mrt

My family of 4, including 2 teenagers are interested in going back to Colorado for a week this July. We have been to Aspen, Telluride, Breckenridge, and Park City Utah. Personally, I enjoyed the Breckenridge and Park City the most. We are now thinking about somewhere different such as Steamboat and Crested Butte. I know there is no right or definitive answer, but would like a general opinion which town might be more fun and interesting for us. We like 3 star and above accomodations, we like casual hikes, bike riding, store browsing, moderate and fun restaurants and other touristy activities, and ice cream.

historytraveler

IMO, Crested Butte is the best option, but have you thought about Telluride or Durango ?

cmeyer54

Actually, anywhere in colorado in the summer is wonderful. Our family has done several trips to Beaver Creek/Avon. I'm sure similar activites are available all over but we do the mountain biking, white water rafting, frisbee golf, horseback riding, zipline tours, ATV tours, and on and on. If you do Telluride, you have both mountain village and the town of telluride to explore, with steamboat, you have hayden, with crested butte you have the town plus mt crestd butte. we've skied both in winter; you can't go wrong. just figure out what is the best in terms of travel - airports, airlines, etc and have a blast. Aspen and Vail/BC will be a bit more upscale with the shopping and restaurants.

sheri_lp

The Butte would be fun - and you can take a drive down to Blue Mesa Reservoir if you want to get in the water. Or go up to Lake City and take a jeep ride over Engineer Pass.

Then you could drive by Western State College in Gunnison and wave hello to my alma mater

Jackie

Have you looked at Ouray down in SW Colorado...jeep tours, train ride, hiking, day trips, hot springs. I just loved it there. Spend 3 days in July in Steamboat and it was okay, but once was enough.

sheri_lp

oh yeah Ouray is a great spot

historytraveler

In rereading your post, I see that you have already been to Telluride. I still believe that Crested Butte is the best option of the two you mentioned. It is further from Denver than Steamboat Springs but has a more dramtic setting.

Ouray is pleasant enough for a couple of days, but there are several things to keep in mind. Ouray is a small town nestled in between high peaks, thus it takes the sun several hours to make any impact on the morning temperatures. As the sun falls behind behind the mts. temperatures drop rapidly. There are a limited number of restaurants but most are fairly similar...not a lot of variety. The Tundra in the Beamont is excellent but pricey. There is a hot springs pool and, of course, plenty of hiking trails and places to explore. Shopping is okay and Ouray does have a good ice cream shop. However you'll not have any difficulty finding good ice cream at any of these places. www.ouraycolorado.com

Crested Butte is the most scenic and has a plethora of summer activities. Shopping is okay but not great, and there are a limited number of restaurants but a few good ones. The town of Crested Butte is charming, the mountain village less so. www.crestedbutte.com

Steamboat Springs: While I can't fault the skiing here, I've always found the town a bit of a bore. I've yet to be impressed enough to venture into a shop and the restaurants are disappointing in a town of this size. That said there are still some okay places to dine.The setting/geography at Steamboat is the least attractive, IMO, of those mentioned.
www.steamboat.com

Durango: While the area is not as scenic as C.B. or Ouray it would be one of my choices. I love the town as it has a lot of charcter/charm and at 6500', the lower elevation is a bonus. Plenty to do here including a zipline and a hot springs pool & spa. You might also be able to do a day trip to Mesa Verde and the train to Silverton. www.durango.org

historytraveler

Sorry, the Crested Butte website should be www.visitcrestedbutte.com

mrt

Thank you historytraveler your response was very informative.

mrt

Crested Butte seems more like the Colorado experience I appreciate.

padams421

Go to Crested Butte. It's more scenic and I think you'll find more to do in the CB area than the area around Steamboat. Neither place has dining comparable to Aspen (or even Breck, Telluride or Park City) but you won't go hungry. I'd rate CB as better than Steamboat for dining. You also won't find much shopping in Steamboat or CB but there are the standard tshirt and ski gear shops and a few art galleries.

Steamboat is a great choice if you are a skier looking for early (holidays) snow.

Given where you have been, I'd suggest that you consider Jackson Hole WY. Many good restaurants and shops. Lots of hiking options plus the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone are nearby. Great western atmosphere.

Steamboat is a great choice if you are a skier looking for early (holidays) snow.

mrt

I thought of Jackson Hole but it is too expensive to get there from Florida, where we live.

RQSteamboat

mrt- Steamboat is a great choice for the summer, especially if you're bringing your family! Steamboat is surrounded by world class mountain biking and hiking, or if you want to just hang out you can take a relaxing tube ride down the river, play a round of golf or disc golf, or hang out by the pool at one of the great resorts in Steamboat.

The Trappeur's Crossing Resort is a great 4-star resort that will have something for everyone in the family. It has 3 heated pools, 5 outdoor hot tubs, a gym, on-site sauna, tennis courts and a putting green. It's very close to the free bus route so you dont have to worry about driving downtown to enjoy any of the countless restaurants and shops. I hope this helps!