Frisco as a base?
 

Which would work as the best base in early September for four days of exploring easy hiking trails with beautiful mountain vistas: Frisco, Dillon, Silverthorne or Breckenridge? Any suggestions for comfortable, clean, affordable (under $100. nt.) lodging convenient to the hiking trails?

My vote is Breck; you can find lots of lodging, and it's a good central location. Just ask the visitors center for a hiking trail map!

Except that Breck is not central to the hiking trails. Frisco is the hub. You can easily take trails all the way to Vail, Keystone, Breckenridge. But Breck is a prettier setting and a bigger town with a greater variety of lodging and restaurants, But if you are willing to drive to trail heads, then it doesn't make much difference where you stay. Frisco, Dillon and Silvethorne are very similar and I would recommend Frisco of the three. Breck and Frisco are somewhat different and I would pick Breck IF you are willing to drive to the trail heads. Besides you should drive to Leadville and do the Mineral Trail Loop.

Personally, I'd rent a small condo in Dillon with a view of the lake. Check out www.vrbo.com. You can get great rates in September.

For good hiking recommendations, pick up a copy of the Summit Hiker at Sports Authority in Dillon Ridge Shopping Center.

Agree with Grasshopper, Dillon by the lake is beautiful! Make certain you are on the lake though and not in Dillon Valley. You should easily find a condo in your price range.

While there is not any good hiking right at the reservoir great hiking is all around Summit County.

Unless it's ski season and you need to be by the lifts, I don't see the lure of Breckenridge. Frisco and Dillon have less people, less traffic and Breck is an easy drive if you want to go there for shopping or dining. VRBO is a good place to start looking.

The Boatyard Grill in Frisco is one of my favorite restaurants in Summit County. Very creative menu.

Stop by the U.S. Forest Service office in Silverthorne (on the east side of Hwy 9, north of I-70, at about 7th St.) for some great advice and free pamphlet/maps individually detailing many of the National Forest hiking trails in the area. The single page pamphlets have a short description of the hike (along with directions to the trailhead) on one side, and a topographic map of the trail on the other side. They're even arranged in the display mount on the wall by order of difficulty, from the easiest trails to the most difficult.

I'd agree that Breckenridge is a bit more scenic (but not by that much), BUT...... that Frisco, Dillon, & Silverthorne are more centrally located to the hiking in the area.

You can also access a PDF file view of the front side of these pamphlets by going to:

http://www.fs.fed.us/r2/whiteriver/r...ls/index.shtml

...then click on the trail you want to view.

Unfortunately, at this website, they don't post the detailed topographic map of the trail that is found on the backside of the pamphlets that you get at the Forest Service office.