In summertime, ski resorts turn to a full range of warm weather adventure alternatives. Here’s a sampling of what's happening in the Rocky Mountains.
Ski resorts used to morph into ghost towns in summer. Now, continent-wide, ski resorts offer a full range of warm weather mountain, adventure sports and other activities. Nearly all offer golf. And, here's a sampling of the mountain biking, hiking, bungee, alpine slides, arts, and other happenings in the Rocky Mountains.
In Colorado, Copper Mountain offers mountain biking, horseback riding, whitewater rafting, fly fishing, chair lift rides, golf, a climbing wall, a bungee-thing called the Quad Power Jump, paragliding, whitewater rafting, guided fishing trips, mine tours, gold panning, sailboat rentals and sailing school and canoe rentals.
A Winter Park Resort summer includes an Alpine Slide, a Leaps 'n Bounds Bungee, mini golf, mountain scooters, the Amaze'n Human Maze, outdoor and indoor climbing walls, a zip line, an 18-hole disc golf course, and mountainboarding. Nearby there's Colorado River rafting, horseback riding, the High Country Stampede Rodeo Series (subtitled "the best little rodeo in Colorado"), world class fishing and Rocky Mountain National Park to explore.
Visitors to Durango Mountain Resort can hike and bike their 50-plus miles of trails. Slide on the Alpine Slide. Horseback ride. Fly fish. Or, best, indulge in the Total Adventure Ticket™ in which one ticket yields unlimited Alpine Slide rides, scenic chairlift rides, disc golf, human maze, and mini golf, two climbs on the rock wall and one hour each of tennis, basketball, volleyball, horseshoes and ping pong. The Mountain Edventure program teaches the region's ecosystem and geology while trying your hand at orienteering, nature writing, photography or adventure racing. There are also adventure camps for kids, the magnificent Durango & Silverton Train trip, whitewater rafting and nearby Mesa Verde National Park.
The performing arts flourish in summertime Vail. Consider: the free Hot Summer Nights Concert Series with dancing beneath the stars; Bravo! Vail Valley Music Festival with orchestral and chamber music performed by acclaimed soloists, ensembles and the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Dallas Symphony Orchestra and the New York Philharmonic; and the Vail International Dance Festival featuring some of the world's best dance artists. And, of course, you can indulge in mountain biking, hiking, river rafting, jeep touring, horseback riding, golf and much more.
Meanwhile Aspen offers balloon rides, biking, camping, fly fishing, golf, hiking, horseback riding, hut trips, ice skating, paintball, paragliding, rafting and 4-wheeling; plus, an arts festival, culinary festival and music galore. And, Telluride, too, offers all those outdoor pastimes, plus a non-stop line-up of festivals, including Bluegrass, Film, Blues and Brews, Chamber Music, Jazz and Wine Festivals.
What's to do in Idaho? Try Sun Valley for hiking, biking, mountain biking, horseback riding, tennis, swimming, ice skating, ice shows, children's activities and day care, playground playing, swimming, picnicking, hay-riding and paddle boating, among other things.
And, Montana's The Big Mountain presents opportunities to mountain bike, hike, golf, river raft and to "walk in the treetops" on an 800-foot, tree-to-tree boardwalk. Glacier National Park is nearby, and the resort's free Summit Fridays concert series features live bluegrass, jazz, rock and folk music, plus food and drink at the mountain's summit augmented by fantastic Glacier Park and Flathead Valley views.
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