Things to do
You have come a long way for one evening. Here is what to do with the rest of it.
Up high
The gondola runs all summer and takes the work out of getting to 11,640 feet. Everything up there is a short walk from the top station.
River Run to Dercum Mountain
Fifteen minutes up, with Lake Dillon and the Tenmile Range laid out behind you. Lunch at the top, walk a ridge, ride back down.
Keystone Bike Park
Lift-served mountain biking with runs from gentle to genuinely alarming. Bikes and armour rent at River Run.
Sapphire Point Overlook
A twenty-minute loop off Swan Mountain Road for the best view of the lake you will get for that little effort. Good at sunset.
Hiking
Trails start within minutes of the lodge. Remember you are at altitude: go slower than you think you should, start early, and be off exposed ground by early afternoon, when July storms build.
Montezuma and Peru Creek
Straight up the valley behind Ski Tip. Old mining road, wildflowers, water the whole way, and almost no climbing unless you want it.
Lily Pad Lake or Mohawk Lakes
Classic Summit County lake hikes. Mohawk has waterfalls and mine ruins; Lily Pad is the shorter, easier one.
Quandary Peak or Grays and Torreys
Three fourteeners within an hour. Start before dawn, and only if you have had days to acclimatise. Permits and shuttle apply on Quandary in summer.
Biking and driving
Summit County has an unusually good paved path network, and some of the best high passes in the state are open dirt roads by July.
The rec path
Keystone to Frisco, then on to Breckenridge or up Vail Pass, all separated from traffic. Rent in River Run or Dillon.
Montezuma, Webster and Boreas Pass
Ghost towns, mine works and passes above treeline. Boreas is manageable in most cars; Webster and Argentine want real clearance.
Jeep tours from Breckenridge
If you would rather not risk a rental car, several outfitters run half-day 4x4 trips into the same country.
Lake and river
The Blue River runs behind the lodge, and Lake Dillon is ten minutes away.
Dillon and Frisco marinas
Pontoons, kayaks, paddleboards and sailing lessons on the reservoir, with the Gore Range behind.
Blue, Colorado, Clear Creek, Arkansas
Everything from float trips with children to Class IV. AVA, Performance Tours and Breckenridge Whitewater all run daily from Summit County.
The Blue River
Gold Medal water below the dam. Guides in Silverthorne and Frisco will put you on fish in half a day.
Horses, gold and towns
For anyone who would rather not gain 3,000 feet on foot.
Keystone and Breckenridge stables
Trail rides through meadows and river crossings, an hour or a half day. Book well ahead in July.
Country Boy Mine, Breckenridge
Go underground into an 1880s gold mine, then pan the creek outside. Genuinely good with children.
Breckenridge, Frisco, Dillon
Main Street in Breck for the gold-rush architecture, Frisco for a quieter version of the same, Dillon for the marina and the amphitheatre.
A few more
Keystone Ranch and River Course
Two courses on the resort. The Ranch course wraps the meadow near the lodge.
Breckenridge Rec Center
Pool, climbing wall and courts, for the afternoon the weather wins.
Dillon Dam Brewery
Where we start on the Wednesday. Worth returning to.
Almost everything here books up in July. If there is something you have set your heart on, reserve it before you fly. And give yourself the first day to do very little: at 9,200 feet, the ambitious plan on day one is usually the one that goes wrong.