Winter Park Colorado Summer Vacation

‘Tis almost summer time again and the inevitable question will arise: where are we going for summer vacation? Well stop and think for just a moment and it should come to you…. Winter Park, Colorado! Why, you ask, Winter Park? Well let me try to explain (I don’t think there is enough time in a week to get it all down though).

Winter Park, Colorado is the outdoor enthusiasts dream come true. For up here in this part of the Colorado Rockies we have an almost endless supply of activities and events to keep one going all summer. From mountain biking the 600 miles of beautiful trails to a nice leisurely hike around one of the perfect mountain lakes to fly fishing on one of the best trout rivers in the world we have all the outdoor activities up here in WP. For events there is the Winter Park Jazz Festival, The Blues From The Top Blues Fest (Winter Park Blues Fest), The FREE Thursday Night in the park concert series and the famous Fat Tire Classic Mountain Bike Festival has returned to Winter Park.

Let’s get down to the specifics of our activities up here. First the mountain biking. As advertised Winter Park is "Mountain Bike Capitol USA". The reasons our little town has earned this name is the 600 miles of bike accessible terrain, the famous Fat Tire Classic, the awesome downhill runs at Winter Park Resort and the overall mountain bike culture that takes over Winter Park in the non snow months.

Hiking here in Winter Park is some of the best in the world. There is easy access to four fourteeners, many mountain lakes to discover and Rocky Mountain Park is a twenty minute drive away. My favorite hike is Columbine Lake which is a three hour day hike to a beautiful crystal blue mountain lake. There is hiking for experts down to a twenty minute stroll that is fun for the kids. Monarch Lake, a short 10 minute drive away is great for the whole family with a graded path and bridges over the rushing water from the snowmelt of the surrounding mountains. There is no better place to hike and camp than Winter Park, Colorado.

Fly fishing here in Winter Park/ Fraser is world class. President Dwight D. Eisenhower made Fraser famous with his annual summer fishing trip up here to the Colorado Rockies. The Fraser River, The Colorado River and all the mountain streams provide some of the best fly fishing in all of Colorado. There are stocked lakes within walking distance of most lodging here in Winter Park. Mo Henry’s Trout shop can provide all you need for a fishing trip of a life time when you get here to Winter Park.

For events up here in Grand County we have the Jazz festival with some of the best jazz artists from around the country bringing you jazz at 9000 feet of elevation. The dates of the festival this year are July 25th to July 27th, 2009. The lineup this year includes:

-Fourplay
-Warren Hill
-War
-Boney James
-Sax for Stax
-Rippingtons

The jazz festival is one of the most popular of the year so make sure you book your lodging well in advance. I recommend Winter Park Lodging by Owner (WPLBO) for your lodging needs.

The Blues from the top Blues festival is in its 7th year and the weekend keeps on getting stronger. From the opening night at Smokin’ Moe’s to the all the after show parties this is a weekend that all blues fans should not miss. The lineup will include Tab Benoit, Tommy Castro, Jimmy Hall, Zac Harmon, Deanna Bogart, Mike Zito, Trampled Under Foot, Dolores Scott Gospel Group, John Nemeth, Soulmate, Sean Kellerman, and Michaela Rae. The show is put on by the Grand County Blues Society.

The free music Thursday’s in Hideaway Park are fun for everyone. Bring a picnic, some drinks ans the whole family for some great fun in the new Hideaway Park. The schedule of artists is:

-July 2 - Quemando Band, an eleven piece orchestra that does traditional and contemporary salsa.
-July 9 - Tempa and The Tantrums, a Denver blues favorite that has been compared to Aretha Franklin and Bonnie Raitt.
-July 16 - Cedar Ridge Ramblers, a local bluegrass band that are Winter Park crowd pleasers.
-July 23 - Jennifer Lane, promoting her new album In a Magazine.
-July 30 - Kort McCumberland & The Kumberland Gap, Americana music that is a little folk, country, blues and bluegrass.
-August 6 - An Italian band to be named.
-August 13 - Slopeside, the front range rock band that plays most of the roadhouses in the denver area.
-August 20 - Hunker Down, playing their special blend of bluegrass they have dubbed "stowed romp grass".

The last but surely not the least is the return of the the Fat Tire Classic. Benefiting both The American Red Cross and The National Sports Center for the Disabled (NSCD) this is a weekend of mountain biking, food, beer and live music that all mountain biking enthusiasts should not miss. Dates for the classic are July 17th to July 19th, 2009. Get your registration in and enjoy one of the most fun biking weekends to be had.

In short where else can you go and have such a diversity of events and activities for you summer vacation? Winter Park is the place to be this summer.

Don’t forget to help with all your winter or summer vacation needs let Winter Park Lodging by Owner (WPLBO) help make your stay fun and relaxing. Play hard and rest easy!

Winter Park Colorado Lodging.