Travel, trails and adventure in Summit County, Colorado: Breckenridge, Frisco, Dillon and Beyond

The Herman's Gulch trail, near Summit County, Colorado, is an excellent choice for hiking with pets.

Route: out-and-back to Herman Lake on the Herman’s Gulch trail
Start/End: Herman’s Gulch trailhead, Exit 218, just off I-70
Season: Summer and Fall

Herman Lake is the destination for most folks hiking the Herman's Gulch trail, located near Summit County, Colorado.

I’m becoming a fan of fall. Not that I haven’t always enjoyed it; but lately I’ve been more hooked than ever on those cool mornings that become warm bluebird days with no clouds in sight.

Here in Colorado, fall means changing aspen. For the most part, we don’t have the red, orange and yellow trees the east coast sees … just the bright yellows of the aspen and shortly thereafter, the rich golds of the cottonwoods.

On the Herman’s Gulch trail, just off I-70 near the Eisenhower Tunnel, fall means more than changing aspen. Grassy shrubs on the hillsides of the surrounding peaks turn shades of orange and red. [Read more →]

Eric and his mom went for a zip line tour with Zip Adventures near Vail, Colorado. And here’s the videos:

Eric’s point of view zip lining through the canyons near Vail, Colorado:

The 1000-footer is the longest zip at Zip Adventures near Vail, Colorado:

A guide himself, Eric really liked the folks running the show. So when it’s time to zip line in Colorado, we say go for Zip Adventures near Vail, Colorado. http://www.zipadventures.com

The annual rubber duck races in Breckenridge are one of many events happening over the Labor Day weekend in Summit County, Colorado.

Just as Memorial Day is often considered the unofficial start to summer, Labor Day can be considered the unofficial close. The aspen in my neighborhood are already beginning to turn yellow, despite Denver temperatures climbing into the 90s.

While many of Summit County’s towns offer events into the fall, the non-stop, free event summer circus is nearing its end. So this will be the last of the weekly event posts until next summer. That said, I can’t stay away from Oktoberfest and the other Summit County events that continue through the fall. So you may get some photos from those. Besides, the approach of fall is an excellent time for backpacking and biking. So I’ll likely be posting those exploits as well. Until next summer, here’s your top events for August 30 – September 6 in Summit County, Colorado: Breckenridge, Copper, Dillon, Frisco and Keystone. [Read more →]

Wine and food are the highlights of summer events this week in Breckenridge, Keystone and Dillon.

With school in session and Labor Day swiftly approaching, we’re nearing the end of summer events season. Still, there’s plenty happening as we approach fall. This week? The summer event focus is food and drink. [Read more →]

Summit County has some cool events this week, but we're headed to Gunnison's 24 Hours in the Sage. Don't worry, the Le Mans start is a thing of the past.

Not surprisingly, bikes and outdoor events are the subject of the moment this week in Summit County. And beyond. Despite all the great things happening throughout Summit over the weekend, I’m headed to Gunnison for 24 Hours in the Sage, simply the best 24-hour mountain bike race around. Think singletrack, pancakes and a seemingly endless flow of beer. Don’t worry, we take race-day registration. So gather your friends, create a team and head to Gunnison, Colorado. Heck, do it solo. Or on a townie.

And for those of you that refuse to head to Gunnison for a weekend, here are my event picks for Summit County, Colorado for August 16 – August 22: [Read more →]

The Swan Mountain Road bike path is part of an excellent loop for road biking in Summit County, Colorado.

Route: Swan Mountain Road loop, clockwise around Lake Dillon
Start/End: Dillon, Colorado
Season: Spring-Fall

Since I started mountain biking in Colorado (last season), I’ve definitely been splitting the time I formerly spent solely on my road bike. I like it all, and I love commuting and touring. But with a recent back injury, I found myself rediscovering some of my favorite road bike rides in Colorado, including the Swan Mountain Road loop. Recent completion of the bike path up the east side of Swan Mountain Road has also made it much more pleasant.

Swan Mountain Road

A two-lane road, Swan Mountain Road runs between U.S. Highway 6 (near Keystone and Dillon) and Colorado State Highway 9 (near Breckenridge and Frisco). Swan Mountain Road is a much shorter route than I-70 for those traveling between Breckenridge and Keystone or Summit Cove. It can also be a preferred route to/from Dillon. [Read more →]

Live music is the big story this week in Summit County, Colorado.

Ok, so working Dillon’s BBQ Challenge and having family in town at the same time wasted me. So your events this week are a bit late. Still, there’s plenty happening this weekend throughout Summit County. Think live music, and plenty of it. [Read more →]

BBQ at the Summit hits Dillon, Colorado on August 6th and 7th.

As an employee of the Town of Dillon’s event department, I’ll be speaking barbeque for the entire week. I’ll just be thankful that speaking doesn’t equal the same calories as eating.

There’s plenty happening this week in the county in addition to BBQ at the Summit. Here goes: [Read more →]