Winter in North America can be long. Parents tend to see grey skies and imagine hours of whining from the back seat. Kids, however, see something else entirely. They imagine galloping through abandoned streets of a ghost town, skating along a plowed ice track, or gulping down a mug of whipped‐cream–topped chocolate. With a bit of planning, your family can swap screen time for snowflakes and make memories that last.
Discover ghost towns that come alive in the snow
Children love stories, and few places feel more like a storybook than a real ghost town. St. Elmo in Colorado is one of the best‑preserved and most easily accessed ghost towns in the state. Wooden storefronts, a dusty main street and 43 surviving buildings — including a saloon, courthouse/jail and mercantile — wait for little explorers. Since the town is accessible year‑round, you can wander through snow‑covered streets and imagine miners hustling between camps.
If your road trip takes you through Nevada, detour to Rhyolite, near Death Valley. Travel Nevada notes that Rhyolite’s ruins are among the West’s most iconic and that the town is open to visitors every day of the year from sunrise to sunset. Kids will delight in the town’s oddities, especially Tom Kelly’s Bottle House, a cabin made from 50,000 medicine and whiskey bottles. The ghost town once supported 50 saloons and 16 restaurants; today it offers open‑air art installations and plenty of space to roam.
Practical tips
- Dress warmly and bring snacks. Abandoned towns have no heated cafés. Layered clothing and thermoses of soup will help keep little hands toasty.
- Be respectful of the past. Teach kids to look but not climb on fragile structures.
Lace up skates and slide across frozen lakes
Frozen lakes are winter’s playgrounds. On Mirror Lake in Lake Placid, New York, the town of North Elba plows a two‑mile‑long ice track around the lake whenever the ice is at least a foot thick. The free track and adjacent pond‑hockey rinks are open 24 hours a day, seven days a week. When the ice is thick, toboggans zoom down a 30‑foot‑high chute and glide more than 1,000 feet across the lake, while dog sled rides depart right from the shore.
Madison, Wisconsin, transforms Lake Mendota into a festival grounds each February. The Frozen Assets Festival features a 5K race held entirely on the ice followed by pond hockey, snowshoeing and curling. A week later, the Winter Carnival invites families to try freestyle skiing, mini‑golf on ice, snowshoeing, hot cocoa and even ice fishing. Throughout both events, downtown cafés provide warming stations and — very important — restrooms.
Safety first
- Check local ice reports. Authorities in Lake Placid remind visitors that “no ice is safe ice.” The town uses the opening of the Lake Placid toboggan chute as a rule of thumb; if it’s open, the ice is generally considered safe.
- Skate within plowed areas. Spring‑fed lakes can have thin spots. Stay on maintained tracks and never skate alone.
Celebrate winter at quirky festivals
Kids love a party, and winter festivals lean into the season’s magic. At Utah’s Bear Lake Monster Winterfest, held each January, families can enjoy free winter sports with snowshoes, cross‑country skis, sledding tubes and snowmobiles. Organisers even provide free hot cocoa and treats. The event also includes a Monster 5K run, a chili cook‑off and a cardboard boat regatta. After dark, fireworks burst over the lake and a Monster Disco keeps toes tapping.
Not far from the Rocky Mountains, Grand Lake, Colorado, hosts its own Winter Carnival with ice skating, snowmobile and “bed sled” races through the historic downtown. Little ones can dress up for costume contests or watch an ice‑carving competition. These quirky celebrations break up long drives and give everyone a chance to move.
Festival tips
- Arrive early. Events like the Monster Plunge cap participation, so registration fills quickly.
- Bring cash. Food vendors and craft stalls may not accept cards in sub‑freezing temperatures.
Warm up with legendary hot chocolate
No winter road trip is complete without a hot chocolate stop. Thankfully, the American West is dotted with cafés that take cocoa seriously. At Dandelion Chocolate in San Francisco, baristas use 70 percent Camino Verde Ecuadorian chocolate to make a subtly sweet drink. Add a pair of house‑made marshmallows and watch your kids’ noses disappear in a cloud of steam.
Heading through Nevada? Swing by The Stove in Henderson, a breakfast spot famous for its Abuelita Mexican hot chocolate. The restaurant’s traditional version melts Abuelita chocolate into steamed milk and tops it with marshmallow and whipped cream. For a sugar‑rush, order the unicorn variety — rimmed with sprinkles and cotton candy. In Salt Lake City, Hatch Family Chocolates stirs milk or dark chocolate with steamed milk and cream and finishes it with a dollop of house‑made vanilla whipped cream.
If your journey takes you around Lake Tahoe, make a detour to Cuppa Tahoe. The cafe insists on using real European chocolate — dairy‑free Valrhona cocoa produced in France — to craft a rich, creamy drink. For variety, explore seasonal flavors like chai or candied orange at Taste in Provo or sample the Oregon hot chocolate infused with honey‑lavender and hazelnut syrups at Ranger Chocolate Co. in Portland.
Cocoa strategy
- Bring refillable mugs. Cafés often discount drinks when you provide your own container.
- Let kids customize. Extra marshmallows or a shot of raspberry syrup can turn a warm beverage into a road‑trip highlight.
Slide, tube and build snowmen: sledding spots kids adore
Snow play is where winter road trips shine. In California’s Eastern Sierra, Mammoth Scenic Loop offers public sledding amid a Jeffrey pine forest. There’s no formal sledding hill, so families pick their own spot off the scenic road and zoom down before heading to nearby Inyo Craters. For little sledders, Shady Rest Park has gentle slopes and quiet wooded areas.
The Mammoth Lakes Basin provides wide open space for snow play along the Lake Mary Public Access Corridor; wooded areas and the shores of Horseshoe Lake are ideal for family snow days. Over at Woolly’s Adventure Summit, kids can tube down groomed lanes, spin on merry‑go‑round tubes, build snowmen and even meet Woolly, the furry Mammoth Mountain mascot. A quick shuttle from town brings you right to the fun.
Sledding essentials
- Pack sleds and helmets. Small slopes still deserve safety gear. Stores in Mammoth Lakes sell affordable sleds.
- Stay off groomed ski trails. Sledding is prohibited on cross‑country trails to avoid collisions.
Picking the right ride for winter roads
The best road trip memories start with choosing the right vehicle. Should you squeeze into a sedan or spread out in a minivan? A recent discussion on Drivo’s travel blog weighs the pros and cons of sedans versus minivans for family trips. The blog also looks at how ultra‑luxury cars stack up against each other; see their luxury car showdown for a comparison of Rolls‑Royce and Mercedes‑Maybach in New York business rentals (luxury car showdown). Sedans sip less fuel and are easy to maneuver in city traffic, but minivans offer sliding doors, extra legroom and enough cargo space for bulky winter gear. In snowy conditions, all‑wheel drive and higher ground clearance become important.
If you’re in the market for a rental or upgrade, consider an SUV. Drivo’s vehicle selector lets you compare family‑friendly SUVs with space for skis, sleds and car seats. You can browse their current SUV options on Drivo’s site (SUV options) to find one that fits your family without consulting a user manual. Remember to request winter tires if you’re heading into mountain passes.
On‑the‑road survival kit
- Emergency gear: keep jumper cables, blankets, a first‑aid kit and a small shovel in your trunk.
- Entertainment: pack audiobooks, travel games and playlists to keep the back seat from melting down.
- Fuel and food: in remote areas, gas stations and restaurants close early. Fill up and grab snacks whenever you can.
Final thoughts
Winter doesn’t have to mean hibernation. Whether you’re roaming a snow‑dusted ghost town, gliding across a frozen lake or sipping cocoa in a cozy cafe, cold‑weather road trips offer adventure and nostalgia in equal measure. Bundle up, crank up the car heater, and follow the laughter echoing from behind that snowman — it’s usually the sound of your kids genuinely enjoying winter.
