summer vacations (Berthoud, Silverthorne, Frisco: ski resort, vacation home, closing)

[summervacationer]

What are good places to go in the summer that have plenty of access to hiking trails, beautiful views and other outdoor activities. While being in a place where there is access to vacation homes and places to eat, all within an hour and 45 minutes of denver ?
Also what are ski resort towns like in the summer.

[Dreaming of Hawaii]

Dillon/Silverthorne meets all of those requirements. Plenty of places to stay, shop and eat, and close to all sorts of outdoor activities. Or go a little further and stay in Breckinridge or Frisco. Plenty of good hiking in the area, and you can even go boating on Dillon Reservoir. Or you can go over Berthoud Pass to Winter Park in under two hours.

The ski resort towns are busy in the summer. You will find some lodging prices to be as high in the summer as in the winter. Shoulder seasons (aka mud seasons) are when things slow down -- these are generally between mid-April and early June, and between Labor Day and mid-December. Most ski areas start closing a couple of weeks after Easter.