3 hours from Denver getaway

[TCHP]

Breckenridge, Keystone, Dillon, Silverthorne, Frisco are all in Summit County surrounding Dillon Reservoir. Paddle Boarding, sail boats, jet skiis, hiking, alpine slide, atv rentals, horses, 4wd ghost town tours, plenty of cafes and restraunts along with bars and a few clubs can be found in this area. Lodging choices should be pretty wide open during those dates with options ranging from hostels to deluxe hotels and basic motels as well a VRBOs.

Summit County Colorado Vacation Guide | Breckenridge, Copper, Frisco, Events, Deals and Things to do

Recommend you take it easy the first night and day to acclimate. You'll be up around 8000-10000 ft and higher in elevation. Drink lots of water, remember half the alcohol goes twice as far, so don't be disappointed when you feel hammered off three beers.

[sunsprit]

"jet skis" are not allowed on Dillon Reservoir.

while the hospitality biz will likely have a wide range of lodging choices available, be aware that this is still the "high season" for rates through Labor Day weekend in all of the Colorado tourist oriented areas.

as mentioned above, this time of year has many organized events scheduled in the mountain towns which can then be very busy places. best to check on the local calendars for events which may affect your access/lodging/restaurants before you go.

I'd suggest that with only a two day trip that you try to focus on one primary activity ... be it equine, boating, or whatever ... rather than trying to do a little bit of everything in such a short time frame. Just getting settled in and checking out the local hospitality scene will take up a huge amount of time, especially if you head to any of the major tourist towns mentioned in the above posts. Personally, I'd suggest that you stay reasonably close to Denver ... with the I-70 corridor access/summit county being a likely best choice so that you can spend more of your time doing activities rather than traveling. IMO, one of the main attributes of heading to these mountain tourist/resort towns is to simply enjoy being there in the mountains to relax, take in the sights, and enjoy ... rather than trying to be go-go-go-going every minute you're there. But that's just my take on the area .... YMMV

[SkyDog77]

Salida and Buena Vista are very quiet this time of year since the rafting season is over.
I love those towns, but would not recommend them to this crowd after August 15th.

Breckenridge is a better bet.