Search for a long-term rental in the Winter Park area and you'll find more options, at lower prices, a few miles down the valley in Fraser. Here's how to decide whether the saving is worth the commute.
The trade in one table
| Fraser | Slope-side in Winter Park | |
|---|---|---|
| Rent | Lower: $1,425 median one-bedroom (Zumper, Sept 2026) | Higher |
| Choice | More listings: 45 on Zillow in Sept 2026 | Fewer: 9 on Zillow in Sept 2026 |
| Getting to the lifts | Bus or drive, every ski day | Ski from the door |
| Parking | Free lot or $55 garage on weekends | None needed |
| Winter mornings | Valley-bottom cold | Up the hill |
| Town life | Fraser's own shops, Safeway, restaurants | Base area and Winter Park town |
Fraser, Tabernash and Granby
Fraser is the closest alternative: a real town with the valley's main Safeway, restaurants and the Fraser River Trail running toward the resort. It has long called itself the Icebox of the Nation, and in January you'll understand why.
Tabernash is smaller and quieter, further from the lifts.
Granby is further again, usually cheaper again, and it's the valley's bigger service town.
The commute
From Fraser, there are two ways to the lifts:
- The Lift. Free, year-round, with winter routes from 7:30am to midnight and buses every 30 to 60 minutes (The Lift). It works, but with skis and on a schedule, and on powder days it's full.
- Drive. Free lots if you're early, like North Bench and G Lot, or the Village Parking Garage at $45 on weekdays and $55 on weekends in 2025–26 (parking at Winter Park).
With buses every 30 to 60 minutes, the timetable shapes your ski day as much as the snow does. It's the return at 4pm, cold and tired, that people underestimate.
The per-ski-day maths
The rent difference only means something against how often you'll ski. The method:
- Take the monthly rent for the Fraser place you're considering.
- Take the monthly rent for a slope-side residence of the same size (current U9200 rents are below).
- Multiply the difference by the months of your lease, and add what you'd spend on parking.
- Divide by the days you'll realistically ski.
That's the price per ski day of living slope-side. Put it next to what you'd pay for the commute in time, and be honest about ski days. People who move for the skiing ski more than they expect; people who move for work ski less.
When Fraser is the right call
- You ski weekends only and work in town during the week
- You need a bigger place or a house with a yard for the same money
- Most of your life is in the valley, not at the resort: kids' school, work, errands
- Budget is the constraint and a commute doesn't bother you
When slope-side is
- You ski most days, including an hour before or after work
- You have young children, and the daily ski-carrying and bus is the part that breaks the day
- You want to try the mountain life for a year without a car doing half the work
Slope-side at U9200
U9200 is on the Corridor trail between Winter Park and Mary Jane. Residents ski to The Gondola base in the morning and ski home down the Mary Jane trail and the Corridor. Twelve-month leases are standard, most residences are furnished, and pets are welcome.
| Residence | Size | From |
|---|---|---|
| Studio / 1 Bath | 430 sq ft | $2,200 / mo |
| One Bedroom / 1 Bath / Den | 850 sq ft | $3,400 / mo |
| Two Bedroom / 2 Bath / Den | 1,280 sq ft | $5,500 / mo |
| Deluxe Two Bedroom / 2 Bath / Den | 1,476 sq ft | $6,500 / mo |
Starting rates on leases of 6, 12 or 15 months.
See also how to rent long-term in Winter Park and what a year in Winter Park costs.