Area Info | Bighorn Rentals

Summit County Activities

Why choose a vacation rental in Summit County?  The short answer is because there are so many fun things to do in the area.  It would be impossible to list them all here but we will give you our top activities below as a good starter guide.  Our staff has lived here for years, we've skied all of the resorts (along with backcountry areas), biked most of the trails (there are a lot!), eaten in the restaurants, tried the local brews and done most of the activities around us at one time or another, so please ask if you're looking for recommendations or just want to get the lay of the land.

Winter

Skiing and Snowboarding

• Copper Mountain Resort - Our favorite mountain and top choice for your next vacation.  We manage about 20 vacation rentals at this location, all super close to the lifts.  Copper Mountain has 3 villages (Center, East and West) and terrain "naturally divided" so beginner trails are in the West and expert runs are on the East side.
• Arapahoe Basin - The Legend and Summit County's oldest ski resort.  The Basin is a nice change of pace from the over-commercialized mega-resorts of today and a great choice for a day trip to mix things up during your vacation.
• Keystone, Breckenridge & Vail - Collectively "Vail Resorts." Keystone and Breckenridge are about 10 miles from Frisco, while Vail is about 25 miles away.   These resorts have something for everyone and are a quick drive or take the free county bus service (no bus available for Vail).
• Loveland Ski Area - Not technically in Summit County but only about 25 minutes from Frisco by car, Loveland is another smaller, low-key ski area that's great for a day trip. 
• Backcountry Ski Summit County - Opportunities abound around Summit County to ski off the resort, just please make sure you know where you're going, can handle the physical demands of getting up and down, plus have the proper gear (avalanche beacon, probe and shovel) and know how to use them.  It's possible to walk (or ski) from some of our Frisco vacation rentals to some backcountry trailheads.
• Frisco & Breckenridge Nordic Centers - Another nice choice for a day trip to break up skiing at the resorts and a lot more affordable.

Other Winter Activities

• Frisco Adventure Park Tubing Hill - This is a groomed tubing hill on the Frisco peninsula with a moving sidewalk to carry you up the hill.  Advance reservations are a necessity, check prices and availability online.
• Ski Resort Tubing Hills - Copper & Keystone both have commercial tubing hills that will carry you to the top of the hill to sled down.  Advance reservations are a necessity, check prices and availability online.
• Other Sledding Options - There are plenty of places in the area to just sled down a hillside for free.  Some of the more popular places are the Frisco sledding hill, Carter Park in Breckenridge, Rainbow Park in Silverthorne and the trailhead parking area near the Summerwood neighborhood in Dillon.  Cheap, plastic sleds can be purchased at City Market, Safeway, Walmart and Target.
• Ice Skating - Available in Frisco, Keystone, Breckenridge and Copper Mountain.
• Other Nordic Skiing Options - Most of the summer hiking and biking trails turn into cross country ski trails in the winter.  Some options would be the Peaks Trail/Miners Creek Road, Meadow Creek Trail and North Ten Mile Trail. Some of our Frisco accommodations are walking distance to the trailheads.

Summer

Hiking and Biking

• Hiking - There are miles and miles of hiking trails in and around Summit County.  Some trails double as mountain bike trails and others are more dedicated hiking trails.  In Frisco, popular trails include the Peaks Trail, Lily Pad Lake Trail, Rainbow Lake Trail and Mount Royal Trail.  In Breckenridge, check out Quandary Peak & McCullough Gulch Trails, Sawmill & Burro Trails and the Sallie Barber Mine Trail.  Other hikes worth noting are the Boulder Lake Trail in Silverthorne via Gore Range trail system, Tenderfoot Mountain Trail in Dillon and the Buffalo Mountain Loop, also part of the Gore Range trail system in Silverthorne.
• Mountain Biking - Summit County is a great destination for mountain biking, there are (again) miles and miles of trails in and around the area.  Bighorn Rentals has lodging options nearby so check out the guides for the areas of Frisco and Breckenridge here.  It's also worth noting that the Colorado Trail runs through Summit County and our part of the trail is very mountain bike friendly with fast, flowy descents, great views and offshoot trails that make great loop rides.
• Road Biking - Summit County maintains an extensive paved Recreational Path that goes all the way around Lake Dillon with offshoot trails that go to Silverthorne, Keystone, Breckenridge, Copper Mountain and even Vail.  Other than the paved rec path, our mountain pass roads are popular with road bikers, including Freemont Pass out of Copper, Loveland Pass out of Keystone and Hoosier Pass out of Breckenridge.  There is also a paved road going up to the town of Montezuma that is popular with bikers.

Other Summer Activities

• Golf - is a very popular activity here in Summit County with many options close by.  Copper Creek Golf Course is located in the East Village of Copper Mountain.  Breckenridge Golf Club is a 27 hole course a few miles north of town and  Keystone Resort has 2 different 18 hole courses to choose from, The River and Keystone Ranch.  Last but not least, The Raven at Three Peaks is located on the north end of town in Silverthorne.
• Boating on Lake Dillon - There are 2 marinas for Lake Dillon, in Frisco and in Dillon, both offer boat, kayak and SUP rentals, have restaurants and more. 
• Fishing - Good fishing spots with easy access are common across Summit County.  Some of our favorites are the Blue River in Silverthorne, Lake Dillon and the Colorado River north of Silverthorne.
• For kids (young and old) the Frisco Marina offers a sand beach section to hang out on summer days by the water.

Festivals and Events

When it comes to festivals and events, there are too many to name so we will just mention the bigger ones that are more popular for our area.  The Breckenridge Snow Sculpture Championships is probably the biggest bringing teams from all over the world to compete in Breckenridge at the end of each January.  Breckenridge Ullr Fest is another popular event in Breckenridge in mid-December every year.  Rounding out Breckenridge events is the ever popular Breckenridge Oktoberfest held at the end of September. 

Frisco offers a free Thursday night Concerts in the Historic Park series in the summer.  Speaking of the Frisco Historic Park & Museum, check out historic town cabins and the Schoolhouse Museum right in downtown Frisco. The Dillon Amphitheater has free and paid concerts throughout the summer, Silverthorne hosts First Fridays arts festivals on, you guested it, the first Friday of each month and Copper Mountain hosts their Live Series  free music in Center Village through the summer. Choose one of our vacation rentals close by so you can walk home afterward.

On the athletic side of things, the Leadville Race Series has running and mountain biking competitions throughout the summer including the ultra-endurance 100 mile races in mid-August every year. The Breck Epic mountain bike race covers 240 miles and over 40,000 feet of climbing in a 6 day event also in mid-August every year. 

Restaurants & Breweries

The list of restaurants and breweries is too long to go into detail here so we will just name a few.  For more in depth info on restaurants please visit Best of Summit Food for their recommendations.  A few of our favorites in Frisco are: Hacienda Real, Ollie's Pub & Grub, Peppino's Pizza & Subs, Butterhorn Bakery, Highside Brewing and Outer Range Brewing.  In Copper Mountain our favorites are: Eagle BBQ, El Zacatecano and Mulligan's Irish Pub. Other restaurants include Empire Burger and Soupz On in Breckenridge and The Mint Steakhouse and Sauce on the Blue in Silverthorne. Other breweries to check out include Broken Compass Brewing in Breckenridge and Angry James Brewing in Silverthorne. Try Two Below Zero Dinner Sleigh Rides on the Frisco Peninsula for a different kind of dining experience.

Nightlife

There are plenty of options around Summit County for live music.  For a list of all options, check out the Summit Show Report.  One of the best places is here in Frisco at Ten Mile Music Hall.  Another venue is Warren Station Center for the Arts in Keystone.  Summit County has 2 community theaters, the Backstage Theatre in Breckenridge and Theatre Silco in Silverthorne. And, of course, Summit County's bars and breweries make for good nightlife as well.

Shopping

Summit County is a shopper's dream with each town and each resort offering places to find that special something to take home with you.  For more in depth info on shopping please visit Best of Summit Shopping for their recommendations. Copper Mountain Shopping is going to be best in Center Village and Frisco Shopping for tourist items will be best along Main Street.  Other locations for good shopping will be Breckenridge Main Street Shopping and the Outlets at Silverthorne.  

Recreation Centers

Last but not least, don't forget about the Breckenridge Recreation Center and Silverthorne Recreation Center for swimming pools, water slides, hot tubs, basketball courts, soccer fields, tennis courts, weight rooms and so on.  If you're staying in one of our Copper Mountain vacation rentals, the Copper Mountain Athletic Club is nearby, featuring a 25 yard indoor pool, hot tubs, saunas and steam rooms plus a full scale weight room and cardio room with stationary bikes, treadmills, etc.