For the past 8 years we've spent Christmas in Big Bend National Park, but recent construction has closed our camping area.

Instead we're considering other destinations in the US and Canada - but there are way too many places to consider. We want snow and would prefer to have something similar to the outdoor German Christmas markets. Hiking is preferred. Skiing would be great but we've never done it. Tubing for the kids would be great too.

I'm not against Europe, but the flight would be really long for 3yr and 5mo kids.
I do have status with Marriott and American if that makes a difference?

Any ideas?

Skiing at Christmas is expensive. As is traveling in general. It's gotten out of control.

But if you want to throw down… go to Tahoe. Easy flight to Reno.

Drive? Pagosa springs.

sounds like you are describing Leavenworth WA.....never been there during xmas time but i am sure they do it up big since its a German themed town. there's also a nice little reindeer farm nearby for the adults and kiddos. not aware of too many reindeer farms in the lower 48.i believe ithere is mountain nearby for possible skiing but definitely have tubing nearby for the kiddos.

Yeah, good luck.

You're skiing Stevens in December from Leavenworth. Mission Ridge is close, but it's lower in elevation and iffy in December. They'll blow snow on a single groomer and claim T-Day as opening. But it will most likely be super limited.

Stevens is a nightmare for holidays. Not to mention Hwy. 2 is iffy, at best (compared to I90).

Like, go for it. Half of WA, half of OR and half of ID descend on Leavenworth for the Christmas market. Book now and get ready to fight for parking. Just my opinion, the Bavarian downtown is kinda jank. It's not much and a bit run down. Go to Leavenworth for the things around Leavenworth: Enchantments, Colchuck and the Larches.

We bounce Ikon destinations for Christmas. Stayed in PC last year to ski Deer Valley. Super awesome. Probably skiing Sun Valley this year (also super awesome Christmas vibes).

But really: Quebec City is probably the only answer in NA for a legit EU market. Fairmont Le Chteau Frontenac + Stoneham (great apre ski), Mont-Sainte-Anne if you want to drive a bit more.

Legit Christmas Market.

Naveronski said:

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For the past 8 years we've spent Christmas in Big Bend National Park, but recent construction has closed our camping area.

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I've been out there at Chisos Basin the past 2 years from Dec. 26-30 and it's been great. I was the lone Jeep guy in the Bronco group.

It's just that 700 mile drive back to Galveston in a Jeep Wrangler that was no fun.

Two years ago we went to Big Sky for Christmas and had a great time. We're not big skiers but had fun on the mountain. Town was nice at Christmas but the big highlight, especially for my boys that were 8 and 4, was a snow coach tour of Yellowstone.

HollywoodBQ said:

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Naveronski said:

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For the past 8 years we've spent Christmas in Big Bend National Park, but recent construction has closed our camping area.

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I've been out there at Chisos Basin the past 2 years from Dec. 26-30 and it's been great. I was the lone Jeep guy in the Bronco group.

It's just that 700 mile drive back to Galveston in a Jeep Wrangler that was no fun.

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Have we met?

That's the same time we're out there (+/- a day) each year. I'm sure we've seen each other.

kyledr04 said:

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Two years ago we went to Big Sky for Christmas and had a great time. We're not big skiers but had fun on the mountain. Town was nice at Christmas but the big highlight, especially for my boys that were 8 and 4, was a snow coach tour of Yellowstone.

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I'll have to look into this, it sounds like us too.

RangerRick9211 said:

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Yeah, good luck.

You're skiing Stevens in December from Leavenworth. Mission Ridge is close, but it's lower in elevation and iffy in December. They'll blow snow on a single groomer and claim T-Day as opening. But it will most likely be super limited.

Stevens is a nightmare for holidays. Not to mention Hwy. 2 is iffy, at best (compared to I90).

Like, go for it. Half of WA, half of OR and half of ID descend on Leavenworth for the Christmas market. Book now and get ready to fight for parking. Just my opinion, the Bavarian downtown is kinda jank. It's not much and a bit run down. Go to Leavenworth for the things around Leavenworth: Enchantments, Colchuck and the Larches.

We bounce Ikon destinations for Christmas. Stayed in PC last year to ski Deer Valley. Super awesome. Probably skiing Sun Valley this year (also super awesome Christmas vibes).

But really: Quebec City is probably the only answer in NA for a legit EU market. Fairmont Le Chteau Frontenac + Stoneham (great apre ski), Mont-Sainte-Anne if you want to drive a bit more.

Legit Christmas Market.

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I should have added the impossible "I want a perfectly beautiful Christmas scene but no annoying people".


But that said, Quebec City does look nice too! I had not heard of it, so I'm reading through those links.

ChoppinDs40 said:

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Skiing at Christmas is expensive. As is traveling in general. It's gotten out of control.

But if you want to throw down… go to Tahoe. Easy flight to Reno.

Drive? Pagosa springs.

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Just went through Pagosa Springs this summer and want to go back, but probably need to wait 2ish years before making it a destination. The main throughfare is all torn up for construction and traffic is a nightmare.

Bachelor99 said:

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sounds like you are describing Leavenworth WA.....never been there during xmas time but i am sure they do it up big since its a German themed town. there's also a nice little reindeer farm nearby for the adults and kiddos. not aware of too many reindeer farms in the lower 48.i believe ithere is mountain nearby for possible skiing but definitely have tubing nearby for the kiddos.

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This looks like it would check all the boxes... but I'm also reading about tour busses coming up from Seattle and dropping off hordes of people.

I recognize my hypocrisy of wanting to be a tourist and yet not be around thousands of them - so I might just have to accept that any place worth going to is going to be expensive.

Unless you really want to ski, I would avoid ski resort towns around the holidays. Everyone is there for the skiing and the lodging rates are going to be incredibly high, as this is one of the most popular times for people to take ski vacations.

And usually the ski resort towns are at very high elevation, so there's not really hiking at that time of year, because the ground is completely covered with snow.

If you really want to do Yellowstone NP around that time of year, which I think would be incredible, consider staying in a gateway town near the park, such as in Gardiner, Montana, or stay in park lodging.

I am 100% fine with making "skiing" its own vacation in a different time of year/different destination.

But maybe we can still find a hill with tubing?

Most places with snow will have some type of snow tubing hill. Or at the very least, can get some cheap flying saucer type sleds from a WalMart and do it yourself. Always a big hit with the kids either way! Have fun.

Different style of suggestion but Quebec City?

That's what I figured.

JobSecurity said:

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Different style of suggestion but Quebec City?

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You're the second person to mention it - have you been?

I hadn't heard of it before this thread.

I have not done Old Quebec, but going there in winter is on my bucket list.

I have been to Banff in winter and it checks all the boxes. The Fairmont at Lake Louise in winter is pretty epic. There is skiing and tubing near by and snow shoeing to get out and about. It has a lot to offer for outdoor minded people.

There are some winter backcountry lodges they require a hike in, very unique. I can provide some details if interested.

Naveronski said:

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JobSecurity said:

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Different style of suggestion but Quebec City?

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You're the second person to mention it - have you been?

I hadn't heard of it before this thread.

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Thats what I get for not reading. Yes but not around Christmas. We loved it and want to go back.

Banff as the other poster suggested as well. The Fairmont is expensive but is one of the nicer places I've ever been. We also stayed in Banff town proper for a few days and it seemed like that would be fun around Christmas time too.

JobSecurity said:

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Naveronski said:

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JobSecurity said:

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Different style of suggestion but Quebec City?

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You're the second person to mention it - have you been?

I hadn't heard of it before this thread.

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Thats what I get for not reading. Yes but not around Christmas. We loved it and want to go back.

Banff as the other poster suggested as well. The Fairmont is expensive but is one of the nicer places I've ever been. We also stayed in Banff town proper for a few days and it seemed like that would be fun around Christmas time too.

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Re-reading it, my reply sounds harsh. Apologies for that - not my intention.

Banff has been on our bucket list for a while now, but always assumed it was too expensive, especially for peak holidays.

It's looking more and more like Quebec City is the leader for us. The kids have passports, but haven't been to Canada before.

texas_ute said:

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Unless you really want to ski, I would avoid ski resort towns around the holidays. Everyone is there for the skiing and the lodging rates are going to be incredibly high, as this is one of the most popular times for people to take ski vacations.

And usually the ski resort towns are at very high elevation, so there's not really hiking at that time of year, because the ground is completely covered with snow.

If you really want to do Yellowstone NP around that time of year, which I think would be incredible, consider staying in a gateway town near the park, such as in Gardiner, Montana, or stay in park lodging.

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Your tappy-tap fingers to God's ears for snow in December.

But reality, most resorts are still blowing groomers around Christmas. And plenty of resorts offer snowshoe hiking including rentals.

Just piling more on the list, OP. I still think Quebec is it for an EU'esque destination.

Here in OR we have some fun Christmas stuff. Timberline Lodge gets a massive tree and the the entire place is dolled up. Largest fire places you'll ever see. We're one of the snowiest hills on Earth, so you're more than likely to have a white Christmas. Just a fun vibe. There's a Christmas train down the road in Hood River. Ample waterfall hikes around (both at-and-below snow line). Tubing at Ski Bowl. If you go AirBnb, you can cut your own Christmas tree in the NF. Fun tradition for us. https://www.fs.usda.gov/r06/mthood/permits/christmas-trees

https://traveloregon.com/plan-your-trip/places-to-stay/get-holiday-spirit-timberline-lodge/

Sunriver is also another OR favorite. https://www.sunriverresort.com/traditions

https://www.quebec-cite.com/en/what-to-do-quebec-city/best-christmas-destination

Naveronski said:

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I am 100% fine with making "skiing" its own vacation in a different time of year/different destination.

But maybe we can still find a hill with tubing?

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We went to Whitefish, MT a few years ago for Christmas and it was great. Actually, we stayed at an airbnb outside of Kalispell, but same difference. There are tons of nice cabins in the area to rent.

Skiing available north of Whitefish.
Some of Glacier NP is available to drive into...we saw lots of beautiful wildlife
There is a great sledding hill at Dry Bridge Park and an even better one behind a Hobby Lobby in Kalispell next to a hotel
Some intermediate hiking available around the Flathead Valley
Flathead Lake is beautiful...Bigfork had some nice places to eat on the water
Awesome airport experience (except for flying through Denver) - the rental car guy even met me at the gate with the keys

anything driving distance from Texas? I hate flying during the holidays. got stuck once.

Naveronski said:

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For the past 8 years we've spent Christmas in Big Bend National Park, but recent construction has closed our camping area.

Instead we're considering other destinations in the US and Canada - but there are way too many places to consider. We want snow and would prefer to have something similar to the outdoor German Christmas markets. Hiking is preferred. Skiing would be great but we've never done it. Tubing for the kids would be great too.

I'm not against Europe, but the flight would be really long for 3yr and 5mo kids.
I do have status with Marriott and American if that makes a difference?

Any ideas?

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Not trying to convince you to not explore other places, but nothing is closed in big bend. The closure date was pushed out to November, but they still haven't even bid the work out to contractors. Its highly unlikely anything is closed in November. If be surprised if work starts before next summer.

Leavenworth is extremely popular during Christmas season. I've got some friends that live there and we'd love to visit them sometime, but hotels in the area are $500+ per night typically.

Yeah, I've seen those updates - but our preferred campsite is listed as closed on rec.gov.

And part of the motivation is me being selfish; having to wash bottles for an infant sucks in the cold.

Plus the idea of going somewhere new is appealing. We'll likely be back in the desert next year.

Yikes. Yeah that's high.

Naveronski said:

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Yeah, I've seen those updates - but our preferred campsite is listed as closed on rec.gov.

And part of the motivation is me being selfish; having to wash bottles for an infant sucks in the cold.

Plus the idea of going somewhere new is appealing. We'll likely be back in the desert next year.

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Its closed b/c they have a projected closure date. As soon as they push it out, the sites will open up.

But definitely nothing wrong with going somewhere new!