Our family of 5 (teens ages 13, 15 & 17) are considering a trip to Colorado this summer. We are traveling from Oklahoma by car. Airfares seem to be sky high so we thought a driving trip might be in order. Our priorities are 1. A reasonably priced place to stay. That probably means a 2 bed, 2 bath condo for my crew. 2. Things to do for the teens! I'm intrigued by these possibilites: an alpine slide in Breckenridge or Winter Park, river rafting, quaint shops & restaurants-within walking distance if possible and 3. Beautiful scenery with no 100+ degree days. Any help is appreciated.

Cammie

Nice...What an Ass.

Anyways Cammie to answer your question... I personally love breckenridge, it is a quaint cute town with lots of shops and restraunts and not far from Denver. You could even stay in Frisco, which is about 10 to 15 minutes away from Breck but it is also really close to Keystone. In fact if you stay in any three of those towns you will still be fairly close to Winter Park to do whatever you want there.

Personally I would pick Breck/Frisco area over Winter Park. I think there will just be a lot more to do there. You will probably find cheaper rates in Frisco but Frisco is a little more like a valley. At most resorts you can rent bikes and mountain bike(very fun!) and at some you can take the chair lift up to the top and hike or whatever. There is also the slide. Breckenridge has a restraunt called Bubba Gumps that is kind of fun, the waiters will quiz you on Forest Gump trivia. And you will still be very close to denver to go down and check that out as well. There is a Six Flags amusement park in the city and lots of other things that would interest kids. Any other questions just let me know.

Agree that Summit County might be better than WP. Cammie since you all are going to be in one car I would think Breckenridge or Keystone rather than Frisco. That way you can park the car and get most places by foot or free shuttle. Breck is more of a town, Keystone more of a resort. Just depends on what you want. Keystone has a program in summer, "Mountain Passport" that is included with lodging or 35.00 if you find lodging cheaper elsewhere. Check it out at http://keystone.snow.com/sa.mtn.passport.asp

it includes lots of activites for all, even wine tastings! Keystone can also set up rafting, although the snow pack is low this year so the season will be early and short, unless we get the much needed rain.

Since your #1 priority is reasoably priced lodding check out www.summitnet.com they have lots of owner direct sites. Expect to pay about 75-100 a night for a 2 bedroom in the summer if you rent from an owner that would not include the "passport" though. Some of the properties that might interest you are, Wild Irishman and Flying Dutchman. I like these because they have outdoor pools which is rare. They are not as close to the Village as others but easy bike or shuttle will get you there without a car.

Let me know if you have any other questions.

We have vacationed in the Vail-Beaver Creek area with our family for several summers. (We are also from Okla.) You will probably be better off in Breckenridge with keeping everyone happy and occupied. I would not recommend the trail horseback ride on the Mountain in Breckenridge. Try to find a trail ride in more open area for better views. The Alpine Slide will be lots of fun for your kids. There is a lot of lodging opportunity in Breckenridge and in the Frisco/Dillon area. Try VRBO.com as well as the summit.net site mentioned. There is a very large outlet mall in Silverthorne near Frisco. I wouldn't stay at Keystone or Winter Park, just no town there and not enough to do.

It's been a while since I've been to Breckenridge, so I can't compare the two, but you might consider the Durango area as well. Durango has relatively low prices, and lots of options for activities in the area. It's probably a little closer to you as well. Staying at a condo up at Durango Mountain Resort would put you at a high enough elevation to keep the temperatures relatively low. Durango itself is at 6500 feet.

Forgot to give you my input on Bubby Gumps - the atmosphere is fun but the food is lousy.

Going to have to disagree about Keystone not having enough to do. Acutally they have done a great job of making it a year round resort. For a vacation with teens I would suggest it over Breck because you can easily let everyone do what they want. There is tennis, golf, horseback riding on site as well as mtn biking, gondola rides, fesitvals all kinds of things that would not require a car trip. Breck does have the Alpine slide area and is an easy drvie over swan mtn road for that. I personally get tired of Breck way to many t-shirt shops and bad resturants, Bubbas excluded,btw they often have 2-1 coupons for midweek in the Daily Summit News.
So Cammie it really depends on what you want and what your going to do. This suggestion is coming from someone who hates drving on vacation, so am biased towards a resort envoirnment.

Thanks to all of you for your insights. You all gave me quite alot of information. In response to the Durango suggestion, it's actually a little further to Durango than to Breckenridge. Another problem is that we are trying to schedule a brief stop in Colorado Springs to visit a friend of my daughter's who moved away. That stop seems more doable with the Breckenridge/Keystone area as our destination. Also, Kima- my husband HATES to drive during vacation so I'll investigate your suggestion also. Thanks again, and if you think of anything else....