America's Top Winter Wonderland Destinations, Ranked
Colorado secured the first three spots in a new study.
We're finally entering the winter wonderland season, where travelers start dreaming about snow-capped mountains, crackling fireplaces, and cozy apres-skis to warm up after a long day in the mountains. Regardless of whether you're a winter sports fan or not, you have to admit it—a luxurious vacation surrounded by pine trees and snowy towns is undeniably so, so relaxing.
But choosing where to spend your winter wonderland vacation can, on the other hand, be quite stressful. There are so many valid and gorgeous options in the US that travelers—including myself—are often unsure which destination to pick in fear of missing out on other ones. Luckily, though, Architectural Digest is coming to the rescue.
In a new study, the Architectural Digest team managed to analyze key factors and released its ultimate ranking of the top winter wonderland destinations across the US. To come up with the results, the team collected data from Airbnb, Yelp, Skiresort Service International, and Instagram for 95 different winter towns, and then analyzed them across four metrics. Those include luxury short-term lodging availability, the number of winter activity offerings (from ice skating to sledding and even hot springs), the quality of the apres-ski scene, and the overall scenic value of the place.
According to the results, Colorado dominates the top of the chart. Not only were six of the top 10 destinations located in the Centennial State, but the very top three towns of the ranking are also in Colorado.Vail was the overall winner of the ranking, and it flaunts an overall score of 95.01 out of 100 points. Definitely head to Vail if you want great and luxurious lodgings (it ranked second overall on that metric), and make sure to check out its apres-ski scene as well as its generous offering of winter activities.
If your top priority is the apres-ski scene with its delicious restaurants and cool bars, though, you'd better get on the road to Aspen. The Colorado town ranked first in that aspect, and it even flaunts incredible views and landscapes, thanks to which it secured the second spot on the scenic value ranking.
With 81.83 points out of 100, Beaver Creek took the bronze medal. Here, travelers can find great accommodations, since the town snagged the third spot for luxury short-term lodging. Plus, it is a hub for winter activities, and those more active winter wonderland vacationers can have many options to choose from when planning for the day.
Check out Architectural Digest's top 10 winter wonderland destinations in the US below:
1. Vail, Colorado
2. Aspen, Colorado
3. Beaver Creek, Colorado
4. Keystone, Colorado
5. Lake Tahoe, California
6. Frisco, Colorado
7. Breckenridge, Colorado
8. Park City, Utah
9. Exeter, Rhode Island
10. Alta, Utah