"We came for the Winters, we stayed for the Summers".
We skiers and boarders love the Colorado Winter wonderland, but when the snow starts to melts, the grass starts to grow and the wildflowers bloom you really could miss out on something rather special if you forget about the mountains in the Summertime.
During the Summer months Colorado turns into a Summer mountain paradise: the weather is warm but not too hot, the outdoor activities endless, world class cultural events in abundance & the scenery is spectacular.
Hiking, mountain biking, rafting, kayaking, golf, horse riding & fishing are just a few of the outdoor activities for you to enjoy in the mountains over the Summer:
Hike up one of the peaks through beautiful shady forests, along streams and perhaps you'll hear the rush of a waterfall in early Summer or a beautiful pristine trickle later in the year. Emerge above treeline into a high meadow or rocky terrain before seeing whether there's still a snowpatch or two at the top.
Thousands of miles of mountain bike trails await you in Colorado including many miles of single track. Winter Park alone has over 600 miles of mountain bike trails and is called “Mountain Bike Capital USA”. Choose from the easier blue trails or push yourself on the very technical black trails. Take a trail from the towns or cycle up some of the ski trails, marked in the Summer for bikes and see the mountain from a very different angle.
You can golf some of the most spectacular courses and your game should improve as the ball goes up to 20% further at around 9000 ft! Pole Creek golf course, a public course for example, has 27 holes with 18 of them following the creek with stunning views of the mountains everywhere you look with the final 9 “The Ridge” having drastic elevation changes & stunning wildflowers.
With lakes and rivers aplenty, you can also try your hand at fly fishing, rafting and kayaking. Trout and salmon are the most sought after prizes in mountain fishing and lurking below the water's surface, you will find mackinaw and Kokanee salmon as well as rainbow, brook, German brown and cutthroat trout.
Take a raft or Kayak trip if you're near Breckenridge, Winter Park, Vail or Steamboat. Float in a raft through scenic scenery on the Colorado River with the young and the young at heart or challenge your wild side with a white-knuckled, adrenalin-charged Clear Creek rafting trip.
Colorado Horseback riding is the ideal way to view the beautiful Rocky Mountains. Enjoy the peace and quiet as you meander along the vast system of trails in spectacular countryside. You'll feel like you have stepped back in time and can savor the raw, unchanged splendor of the Rockies, just as it was when the first settlers arrived.
Music festivals of every genre take place throughout the Summer in the ski resorts: Aspen music festival has more than 350 events including orchestral concerts, chamber music, opera, contemporary music, master classes, lectures & kids' programs. Vail music festival is featuring the Dallas Symphony Orchestra, The Philadelphia Orchestra & the New York Philharmonic in 2010. Winter Park has a Blues festival & a Jazz festival, Breckenridge festival of film shows a unique & varied array of independent films, premieres, receptions & educational programs. Steamboat Springs strings festival features chamber music, jazz, rock, country, bluegrass &world rhythms.
If you're in the Western mood make sure you bring your cowboy hat and head to one of the local rodeos, complete with BBQ, which entertain guests each week. Watch the bareback riding, barrel racing and of course the highlight of the evening the bull riding. If the kids are feeling brave they can participate in the mutton busting or calf scramble during the event.
Rocky Mountain National Park is well worth a visit. You can drive over Trail Ridge road, the highest continuous paved road in the US...and if you're lucky spot some of the indigineous wildlife including deer, elk, moose, bighorn sheep, cayotes, bears & rarely mountain lions.
Stay in one place or drive around & experience different resorts & all that the Colorado Summer has to offer...visit http://www.chalets-usa.co.uk/ for more info.
Tel US 303 482 1961
Tel UK 01223 655642
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