Ice Castles, a frozen delight
Article and photos by Lynn Zahorik; courtesy photo
Pictured left: Longtime friends Sarah Byrne, Lorrie Ball and Jean Givin traveled to Dillon to admire the splendor of the illuminated Ice Castles last winter.
In a time where the word “frozen” refers more often to a record breaking movie than weather conditions, a castle of ice will be drawing a lot of attention this winter in Summit County. Making its fourth appearance in the small town of Dillon, just 90 miles west of Castle Pines, Ice Castles is a must-see winter phenomenon that brings fairy tales to life. The frozen wonderland is made up of hundreds of thousands of icicles hand-placed by professional ice artists. Throughout the maze of ice are breathtaking LED-lit sculptures, frozen thrones, ice-carved tunnels, slides, caves and fountains.
Bundled up for the chilly experience, visitors of all ages are awestruck as they travel through icicle adorned walkways and frozen arches that tower up to 20 feet tall. The castle is built entirely by hand over two months time and takes thousands of hours to create. The icy structure is approximately one acre in size and is made with 10 million gallons of water and weighs more than 20 million pounds. Spectators can admire the beauty of the ice structures in natural light during the day or be mesmerized at night when the display is illuminated and twinkling to music.
Visitors of all ages enjoy the thrill of sliding through chilly tunnels of ice.
Photographic opportunities are abundant for all who experience the unforgettable and fun-filled ice fortress. Marketing Director Melissa Smuzynski marveled, “The most amazing thing about Ice Castles is simply how unique it is. There is not another attraction or experience like it in the world!”
All Ice Castles sites are located next to a natural water source so when winter comes to a close and the ice begins to melt the water returns directly to the environment to be used again in the spring by wildlife, people and plants.
Dillon is lucky to be one of only four cities across North America to house an internationally-renowned Ice Castle. The ever-increasingly popular attraction is due to open around the holidays in late December and run through early March. Taking every precaution necessary to keep their guests and staff safe and healthy, Ice Castles will be operating at a reduced capacity to encourage social distancing. As they have successfully incorporated in years past, they will utilize online booking and timed ticketing to effectively manage the number of people at the experience at any given time.
To learn more information about the wonder of Ice Castles, visit https://icecastles.com/colorado.
A magical winter wonderland of icicles awaits all who visit Ice Castles.
