years we made the trek over to Dillon when and Ice Castle was located there. But the Cripple Creek Ice Castle was just a tad too far for us. This now gives residents and skiers to the Western Slope of Colorado much easier access to this fun experience.
“We are thrilled to add a second location in Colorado this winter where we can create a sense of magic and wonder for our guests,” said Ice Castles’ CEO
Kyle Standifird. “Our team is energized to build an experience in Eagle that compliments the stunning natural beauty adjacent to the Eagle River.”
Construction for both Ice Castles locations tentatively begins in late October, with a team of around 20 ice artisans spending several weeks creating this special experience. They will grow, harvest, and meticulously hand-place each icicle one by one. Ice Castles usually open in late December, weather permitting, and remain open until early March.
The Eagle Colorado Ice Castles will be located at the Eagle County Fairgrounds, just to the west of the exit off of I70 and along the river.
Tickets will go on sale for a limited block of dates on November 26. Ice Castles will open up more dates as it gets closer and determine what Mother Nature will allow the season to be this year.
Ice Castles History
The Ice Castles are twinkling castles dreamed up by Brent Christensen. He came up with the idea after building smaller versions of these in his backyard to delight his daughter. Lucky for us, he decided it would be an interesting idea to build them on a larger scale for other to enjoy.
The first large Ice Castle was built in 2009. Since then, each winter these Ice Castles are re-built in a handful of locations around the United States and Canada.
These twinkling ice castles have been winter attractions in Colorado, New Hampshire, Utah and Wisconsin.
Each ice castle site opens as soon as the weather permits building of them in an open space outdoors. They close down once the weather becomes too warm.
