After planning for almost a year, we spent one lovely week of June in Colorado, with family. We had pretty much planned our whole summer of travels around this event. My parents, two of my sisters, their spouses, and my nephew all met together in a large house that we shared in Dillon, Colorado.
Accommodations
The house was part of a timeshare, which had a clubhouse, fitness room, indoor pool and hot tub, tennis courts, and a game room. From our back balcony, we had gorgeous views of the mountains, along with an adorable family of foxes that lived behind the property. On many different occasions, we took advantage of the pool and hot tub, and my mom even coerced a few of her grandsons to engage in tennis.
Day 1: Dillon Hike & Lake Cruise
We began day one with an attempted family hike, but we lost a few members along the way (figuratively, not literally) after we ended up at the wrong trail at the end of a steep gravel road. Not everyone felt like hiking with potential bear sightings. So, half of us ventured out anyway with our bear spray. It was for the best, because it was mostly an uphill hike. We didn’t make it too far before turning back. However, the sound of the river alongside us was a nice experience.
Then we ventured to downtown Dillon, which was a cute little area. Dillon had gorgeous views of the Lake, and a nice playground, leading to a dock area for boat rides, canoes, and paddle boards. Some pubs were lined up along the lake. Some of us decided to take the Water Taxi to nearby Frisco, simply for the ride and the views.
Day 2: Breckenridge Fun Park
Day 2, we spent at Breckenridge Fun Park, what I consider the Disney World for outdoor enthusiasts. We rode a gondola to the top, never my favorite experience, but I masked my fear and passed the time by taking silly pictures on the way up. It was so much fun for the kids and adults. They had everything from an alpine slide, a coaster, zip lining, a ropes course, miniature golf, a maze, rock climbing, a bouncy house, and hiking. You could even walk up on a glacier, which my godson did!
Even my adventurous mother rode the ski lift up and took her turn riding the Alpine Slide down!
Day 3: Frisco Hike & Casino Trip
Day 3 began with a trip to the Casino for half the family, and the rest of us went for a hike in Frisco. For some reason, we chose the uphill hike rather than the easier loop. The views were nice, and we were basically all alone on this trail, but we had some nice family bonding time.
Day 4: South Park City
South Park City, located about an hour from Dillon, in Fairplay, was such a cool way to spend a day! This cute little restored mining town had over 20 buildings to explore. There was an old mine, an extensive history museum, a courthouse, a general store, and a dentist.
Additionally, we explored the schoolhouse, bed and breakfast, train depot, and even some old train cars. There was such a nice collection of memorabilia from the late 1800’s, that we felt like we could really appreciate the people who lived there.
Purchase tickets to the South Park City Museum here.
Day 5: ATV Fun
Day 5: Thanks to some great babysitters, we got away and rented ATVs from Nova Guides at Camp Hale for our first official ATV rides. On the way, we made a quick stop in the gorgeous town of Vail, where we had lunch.
Rick and I opted for a 2 hour self-guided tour, while Gina and Patrick did the 4 hour. We got to sport some pretty awesome head gear and goggles. Gina and Patrick were so nice to go easy (and slow) for us first-timers. We did the recommended “easier” route, which ended up somehow being much rockier than anticipated.
I only freaked out near the end, climbing over an extremely rocky trail, when I was afraid I’d tip over and fall off the mountain. Apparently that’s because I was going too slow. Fortunately, I survived. By the end, I was skirting the maximum speed limit of 25 miles an hour. We can’t wait to ATV again!
Day 6: Rafting Fail & Breckenridge Hike/Shop
Day 6 was our last full day together. Unfortunately, due to high water, our rafting trip was cancelled. Gina and her crew went downhill biking. The rest of us drove towards Breckenridge and took a short, but lovely loop walk at Sapphire Point Overlook Trail. The views were so nice! Then we spent the rest of the day shopping.
Some of us spent time working on puzzles throughout the week, courtesy of the Timeshare. Diane picked a really cool puzzle, and it took us a little while to realize that the picture on the box wasn’t what the puzzle actually was – the picture on the box was a group of people on the beach SEEING what was coming towards them, which was a mystery until we finished the puzzle.
Gina and her family are a little more adventurous than the rest of us, and they went on quite a few hikes, even getting caught in a few downpours. They also did two different downhill biking trips.
We even remembered to take a family shot. We had such a great week in Colorado!
Travel Resources:
