A couple friends and I are looking to stay in one of the Colorado resort towns close to Denver for a few days this summer. Looking for a combination of great outdoorsy stuff as well as some cool bars/restaurants. I know all the names (Aspen, Breckenridge, Vail, Steamboat, etc) but haven’t been to any of them. Ideally something within a few hour drive of Denver. Thanks.
Best Colorado resort town in summer?
- Thread starter QuaZ2002
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I do not ski or do any of the snow sports so I’ll leave that to the actual experts. But I wouldn’t turn down something near Colorado Springs either. I personally preferred the area in and around CS to Denver. Now whether there’s snow resorts near CS as good as those near Denver...I don’t know. I will say driving through and around the collegiate peaks was pretty exceptional.
Oh and one other thing about Colorado I never see anyone here talk about, the Great Sand Dune National Park in Southern Colorado is one of my favorite NP. I’ll have to transfer some pics so I can post them here.
The closest to Denver is Breckenridge. Then you have Copper Mt, Vail and way out is Beaver Creek. North of Vail is Steamboat. Aspen and Snowmass are west and north of Vail IIRC. I have driven to Breck, Vail and Beaver Creek from Denver, in the winter without a problem. To get to Aspen, Snowmass and Steamboat, I fly to Eagle, which happens to be in Vail. The drive is beautiful, so enjoy it!
I like Breckenridge. It's an old mining town with a real downtown area and seems more authentic. Of the towns you listed it's closest to Denver and is within a couple hours of a lot of great summer activities.
Aspen is cool too but is farther from Denver.
Vail area is beautiful but I don't like Vail itself. Seems fake to me.
Aspen is cool too but is farther from Denver.
Vail area is beautiful but I don't like Vail itself. Seems fake to me.
Close to Denver or best in Colorado?
Close to Denver, probably Breck.
Best in Colorado, Crested Butte without even a whisper of argument.
Colorado Springs (The Broadmoor excluded) is an absolute shithole.
Close to Denver, probably Breck.
Best in Colorado, Crested Butte without even a whisper of argument.
Colorado Springs (The Broadmoor excluded) is an absolute shithole.
That's funny....I was going to post the same question. It's looking like Houston is going to be particularly close to the sun this summer....with our temperature already in the upper 90's. Therefore, we were thinking that a trip to the mountains in july would be welcomed. The AirBnB for Breck are very reasonable.
Breckenridge was what seemed to check the most boxes in terms of location and cool downtown area. I assume there's lots of good hiking trails around there?
I will be in Dillon Colorado( close to Breckinridge in a few weeks). I have only been to Colorado in the winter so I am excited to get out there and do other things.
Depends to on what you like to do. I love to hike, so I usually go to the Rocky Mountain National Park. Was there last week for five days of great hiking. We stayed at Estes Park but that's only because it's the closest town to the entrance. You definitely don't stay there for the food or ambiance. But, if you want great wildlife viewing and long hikes while staying somewhere convenient, it works.
Vail and its not close.
The mountain bike trails are the best bar none. You get all of the high end restaurants that a resort town has, with almost no crowd.
I live there 5 years and they summers were the best.
The mountain bike trails are the best bar none. You get all of the high end restaurants that a resort town has, with almost no crowd.
I live there 5 years and they summers were the best.
You give a lot of great advice here but every now and then you post something that convinces me you’re trolling. Telling someone to go to Colorado Springs is... well, absurd.
Vail is the only one that I've been to during the summer. We had a lot of fun. You can rent mountain bikes, take the gondolas to the top of the mountain, and ride the bikes down. There were also fun bars - not sure about restaurants, don't really remember.
It definitely had kind of a weird kind of fake look in the town though. Almost like the set of an 80s ski movie, where most of the people in the bar were the local hippie ski instructors that live there year round and are on the verge of challenging you to a race-off. Still, we had a good time.
I really enjoyed my trip there and the surrounding area. The only thing that sucked was I went at the end of March and most of the Rocky Mountains NP was inaccessible so we just did our own thing around that part of Colorado plus did the hike/run around the Garden of the Gods.
I’ll eventually get around to uploading some pics and I’ll post them here.
Breck and Frisco are slowly growing to be linked. Lots of good options in the area, Keystone is only 20minutes away, Silverthorne, etc.
I take the other side of Vail. I don't care for it. Too many snobs. "Vail is better than the poors mountains to the east, etc, etc."
For what the OP asked for, Breck makes a ton of sense. RMNP is only a couple hours away. If you wanted to drive a little father, Steamboat is also a good option that is a little less touristy but has all the same upsides.
I take the other side of Vail. I don't care for it. Too many snobs. "Vail is better than the poors mountains to the east, etc, etc."
For what the OP asked for, Breck makes a ton of sense. RMNP is only a couple hours away. If you wanted to drive a little father, Steamboat is also a good option that is a little less touristy but has all the same upsides.
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Here's some of my pictures from the Grand Sand Dunes NP which I think is a "hidden gem" of the NPS.
Oh, and just south of the Sand Dunes is the Alligator Farm.
http://www.coloradogators.com
I love the picture of the Gators laying in snow banks. For $100 you can wrestle one. I $h!+ you not..... Thats a 2 hr drive due south from Breck and then you can also see the Collegiate Peaks notTribe likes. i agree on Collegiate Peaks being very scenic. You really get the scope/scale due to them being in wide valley areas and not stacked on top of each other like other areas.
http://www.coloradogators.com
I love the picture of the Gators laying in snow banks. For $100 you can wrestle one. I $h!+ you not..... Thats a 2 hr drive due south from Breck and then you can also see the Collegiate Peaks notTribe likes. i agree on Collegiate Peaks being very scenic. You really get the scope/scale due to them being in wide valley areas and not stacked on top of each other like other areas.
We went up there a LOT during the summer to escape Texas heat. I like CS okay, but once you've done Pikes Peak and Garden of the Gods, the rest is meh.
Loved Aspen. Great when the kids are in high school. Vail is fake Bavaria.
Best for family is Breck/Keystone IMO.
Loved Aspen. Great when the kids are in high school. Vail is fake Bavaria.
Best for family is Breck/Keystone IMO.
Like I said earlier, I am heading up to Dillon in a couple of weeks. If you have any info on great places to hike; mountain bike; river rapids; or really anything I would appreciate the advice. I will have my girls who are 12 and 15. Thanks.
Home of the Western State Colorado University party animals, which include some South Florida trust funders and previous FSU attendees. Where else do you see alums wear their 97% acceptance rate like a badge of honor.
Colorado Springs can be fun, if you can get on the Air Force Academy. Then it can be downright awe-inspiring.
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I live in CS now. And while there is a lot of great places here, it's not a resort town. The Sand Dunes NP is still on our list to get too.
I'd go to Breck.
I'd go to Breck.
Steamboat or Breck. Breck is closer but I prefer Steamboat. Glenwood springs is also an option and just as long of a drive as Steamboat, but it's all interstate so not quite as picturesque.
I haven't been to Steamboat in the summer. Love it in the winter though.
If you're cool with a four(ish) hour drive from Denver then, again, the only answer is CB.
If you're cool with a four(ish) hour drive from Denver then, again, the only answer is CB.
That stretch of interstate just before Glenwood Springs is awesome-GS is the burial site of Doc Holliday-his grave site is worth the short hike up the hill.
Was in Leadville a week ago. Stayed at the Delaware Hotel which was an old haunt of his when he was in town. He would only stay in one specific room so he could see the street out front and could escape out a neighboring window across the building next door. Not recommending Leadville for what OP wants tho.
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No kidding. It's so high you'd have a headache and be short of breath half the time you're there. The Molly Brown / silver mine thing is cool, but no other reason to hang out there.
One thing to remember for all of us Florida flat landers - bring one or two long sleeved shirts and maybe a sweatshirt. We were on Pikes Peak summit in late July and it was snowing!
Yeah, I was just staying there while driving the forests looking for camping areas. I was a little surprised that I felt the elevation. Coming from 6k ft I still felt 10kft! I am sure winter is great, but it is truly a tiny man town in the summer.
I bumped into a guy at the bar who graduated from FSU with a IS degree in 2005. Small world.
Aspen is 3.5 hours from CB unless you have a really solid 4x4 to go across Pearl Pass.
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