Summer in the mountains is an adventure enthusiasts dream! The snow melt from surrounding peaks fill our alpine lakes and nourish the budding fields of wildflowers, the aspen trees beam bright green, and wildlife begins to wake up and roam the county. From hiking among the wildflowers, to kayaking on Dillon Reservoir, to biking the rec path, and golfing on one of our many world-renowned courses, you won’t want to miss out on your chance to live and play in the mountains. Owning your mountain dream home is an opportunity to immerse yourself in nature and be closer to these incredible activities, giving way to a higher quality of living. While still respecting the current state-mandated laws, there are still many activities to enjoy while you’re here. Whether you choose to stay in Silverthorne, Dillon, Frisco, Breckenridge, Keystone, or Copper, our team at Wolf Real Estate is here to help you enjoy the summer in Summit County, with this activity guide from a local.
The Rocky Mountains boast some of the most spectacular jaw-dropping hiking trails through the twists and turns of aspen trees, over hills of painted wildflowers, and around valleys of towering lodgepole pines. Summit County trails vary in length, difficulty, and elevation gain, so no matter what type of hiker you are or what types of features you’d like to see, there’s a trail for everyone to enjoy. Check out the Summit County Interactive Trails map to see the extensive recreational resources of Summit County. As a kind reminder, please be sure to practice Leave No Trace etiquette when exploring our many beautiful trails!
Golf fanatics have a lot of options when choosing a favorite course here in Summit. Tee off while enjoying stunning mountainscape views at one of Keystone’s two courses-The River or The Ranch. Enjoy stunning lake views at The Copper Creek course at Copper Mountain or one of the county’s best courses at The Raven Golf Club in Silverthorne. You might even end up making a tee time at The Breckenridge Golf Course, which features three championship nine-hole golf courses and is the only place in the world where golfers can enjoy a 27-hole Jack Nicklaus-designed course. No matter where you decide to play, with elevations over 8,000 feet, everyone enjoys standing back and watching their drives go further.
There are many ways to experience nature, and for some, the best way is by horseback! Located close to Breckenridge, the Rusty Spurr Ranch sits on 2,000 acres of beautiful, natural land and allows riders to explore and revel in the natural wonders that Colorado has to offer. The Rusty Spurr offers one, two, or three hour group trail rides or private rides for anyone over the age of 8. Experienced or not, you won’t want to miss their horseback trips of a lifetime! Make your reservation with the horseback riding experts at the Rusty Spurr Ranch here.
Fun on the Water
Dillon Reservoir is a large fresh-water reservoir bordered by the towns of Silverthorne, Dillon, and Frisco where you can enjoy lots of different water activities. Whether you are renting a pontoon boat for the day from the Dillon Marina or Frisco Marina, or bringing out your own paddle board for a relaxing float on the lake, be sure to check out the islands and coves scattered throughout the water- you might even be lucky enough to spot wildlife that have made the reservoir’s vegetation their home. Adventure Paddle Tours is a fantastic, highly experienced and informative company that launches guided kayak tours from the Frisco Marina- give them a call to make reservations in advance.
Summit is home to some of the best fly fishing spots in the state. With the Blue River running right through the county, and the Arkansas River close by, you won’t want to miss out on incredible rainbow trout fishing. Check out Mountain Anglers who guide different types of fly fishing trips year round - yes there are trips available in both the summer and winter season!
Whether you’re an adrenaline-seeker who wants to test the class IV rapids of Colorado, or you’re a float-down-the-river kind of adventurer, white water rafting is one of the best and most incredible ways to experience the mountains. We highly recommend going on a rafting trip with Kodi Rafting as they have varying trip levels, as well as different launch locations, depending on where you’d like to begin your rafting trip. These experienced guides are the Local’s Choice, and have been voted Best Rafting Company in Summit County numerous times- a tough company to beat!
Although you won’t find snow at the resort in the summer, you can still utilize the resorts many hiking trails that follow the ski lift lines and give way to gorgeous views. Explore the beauty Keystone Resort, Copper Mountain Resort, and Breckenridge Resort have to offer with on-mountain hiking for the entire family to enjoy!
The Breckenridge Alpine Slide is tons of fun for a family with kids, as it’s part of the Fun Park on Peak 8. The slide has three separate 2,600 foot long tracks and features a mix of dips, turns and fast speeds. While you’re there, check out the gold runner alpine coaster too- a classic Breckenridge adventure!
Dining Options
The best way to start your day is with a hearty breakfast-and a strong coffee! Arguably the best place in town is Butterhorn Bakery located on Main Street in Frisco. They have delicious breakfast favorites, mouth-watering baked daily pastries, and even offer a lunch option during their hours of 7:30 am until 2:30 pm with tent, patio, and indoor dining options.
Every Friday from June to September from 9:00a-2:00p the Town of Dillon holds the Dillon Farmer’s Market located right next to the marina with rows of vendors selling local Colorado produce, cheeses, hand-made crafts, treats, and more. Fresh juicy peaches from Palisade and Bjorn’s locally-grown honey farm are some of the many vendors that attend. The market is all outdoors, so get your walking shoes on and go hungry, there’s lots of yummy street bites at the Dillon Farmer’s Market.
If you’re still hungry and looking for a place for lunch with an incredible view of Dillon Reservoir, head over to the Tiki Bar at the Dillon Marina, open daily at 11:30am. If you’re looking to enjoy something strong, they’re famous for their rum runner- give it a try!
5th Avenue Grill on Main Street Frisco has some of the most delicious dinner options. Like many other restaurants on Main Street, they have extended their outdoor seating to offer more space on their patio. We highly recommend making it in time for their happy hour as their menu options are all mouth-watering. Local’s tip: the Carolina sliders are to die for!
The Towns of Frisco and Breckenridge closed off Main Street to motor traffic at the beginning of the summer to allow local businesses to have more space and respect current public health orders. Stretching from 2nd to 6th street in Frisco and most of main street in Breckenridge, make sure to stop by and support our local businesses and enjoy shopping and open-air dining options along the pedestrian and bike only zone. Most days you can also enjoy live music played by local artists along the pedestrian promenade!
Summit County and our team here at Wolf Real Estate welcome visitors during this summer season, despite the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic. The beauty of being in the mountains during this time, is that there is lots of space to enjoy with your family. We invite you to hike our mountains, dine in our restaurants, shop our local businesses, raft our rivers and stay in our lodging options. While maintaining a safe distance from others and wearing a face covering in public places, we are confident that we can all recreate responsibly and continue to enjoy true Colorado mountain culture together.
If you’ve fallen in love with the Summit County lifestyle like we have, and are interested in learning more about how you can make the mountains your home too, please reach out to us as we would be happy to help you begin your search for the perfect home, vacation home, or rental property!
"Todd did a great job of showing available properties in our price range and explaining the market to us, but the real work started after we were in contract. They did a phenomenal job of helping us navigate all the obstacles of purchasing an out-of-state home. I can’t thank them enough for their assistance." - Michael Sizelove
'We had the pleasure of working with Todd from the Wolf Team in our purchase of real estate in Frisco. We had tight time constraints and were working from out of state in purchasing a property. Todd did an excellent job objectively assessing our needs for price and value in the area. He went above and beyond to vet numerous properties prior to our arrival. Upon our arrival, we were quickly able to evaluate options and make an informed purchase decision. Todd was more interested in putting our short and long-term needs first before making a quick sale. Todd's follow-up after the sale has also been exceptional. He has made sure all is well after the sale and also let us know his help is available for issues beyond our purchase. I highly recommend Todd and the Wolf Team." - Paul Stewart
"Great team!!! Either Kouri or Todd get back to me as soon as they are by their phone. I always enjoy working with them.!!" - Arnette Schouten
"We entrusted Kouri to handle 3 real estate transactions for us over the past 10 years. She has been in the area since the late 1970s, so she has tremendous familiarity with Summit County properties as they exist today and their history of development. Kouri complements her familiarity with Summit County with great competency that, for us, translated into savings in our pocket. She readily puts her tireless energy at work for her clients, which helped build a long-term relationship with us and repeat business without hesitation. She's the best in Summit County!" -User 0571849 via Zillow.com
"She listed our home. She made several suggestions on changes to be made to our home which would encourage showings. She had multiple showings almost every week. She works with her son, which actually provided us with 2 agents! She kept us updated on sales in the area. She assisted us with finding people to keep the home very presentable, including snow removals, house cleaning services, and watering of flowers." -LCFobes via Zillow.com
"Kouri went above and beyond to help us purchase a home from a thousand miles away, after only one visit to town. She drove us around in the snow and tromped through houses as they were being built and made special Saturday appointments with architects and builders. We are thrilled with Kouri and will definitely be calling her again for any future real estate needs." -BabsWood via Zillow.com