Summit County, Colorado

Beach vacations can be nice and relaxing, but if you are feeling a more adventurous and outdoorsy this winter (or summer) Summit County Colorado is one of our favorite get aways. Weather you decide to a take a week long vacation or a short weekend trip Colorado mountains will never disappoint.

There are a few great central locations that you can stay to visit a good variety of mountain resorts. This consists of three small towns Dillon, Silverthorne and Frisco. These towns are just off of I 70 and a short 10 to 15 minute drive to Keystone, Breckenridge, and Copper Mountain. As well as having lower cost hotels available, there is also plenty of AIR BNB and VRBO options. Each area has a variety of restaurants, local bars, and craft breweries. Although there is a bus system that connects most of Summit County, I do recommend getting a rental car or TURO for convenience.

GETTING TO THE MOUNTAINS:

Summit county is located about an hour and half from Denver (taking I 70 West). The drive takes you straight through the foothills and into the mountains. Stopping in Morrison, Colorado to check out Red Rocks Amphitheater is a great pit stop on the way. The drive in is beautiful but can be a little slow with traffic as you head into the weekends. So planning early morning arrivals or evenings can be preferred to skip the traffic jams.

Flying into Denver (DIA) is easy and low cost from many airports due to the central location in the USA. I do recommend flying with Southwest since your equipment can be included as one of your 2 bags that fly for FREE. Rental cars can be more expensive in the Denver and having 4 wheel drive is a must during the winter months. There are chain laws in Colorado due to the heavy winter weather, but 4 wheel drive vehicles and snow tires can help you avoid pulling over to add chains to tires in the middle of a storm.

If you have a small group there is another option called Mountain Express shuttles. With more people, it is typically easier to split the cost of a rental car. This is service can take you directly to the resort lodges/hotels or to your private home stay from Denver airport.The shuttle option is also great for the late arrivals in the group so that you do not have to wait on friends in Denver area. If you are not staying the resort towns, you will have to take the local buses to the mountains from Dillon, Silverthorne or Frisco.

BEST TIME TO GO:

Early season (November/December) and late season (April) the snow can be limited. The resorts do make snow on the mountains, but during this time, the there is a chance that many of the runs could be closed. The BEST to go for some fresh POW POW would be during January and February. The snow is still great during March a majority of the time, but you also have the spring break rush. This means longer lift lines and traffic on the runs.

Summer Lovin’

Do not think that winter is the only time to travel to the Colorado mountains. There are plenty of fun things to do in the summer time as well and the weather is amazing. Not too hot or too cold.. just JUST RIGHT.. At least for me. Hiking around the mountains is great. One of my favorite trails is near the Dillon Reservoir. My furry best friend Lilly and I go hiking every year for her birthday! Dillon also has an amazingly beautiful and intimate concert venue called the Dillon Amphitheater. It overlooks the reservoir and I have to say it beats Red Rocks in my option.

Do you like to bike? The resorts do not close the chairlifts in the summer months, but will use them to take you and your bike up the mountain. Biking down the the trails is a whole new way to experience the mountain.

Where to stay?

The number of AIR BNB/VRBO properties in summit county are endless. I do recommend booking in advance to get the best of the selection and lower prices on busy weekends (Christmas/NYE/MLK/Spring Break). When getting a rental, definitely look for a spot with a hot tub. The best thing to do after a long day on the mountain is to warm up with a cold beer in the hot tub. There are many properties in the resort town but also Silverthorne, Dillon and Frisco stay you can hop around between the resorts. The Epic Passes vary, but if you get an Epic Day Pass it can be used for Breckenridge and Keystone both.

We have stayed at many different hotels in the area. Each of resort town has so many to offer, but I have broke it down into my favorites in each area. 

Keystone Lodge and Spa: This is a great hotel to stay right outside of the Keystone ski area. There is a shuttle that takes you to the ski area (River Run/Mountain House) each day. The hotel also has on site valet for you ski/boarding equipment. They have a great restaurant in the bottom of the hotel called Bighorn Bistro. 

Grand Lodge Peak 7: Favorite of favorites! This is a luxury hotel right on peak 7. Ski in and out right in the heart of Breck! Locker rooms make it easy to store equipment. They have rooms that connect making it great for families or groups. There is a private shuttle system that takes residents from the hotel directly to downtown Breckenridge and back. You can also take the gondala that is right outside. Sevens restaurant has great warm cocktails. There is also a spa with all the amenities (sauna, steam rooms, hot tubs).

Hilton Double Tree Hotel Breckenridge:  This hotel is a little more budget friendly hotel in Breckenridege. Located close to peak 9, you can walk across the street to the mountain. This hotel has the BEST breakfast. The waffles are made with a suger/glaze that is perfection! I may or may not stay there just for the waffles. There is a hotel hot tub, but not as luxurious as the Grand Lodge. A private shuttle service is also available that takes you to and from downtown Breck. 

Lift tickets:

There is no way around it. It is expensive to ski or snowboard. One of the biggest expenses is the lift tickets on the mountains. If you are planning multiple ski trips throughout the season you need to consider getting a ski pass. Vail resorts owns both Breckenridge and Keystone resorts. These two and Vail are included on the Epic Day Passes that can be used at any of these three resorts. There are many different Epic Passes. The Epic Pass includes many resorts in the Colorado region and throughout the United State. Look on the website for full information. The Epic Local pass includes Breck, Keystone and a limited number of days at Vail. My favorite is the Summit pass. This includes both Keystone and Breckenridge. You can also buy day passes in advance. This would be for people planning a single trip that plan to ski a given number of days (1 to 7 day passes available). Buying the pass in advance gets you the lowest rate for the ski pass. Most of the passes have to be purchased by November before season pass sales stop. Buying them early in the season (August/September) is recommended. The prices increase as you get closer to November. Side note: There are BLACK OUT DATES on some passes. Make sure you pay attention to these dates so it does not conflict with your trip. Starting in December, you have to purchase lift tickets directly from the resorts themselves. These prices vary due to the demand through the season. Planning ahead will save you money in the end.

Rental Information:

Putting it short and sweet. The closer the mountain you go, the higher the rental prices. When heading into Summit county you will pass a variety of ski/snowboard rental shops. The benefit of getting equipment further from the mountain is that you get the lowest prices. The downfall is that if there is an issue with your equipment while riding, you will have to go back to the shop to make any adjustments/changes. Getting equipment on the mountain or in the ski villages can have 2 to 3x the cost. A good medium is renting from a shop in Silverthorne, Dillon or Frisco. 

Our favorite: Sun and Ski in Dillon

Back to Denver

Make sure you give yourself plenty of time to make the trip back to the airport. Sunday afternoons (for a majority of weekends) has the most traffic. Many of the locals take weekend trips up so the traffic can take 7 hours to make a 1.5 hour drive. Typically between noon and 4pm. Make sure to check your Waze app to make sure you are watching your arrival time back. If it is snowing hard, the roads/tunnel may also be closed. There are alternative routes (Loveland pass) that you can take back if this happens but you will need extra travel time. 

Have fun playing in the Pow Pow. Check out the post on our local favorite breweries and restaurants.