Denver/Breckenridge/Summit County
 

We are a family of 4 with 2kids aged 7 and 8 and fly into denver stay 1night, head out to Breckenridge the next day (friday)and fly out Sunday night. We are staying in Summit County on Friday night.

Any suggestions for things to do while there in December? Is Summit county a good choice to stay when we plan to go skiing and tubing in Breckenridge? Should we venture Denver Downtown?

Breckenridge IS in Summit County. Where are you staying Friday night, if not Breck. And where Thursday night?
Are you all good skieers?
All in all it might be better to go on to the mountains when you fly in.
"Venture" into downtown Denver? Nothing wrong with that.
You have a VERY short time.
Check for having to make reservations for tubing--I assume Breck has it.

With such a short stay, I'd drive to Summit County Thursday evening.
Where are you staying?

What are you dates? The big tubing hill is at Copper Mountain. You don't need reservations for tubing. I do not recall any tubing at Breckenridge. From the airport you are two solid hours to Breckenridge with reasonable traffic. However, Sunday afternoon traffic back to Denver from the mountains can easily double that time and,a little snow, will make it longer. With you very short time and travel times it is either Denver or Breckenridge.

We need more details to make sense of your travel plans. What exactly are plans relative to skiing, tubing, etc.

I meant to add. Unless it is very late arrival on Thursday, the smart thing to do would be going to Breckenridge. If you go up on Friday AM you will be lucky to get a half day at Breck. If you stay anywhere near the airport you will have a traffic problem in the morning getting across Denver on I-70. Then when you get to Breck, mostly likely you will be unable to checkin till the afternoon so don't know where you would change to ski clothes unless you do it before you leave Denver. It will take time to fit and rent boots and skis because I assume you are not bring your own skis.

Reserving skis on line is a good idea to speed up the process. If you go the night before, traffic will be lighter, easier to check in, and pick up you gear so you are ready to roll in the morning.

Have you considered flying in to Salt Lake City for such a short trip? It's a 30 min drive from the airport to any of 7 major ski areas. Might be a lot easier for a long weekend.

But, it will be more expensive and a longer flight coming from the east or southern part of the US. So SLC might not be a better option.

How can you possibly guarantee it would be more expensive?

Simple, unless there is a promotion or strange routing it generally costs more to fly the further your fly direct.

For example - mid-Jan, lowest direct flights

Difference NY to Den or SLC is $119, from Miami $106, and from Atlanta $267. I would call that more expensive plus the additional time.

Our flight arrives on thursday to denver at 11:30pm so thats why we are heading out to Summit city Friday morning. we are not great skiiers. For the kids it will be their first time. We are staying at a hotel in Summit city so are open to any of the ski resorts. Would like to take kids to ski and tubing and make snowmen. Which ski resort would you recommend when our hotel is in summit city? We are not bringing our own skis and plan to rent. Our flight leaves out from Denver on Sunday night at 9pm.

There is no Summit City. It's Summit County. So where exactly are you staying?

i must of mistyped. We are staying at Comfort suites in dillon,colorado.

For one real day, skiing is not really a time or cost effective situation for any of you.
Dillon is in the sort of middle of Summit County ski areas. You could go on to Copper Mountain (maybe 20 minutes) and do some tubing.
Keystone ski area is 15 minutes from Dillon and there is a cross country ski area there that perhaps the kids could build some snow men.
Where are you coming from?

Boy, that is a quick trip. Really consider staying in one of the ski towns/resorts, particularly if you are compelled to ski. Each town/resort has its own charm and most offer walkability, while Dillon is more of a modern town. That said, Dillon has a nice brewery and the Silverthorne outlet mall across the highway.

Keep in mind that it will take a little time to get your skis fitted. If the kids haven't skied before, you'll also need to make ski school arrangements. That means a very early Friday a.m., or one day of skiing (Sat.).

Comfort Suites is just off I-70 in the Dillon/Silverthorne area. Again, what are your dates???? This could have big impact on your plans. And again --- I agree with Gretchen for the most part you are looking at one day of skiing - on a Saturday that tends to be fairly crowded. You are going to a lot of effort and expense for a day.

Dillon/Silverthorne/Frisco are center to three ski areas - Keystone, Breckenridge, Copper. My recommendation to beginner skiers, especially young kids, is a min of 2.5 days of lessons. The first day you don't learn much more than learning how to get up once you fall down, putting skis on and off, and a very little bit of snowplow. The second day you might get off the bunny slope but probably not. One day in ski or even a day and half will not accomplish much.

But, if you are determined, I would recommended Copper for beginning lessons. They have an excellent ski school program. It is a little smaller area that makes it easier to get around. Rent your skis there. Access off of I-70 is easier but don't miss the exit. The next turn around is 25 miles later in Vail. (I missed it once).

With a 9pm departure you will need to leave the ski area no later than 3 pm just to anticipate traffic congestion on Sunday. And if there is any snow, leave at noon.

Good luck.

Meant to add. Staying in Dillon makes you a day skier. There is free bus service from the Dillon area to all the ski areas except that it is a little slow. With your time limits, I would drive. At Copper the parking is free in the outlaying lots and the shuttle is frequent and fairly quick. The pay lots closer in fill up fairly quickly. The only free parking at Breckenridge is the old airport - far away. It has been several years since I skied at Keystone so don't know if all the free lots are still free. You can walk a long ways at Keystone. There has been a trend at the ski areas to convert free parking to paid parking.

I agree that this is a drive-by visit to Colorado, with practically no time to relax, much less to ski.

Your kids are so young, that I doubt it will be much fun for them, or for you.

And, I'd never stay at housing like that, right off I-70. Where's the mountain charm in that?

Please re-consider. Come out when you have a week off, and/or when your kids are older.

Just MHO.

While the short stay is certainly not ideal, there may be reasons for it. So, if plans are made and not cancellable make the best of it. Copper. Mt. Is probably you're best option. Follow fmpden's advice. Even a day of skiing can be fun. Kids usually pick up on it faster and better than adults. Most kids have a great time even if they don't learn all the basics, or just do the tubing.....a lot less expensive than ski rentals and lessons. BTW. make sure you get a very early start up to Summit County. Traffic can be ( usually is ) horrendous.

As fmpden indicated and ht said, Sunday afternoon travel from ski areas to Denver is <b>AWFUL</b>. You cannot underestimate this. Think of every stereotype you've heard about NYC, LA, Houston or similar traffic hells and then consider crawling about at that pace for 4-5 hours. It is horrendous. Made that mistake once, worst and most excruciating drive of my life even though the weather was good (yes, far worse than the drive from DEN to Breck in a blizzard in a rented Altima fitted out with just all-weather tires). If you'd have popped on this board before planning this trip, you'd have been advised to leave on Monday, school for the hobbits be da*ned.

It may be slightly better this year. CDOT substantially reworked I-70 from Georgetown to Idaho Springs. The shoulder has been removed and a third toll lane installed. It is a variable pricing toll and have no idea how it will work. There have been rumors that the toll could be as high as $13. The toll lane is not separated so assume a lot of signage so that people do not accidentally get into the toll lane. That section of the road can be a real problem on Sunday pm.

However, for the OP - going up on Friday am should not be a problem once pass Denver.

I think this is a colossal waste of money for these folks. They do not know anything about the ski area (see "summit city", etc.) or maybe even how to navigate getting equipment, etc. I don't mean this to be snarky. I DO know the effort it takes to fly, rent a car, get little kids bedded down, then up EARLY to go skiing. This is not a trip for a long weekend.

Obviously not ideal but if plans are made and can't be postponed or cancelled, it does little good to point out all the difficulties. Best to just give all the advice we can, and I think some here have done so.

I think it does help to point out some difficulties in this case, and hope it meshes with good advice to encourage them to basically "keep moving" in order to maximize what time they have.
I would NOT try to ski.
I would go tubing, find some places to play in the snow.
Keystone has a bungy jumping place in the square--I'm not sure if their children are too young/little.
the town of Frisco has great places to eat (better than Dillon) and is close.

I am suspicious that the trip could be this month. Having the actual dates would be great aid.

Will add one other comment. The state patrol has announced a strict enforcement of the chain law. Any time a snow emergency is declared a two wheel drive car must have M&S tires with good tread or some other traction aid - generally chains. All weather, all season tires do not count. The ticket and fine can be substantial in the range of a couple hundred dollars. Who knows if this will actually happen but if it happens once to you that is enough.

Looks like our comments were too critical for the op. Sorry but you were getting honest opinions based n experience.

Thanks for the feedback. Any suggestions on places to eat in or close to copper mountain?

Copper is a normal ski area with restaurants and coffee shops at the base. Frisco is just down the road and has many places to eat, but once you are at a ski area, you don't leave until the end of the day.
Dillon has restaurants.

Dillon has the Dam brewery, and Frisco has the backcountry brewery. I've enjoyed meals at both.

Copper has an endless number of places to eat from on-mountain restaurants to multi-choices at each of the three bases. Also, there are areas for picnic lunches if you want to pack your own. That is frequently done.

Why are you reluctant to answer our questions? It would help the discussion. Where have you skied before?

I like the Arapahoe Cafe for breakfast in Dillon and it might be a good stop before heading back to Denver on Sunday morning.

<<Why are you reluctant to answer our questions? It would help the discussion.>>

I've seen no discussion here, only lectures. The OP has been told their trip is a "colossal waste" of money, criticized for their lodging choice, corrected for typos and told their children will have an awful time.

Yes it is a quick trip, but this is what I'd do:

Thursday: Arrival day. Spend the night near the airport. Possibly the new Westin since you have a late arrival and then you can pick up your rental car the next morning.

Friday: Drive to Summit County. Go tubing, ice skating, build a snowman or go for a sleigh ride.

Saturday: Ski school for the kids at Copper Mountain or repeat Friday's activities.

Sunday: Give yourself plenty of time and head back to Denver after a late breakfast. You can spend some time in Downtown Denver or a museum if you have extra time.

Hope you have a fun trip!

"I've seen no discussion here, only lectures."

Apparently you didn't read the entire thread.

I feel lectured by the best of 'em.

wtm300 has offered some excellent suggestions. The Dam Brewery in Dillion is good although it can get busy. The CBR restaurant at Copper Mt. offers good upscale food. For a family all the areas have pretty good pizza places. The Log Cabin in Frisco is good too especially for breakfast. If at a ski area during the day, you need to eat there and not try to drive somewhere else. All the ski areas have a wide choice of eating options. Hard to do a picnic lunch if staying at a hotel…just eat lunch at the ski area and then try some of the nearby restaurants for dinner.

There wasn't much discussion since op was short on information. From a local's viewpoint, it difficult to make good suggestions when it is obvious the op doesn't have a good handle on the situation. When the op doesn't response to questions, then posters start making assumptions and base their recommendations on these assumptions. That sounds like lecturing and, to a degree, it is. For example - one day of ski school is a waste of money. The kids at that age will gain almost nothing. It is day care but the parents may want that if they want to go skiing. However, without more information I suspicious that the parents are not skiers either. It is an odd trip that needs a little more explanation.

This site and others work best when there is active discussion so that the recommendations are specific and related to the original question.

Thank you. ;o)

I am going to assume that the OP has some valid reasons for this short trip to the mountains and so I'll offer further advice. I disagree with fmpden about one day of lesson for kids being a waste of money. I have been skiing for some forty years. Have taught my own kids to ski and have skied with my grandchildren. I have lived at a ski resort ( Copper MT. ) and been closely associated with ski instruction and beginning ski programs. Mot kids have a great time skiing even if it's just for a day. In fact, a good experience will usually lay the foundation for future ski trips. Do kids learn to ski in a day? No. Learning to ski takes time, but most kids can begin to grasp the fundamentals. The most important thing is their exposure to the sport and having fun even if they don't master the skills. My kids and grandkids have certainly had a couple of great one day ski outings while they were learning.

Children's ski instructors are specially trained and chosen for their ability to work well with kids i.e. to see they have a good time. Also, if the OP has told their kids that they'll be skiing then how disappointing would it be to then deny them the chance to do so. I say go for it. Do be aware if the time and money involved in fitting and getting rental equipment. You can rent equipment at Union Creek ( see below).

Another piece of advice if skiing/tubing at Copper. The Tubing Hill is located at Copper Station in the East Village. The beginning ski area is located at Union Creek ( The Schoolhouse ) in the West Village.

Good point about skiing for the kids, historytraveler. I agree they should go for it, especially if the kids are already expecting to ski.

If the OP plans the trip well, it could work. Not the way I'd do a trip, but that's just my opinion. Sorry if we were too harsh on you, lthomas6.

To answer your question about Denver: there's plenty to do here, but I suggest on this trip, you take the kids directly to the mountains.

Especially on a Friday during ski season, you want to be on the road to Summit County way before the afternoon rush starts on I-70. I'd eat breakfast and head up there.

For your late Sunday departure, allow plenty of time to drive to the airport, and leave Summit before the crowds hit the road. The worst of the traffic will be when the ski areas close, and/or earlier, when people check out of their lodging. Just allow plenty of time for surprises on I-70.

Hopefully, you will love Colorado, and you will return.

PS If your flight is really late on Sunday, you might be able to leave after the hordes, but just allow plenty of time.

On many Sundays, we leave Winter Park around 8pm and are usually miss all the traffic.

So that's an option for you, if your flight is really late, and you'd like to spend more time in the mountains..

One other idea would be to leave Summit early, drive down I-70, and stop along the way. You might want to investigate Georgetown. Or Red Rocks.

Or stop to eat at El Rancho, in Evergreen, right off I-70. It's a cool historic log lodge the kids might enjoy. Has recently re-opened after a renovation. http://www.elranchobrewing.com

Or on Sunday, if the flight is late enough they could stop and see the railroad in Georgetown?
And I do agree if they are expecting to ski (OR snowboard--can't believe I am saying that but all my grands are boarders) then they should do it.
BUT they need to make the reservation for ski school and get to the mountain in plenty of time to get them outfitted (or do it on Friday) with boots and skis.

It Sunday. We are just talking among ourselves. The OP probability is stuck in Sunday traffic returning to Denver.