This desert girl can’t get enough of the snow! You may have read that I recently spent a weekend in Chicago, Illinois. (If not, here’s part one and part two.) Now, I’m pulling out the winter coat and heading to Colorado Springs, Colorado for another weekend! In fact, I’ve just returned, and I’m prepping for yet another trip. 

Can you guess where I’m headed next?!

I’ve never previously been to Colorado. In fact, I’ve never had any plans on going. Yet, when the opportunity arose, I wasn’t going to say no. 

I left for the snow on Thursday afternoon, enjoying chilly 0-30F temperatures, and returned to my warm and sunny home on Sunday. I had such a great time and can’t wait to share in part two of what I did and where I ate.

Psst! See everything I did, here!

Affiliate Disclosure: This Colorado guide contains affiliate links. If you make a purchase through the link, I may earn a small commission, at no extra cost to you. (This commission helps me run the blog and continue to bring you quality content and free downloadables!)

what i packed

I only bought one new thing this trip. Since I had just bought winter things for Chicago, I didn’t need to get anything in terms of clothes. Despite the cold Colorado weather, I was kept quite warm from my clothes.

padded winter coat

It has a detachable faux fur hood, zippered pockets, and great reviews. I got it in black, size XS, and also removed the fur as I’m not a fan of such. It kept me so warm and stayed dry when the snow melted.

H&M Padded Jacket, $49.99 USD (available in black and cream)

boots made for stomping

Next, I grabbed some boots! Now, I know these aren’t really winter boots, but I didn’t want to buy winter boots and then watch them collect dust, so I grabbed a pair of more fashionable boots. I got these in black, size 8 (EUR 39). My toes did get super cold despite doubling my socks, but the 2″ platforms kept me off the ground and out of water, snow, and ice.

H&M Chunky Zip-front Boots, $49.99 USD (available in black and cream)

cable knit beanie

Can’t forget about your head! I own one beanie, but grabbed a second one. Nothing fancy, just got to keep my head warm. I got in in black.

It was so thick and warm and I honestly never wanted to take it off.

H&M Cable-knit Hat, $12.99 USD (available in black and cream)

hot hands

I totally forgot to pack winter gloves but I had some Hot Hands that I kept in my pockets and hands. I did put a few in my socks, but they didn’t work as fantastic as they work in hand. If you don’t have gloves, or you want you warm up your hands, I can’t recommend these enough!

hothands: air activated hand warmers (multipack, $39.99)

fleece lined leggings

Okay. These are magic. I don’t know how, but if you’re going to cold weather or snow, buy these. They’re fleece-lined leggings! They are thin enough to go under jeans unnoticed, yet thick enough to keep you warm. How?! They’re like butter, too, and don’t bunch up. I’m absolutely flabbergasted! I got them on sale ($17.05) in black, size Small-Medium. They’re a bit loose but, again, are perfect under jeans. My legs were super warm!

Conceited Fleece Lined Leggings, $29.95 USD (available in many colors!)

mini bottle set

And the last thing I grabbed for this trip that I wanted to share, that is not clothing related, is this travel bottle pack. I usually travel with my full sized bottles as I’m usually gone a week+, but as it was only the weekend, I opted for these mini ones. They’re nice and don’t spill, as well as can hold enough for the weekend. They’re also TSA approved for carry ons!

Beveetio Travel Bottles 15 pack, $13.99 USD (available in different colors!)

Everything that I needed fit right into my old cheer bag. I was able to downsize from my suitcase with smarter packing than in Chicago. On the plane, I brought my Fjallraven Kanken bag with my electronics and insulated mug for the 1-hour ride.

My flights to and from were 100% full! Thankfully, they were short. I also had pre-boarding, so there was no issue in finding a seat.

All in all, that’s what I packed for Colorado! Now to pack for my next trip!

Check out part two, a winter wonder in colorado: 4-day itinerary!

Ciao!