We have 3 days/4 nights between when we pick up one family member in Aspen and drop off another one in Colorado Springs. Kids range from 8-16 plus parents. We'd like to base ourselves in a town and stay in a VRBO kind of property from which we can explore the area. Hiking, rafting, impressive scenery are what we are after.

Any suggestions for a good home base? Many thanks!

You should checkout the Breckenridge area. Would seem to meet your needs.

Big second for Breck. Easy access to I-70 to Glenwood Springs and south to Aspen. Equally nice drive from Breck south on Highway 9 to Highway 24 and east into Colorado Springs. Lots of summer activities in and around Breck, tons of rentals and a smattering of good restaurants. Shop around for rentals, all price ranges and quality.

Breck is so cool! Lovely town. Lots of condos.

Breck is so cool! Lovely town. Lots of condos.

We really enjoyed the town of Breckenridge (although we were there during ski season).

Buena Vista

Really.

Buena Vista

Why not stay in Aspen? Try The Gant, a condo-hotel walking distance to Aspen proper.

Stay in Aspen? No, because everything will cost you twice as much. The accomodations, dining, etc., are all a better deal in Breckenridge. IMO, Aspen is way "snootier" than Breck, sorta like comparing a cowboy to a beauty queen. If you are impressed by the "Oh So Rich" or the pretenders, go ahead and stay in Aspen. Thats not to say that Breck can't be elegant, but the town and people are generally way more laid back.

I agree that Breck has a more laid back vibe than Aspen, and there is a lot more "showy" money in Aspen, but that said, We don't find Aspen at all "uppity", and the number of quality restaurants in Aspen far far outstrips the number in Breck. Eating out is more expensive in Aspen, and there are more High-end stores ( there's more of everything, high and low) because Aspen is much much bigger than Breck. Breck basically has one main street, 5 or 6 blocks long, whereas downtown Aspen is more like 6 blocks square.

@furledleader - please tell me more about why you recommend buena vista?

as to the aspen v breck debate, we live in an urban area so are not looking for restaurant experiences (not to say we don't need to eat..) so I am not troubled by being in a smaller town w/fewer options.

WADUH, we also live in an urban area with excellent dining out options. So let me just add that Aspen's dining is every bit on the same level as a major urban area. Breck's is more limited, and, to be honest, nothing stood out as "worthy of a detour".

Everybody goes to Breck, everybody recommends it to every tourist.

I liked it years ago, when it was more singular, before Summit County spread all over the place, complete with box stores and fast food and an outlet mall. Blech It serves its purpose, I guess, but we much prefer Grand County, Pitkin or Routt counties.

Aspen is not snooty like people think it is. There are very upscale shops and restaurants are expensive, but we don't find the people to be snooty. More so in Vail, IMHO. Aspen has a colorful heritage in its wild west past, and its more recent hippie past.

There are great music festivals in Aspen every summer. It sits in a gorgeous area full of hiking, fishing, rafting, etc.

I doubt if The Gant costs "twice as much" as similar type lodging in Breckenridge. We have stayed there a few times in June, and love its setting and the short walk into town.

We choose Aspen over "Breck" anyday.
PS. Colorado locals don't call it "Breck" any more than northern Californians say "Frisco", FYI.

Any one of the ski towns in the mountains would be nice. Don't forget Winter Park, which has the lift running for rides up (and then bike or hike down) plus nice scenery and lakes Granby, Grand, Shadow Mt., and Rocky Mountain National Park access nearby.
Aspen is a nice choice, if you can get lodging down in cost; from there, Marble is a fantastic visit, along with Redstone and/or Glenwood Springs.

Buena Vista has long been one of my favorite Colorado towns. You won't find the same quality ( fine dining) of restaurants that you would in Aspen or even Breck, but there are some good places to eat. Plenty to do there too. If you're looking for something other than the usual Colorado Ski Resort, something a bit different with a small town feel, try Bueny. I believe the following is their offical website.

www.buenavistacolorado.org

Gee, I'm a local, and I sometimes refer to it as Breck. Glenwood Springs would be another option.

Peaceout is right. Everybody goes to Breck and everybody recommends it to every tourist.

Aspen IS, and Breck IS BECOMING some east coast marketers idea of what a Colorado town should be. On the other hand, places like Leadville and Buena Vista still retain their Colorado "character" without being pretentious. They're not where the "trendy" want to be and thus are still inhabited by the down-home, salt-of-the-earth type of people.

The views of the 14,000 foot peaks of the nearby Sawatch Range (especially Mts Antero, Princeton, and Yale) are outstanding from virtually anywhere along main street in Buena Vista - something Aspen decidedly lacks.

The whitewater rapids of the Arkansas River run right through town, and the 15 mile area around Buena Vista houses the greatest congregation of whitewater rafting headquarters (or outlets) in the state. If you want to whitewater raft, go to Buena Vista.

The food ain't fancy, but like Cookie said in City Slickers, "food's brown, hot,.....and there's plenty of it."

The prices are decidedly lower than what you'd pay in Aspen and Breck.

Head west on County Hwy 306 (Main Street) from the main intersection in town and drive between the hulks of Mt Princeton & Mt. Yale to some of the best wildflower fields at the top of Cottonwood Pass. Drive a little south of B.V. on Hwy 285 to County Road 162, and then head west between Mt Antero and Mt Princeton to the ghost town of St. Elmo.

You don't need 4-wheel drive for either of those drives.

Head south of B.V. to the intersection of Hwy 24 & Hwy 285 and take Hwy 285 north for maybe 3-4 miles uphill to a great "marked" overlook on the north side of the road for an even greater view of the Collegiate Peaks.

It don't get any more "Colorado" than that.

And I almost forgot about taking a soak in the creekside pools of the Mt. Princeton Hot Springs (along the same road you take to get to St. Elmo).

This probably doesn't help answer the OPs question, but we just drove from Vail to Winter Park on mostly two-lane highway, along the Blue River, through Kremmling (the town where I bought my 32 year old Arabian horse!)

It is such a peaceful drive, I think. Sweeping vistas, rolling sagebrush hills, the river, virtually no traffic, sleepy-town diners. . .. One of my all-time favorite parts of Colorado.

PS. Do be aware that water is running extremely high now. Gore Creek was actually terrifying, roaring through Vail. If you raft, be sure you get a well-respected company and talk to the guide about exactly what rapids you will encounter-- Class 2, 3 or 4?. God forbid, 5.