I’ve always wondered what ski towns were like in the summer. Are they abandoned ghost towns? How do they attract visitors when it’s not cold?
This June, I spent some time in a few ski towns near Denver: Dillon, Keystone, Silverthorne, Georgetown. So what’s the ski town secret to pulling in summer tourist money?
Bacon, evidently.
One resort offered a Bacon Tour with live music and games. I want to laugh at the idea that anyone would travel to a ski town for a bacon convention. But I can’t, because I’m too busy salivating. Much like the Sauerkraut Festival in Vermont, the Bacon Tour in Colorado sounds so bizarre that it must be fun. Hell yes, I’d attend.
The town of Dillon came up with another way to attract visitors in summer: Booze. And bluegrass music. Hell yes, I’d attend.
Keystone stayed busy with a number of conventions going on (TBEX, holla!), but even so, there were still times when the gondolas were totally deserted.
The same was true of the ski lifts in a nearby town. No one’s going to ski on those little patches of snow!
Miniature golf is another way to lure in guests. But this course is about as lame as they come. As you can see, no one took the bait.
Summer is the best time to ride bikes through the mountains. I encountered a gaggle of bikers on my last day in Colorado.
When the sun comes, the cabins and resorts turn their focus to summer activities.
For Dillon and Silverthorne residents, that means boating and fishing on the lake! What fantastic views.
This ski rental shop in Silverthorne didn’t have much luck attracting guests since there wasn’t any snow around. Someone come buy a jacket! Please?
I guess there’s only so much ski towns can do to seek out visitors in the summer. Fortunately, they only have a few short months before things get cold and snowy again.
I have been to Jackson, WY in the summer. Rafting on the river and horseback riding in the mountains were wonderful!
Those sound like great summer activities!
Holy moly, a bacon convention – that’s a real thing?! It sounds right up my alley – a couple years ago, my bf gave me a gift box of 7 different bacons for Christmas…best gift ever haha
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I didn’t know there were 7 different bacons! Now I feel like I’ve been missing out.
Oh yes! So many flavors and cuts out there that I didn’t know existed – sundried tomato was a fun one.
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Wow, thanks for the info. I need to go find some of these.
Wonderful post! Loved those ski lifts and the miniature golf course looks cute! But those lakes with overlooking mountains are the best captures.
Have a nice day Scott
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There’s so much to see in those mountain towns.
These could be off-the-beaten-path hiking gems when the more popular areas must be filled with people during summer. The views are just beautiful.
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Snow and sun together make for some great pics.
I just got back from Telluride and was impressed by how much they have going on there in the summer time. There are major festivals almost every weekend, plenty of hikes, and all of the restaurants and bars were packed with people. This is probably heretical of me to say as a Coloradoan, but I think I like the ski towns BETTER in the summer.
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I’m not a skier, so I definitely like them better in the summer too.
Looks like very people are there. But it can be a different experience when there’s no snow and when its empty. These towns look nice despite not having the snow.
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