Winter Park, Colorado (Summer)

True to its name, Winter Park is renowned for its winter sports, but non-skiers should consider visiting during spring and summer, when crowds keep away and hundreds of miles of trails are wide open for cyclists and hikers. (To name one example, an easily accessible trailhead for casual hikers and cyclists is at the intersection of U.S. 40 and Winter Park Drive; it leads to paths including Moffat Road, an old railroad route with some of the ties still embedded in the dirt road.) The official Winter Park resort offers the Zephyr Express chairlift to the mountain summit, and 50 trails of varying difficulty; beyond that, more than 600 miles of ...

True to its name, Winter Park is renowned for its winter sports, but non-skiers should consider visiting during spring and summer, when crowds keep away and hundreds of miles of trails are wide open for cyclists and hikers. (To name one example, an easily accessible trailhead for casual hikers and cyclists is at the intersection of U.S. 40 and Winter Park Drive; it leads to paths including Moffat Road, an old railroad route with some of the ties still embedded in the dirt road.) The official Winter Park resort offers the Zephyr Express chairlift to the mountain summit, and 50 trails of varying difficulty; beyond that, more than 600 miles of trails spread through the quiet mountain town and into tiny Grand County neighbors such as Granby, Grand Lake, Fraser and Kremmling. The town is even more laid-back than usual during the off-season, as tourists arrive for horse-riding at the nearby Devil's Thumb Ranch or cycling in the late-June American Red Cross Fat Tire Classic. The nightlife is less eventful during the summer, too, and the generally affordable, unpretentious bars and taverns such as Deno's Mountain Bistro, the Pub and the Derailer Bar become downright friendly.

About the Expert

Steve Knopper is the Denver-based author of Moon Handbooks Colorado as well as a contributor to numerous Fodor's city guides.