Summer Activities in the Mountains
- Rock Climbing
- Hiking
- Mountain biking
- Road biking
- Boating
- Tubing
- Rafting
- Golfing
- Paddle boarding
- Horseback Riding
- ATVing
- Trail running
- Fishing
- Off Roading
- Live music
- Camping
- Hot Springs
- Music Festivals
- Live Music
- Mining Tours
- Ghost Towns
- Gondola Rides — Summer
- Breckenridge Epic Discovery
- Rodeos
- Off Road driving
- Railroads
- Casinos Black Hawk and Cripple Creek
- Rent a boat, kayak, canoe, paddleboard
- Explore old mines
- Repelling
- Cliff Jumping
- Zip Lining and other jungle gyms
- Paragliding
- Hot Air Balloon
- Sky Diving
- Helicopter Tour
Breckenridge
- Dillon Ampitheater Schedule
- Lake Dillon – large lake surrounded by mountains. Go for a walk, picnic at one of the beaches, rent a boat/kayak/paddleboard.
- Ride the Breckenridge Gondola lift to the top of the ski resort. There you can hike around, take part in the Epic Discovery (alpine slide, alpine jungle gym, downhill roller coaster, climbing wall, mini golf). Sometimes there is live music, too.
- Rent a bike or E-Bike. Take the bike around trails through town, find a mountain bike trail, or take it up the lift for some downhill action at the resort.
- Walk Historic Main Street – lots of shops and restaurants
- Hike. Mohawk Lakes and MINING HIKE are my favorites
- Mine Tour
- Breckenridge Golf Course
- Horseback Riding
- Museums – learn about the history of Breckenridge
- Check out another ski resort town. Vail Village, which is more of a European style village, is a 40min drive
Steamboat Springs
- Fish Creek Falls – stunning waterfall. Half mile hike. Some stop here, others continue on for the 6 mile round trip hike which offers great views of the river, town, mountain range, and 2 additional waterfalls.
- Strawberry Hot Springs. Highly recommended. Make your reservation ASAP. Night time is recommended – the sky will light up with stars.
- Rodeo every Friday and Saturday July thru August
- Sunpies
- Tube the Yampa River. Backdoor Sports offers tube rentals and will pick you up via bus following your 2-mile float.
- White Water Rafting in Rancho del Rio. 1hr 15min drive from Steamboat Springs. The float along the Colorado River will also take you past Radium Hot Springs and a cliff jumping spot. Could be a good stop when traveling from/to Denver.
- Mountain Biking
- Scenic gondola ride. Open Daily 6/14-9/2. Fri-Sun 9/6-9/29.
- Alpine Slide
- Horseback Riding
- Ziplining
- UTV Tour
- Golf
Estes Park
Estes Park is the eastern Gateway into Rocky Mountain National Park. Estes is only 1.5 hours from DIA so is the more popular and built-up town. The western gateway, Grand Lake, is the western gateway into RMNP and also an amazing town to visit, at only 2.5 hours from DIA.
Fly Fish Lesson
Hike and/or Drive RMNP
Elk rutting season mid September thru mid October. The chances are a great that you will see very large herds of elk around town whether that is at a park or in people’s backyards. If you’re lucky, you will even see 2 bull elk battling it out for the herd of female cows.
Rent a bike
Stanley Hotel where The Shining was filmed
Horseback riding
Ride the Estes Park Aerial Tram
Stroll along the Estes Park Riverwalk
Eat, Shop, and Play in the historic downtown
Kent Mountain Adventure Center
Walk or SUP at Lake Estes
White Water Rafting
Glenwood Springs
- White Water Rafting
- Kayak
- Hike – Hanging Lake
- Stroll Downtown
- Hot Springs (x3)
- Glenwood Canyon Trail
- Amusement Park
- California Zephyr Train stop
- Fishing — Colorado River runs through town. Also the Roaring Fork River
- Amusement Park
- Bus to Aspen
- Mountain Bike
Pagosa Springs
Deepest hot springs in the world
30mins from Wolf Creek Ski Area – known to frequently receive the most snow in the state averaging 38′ per year. Wolf Creek continues to be a family run independent resort so doesn’t draw the crows that EPIC and IKON resorts do. There is also great hiking and snowmobiling on Wolf Creek Pass.
Waterfall
Camping
San Juan Mountain Range
Fishing
Telluride
Mining town that goes back to the mid 1800’s. Miners came here looking for gold and silver.
A top rated ski resort and town in Colorado though difficult to get to. The views all around, in the San Juan Mountain Range, are top tier.
Telluride Film Festival and Mountain Film Festival.
Town Park – This is a year-round attraction offering everything from winter ice skating and cross country skiing, to summer swimming, camping, and basketball courts. It’s free to use many of the park’s facilities, aside from activities like the Town Park Campground, Telluride Nordic Center, or Hanley Ice Rink.
Camping: Alta Lakes is situated at 11,000 feet, with great views, good fishing, and access to a ghost town, Alta. From Telluride, follow directions to Sunshine, then turn left (southeast) onto Forest Rd 632. Go 4.5 miles up a 4×4 road
Trout Lake which is 10 mins from downtown, is a great place to catch rainbow and brown trout
Hikes: Bridal Veil Falls – at 365 ft, this is the largest waterfall in Colorado. You can hike to the top at 1.2 miles each way or view the falls from the bottom
Upper Bear Creek Waterfall
Coors Beer Hike
Telluride Bluegrass Festival
Telluride Balloon Festival
Telluride Yoga Festival
Telluride Wine Festival
Nothing Day Festival
The RIDE Festival
Telluride Americana Music Festival
Telluride Chamber Music Festival
Telluride Jazz Festival
Telluride Blues & Brews Festival
Telluride Autumn Classic
Camp