We are (somewhat) settled and ready to accept visitors! There are a lot of wonderful things to do nearby.
TBW
In winter, prime attractions are skiing and snowboarding, with Breckenridge Resort and Keystone Resort nearby. Copper Mountain and Arapahoe Basin are slightly further away. If this is your thing, you can rent skis/snowboards here for pickup at any of these resorts. If you are new to skiing or snowboarding, I would look into booking private (expensive) or group (economical) lessons at Breck or Keystone. The ski season is generally from Thanksgiving through mid April, with good conditions starting around Christmas/New Years.
If skiing or snowboarding sounds too athletic, you can always go snow tubing in Frisco, or simply sled down the slope at our house. Or rent snowmobiles to head backcountry. Beyond that, you can try your hand at dogsledding, go for a sleigh ride or try your feet at ice skating.
With summer comes warmer temperatures and long days perfect for exploring the mountains around us. You can wet a line fishing the South Platte River nearby or Antero Reservoir in one of our kayaks. If you like the water but don't want to fish, the whitewater rafting or kayaking on the Arkansas River in nearby Buena Vista is some of the best in the world.
If you would rather stay high-and-dry, you can hike the Mosquito and Ten Mile ranges featuring fourteeners mounts Democrat, Bross, Sherman, Cameron, Lincoln and Quandry peak. If that sounds like too much work, you can book a horesback trail ride or rent ATVs to hit many of the same trails.
Finally, Breckenridge Resort has a summer alpine adventure park with ziplines, alipne slides, bungee trampoline, climbing wall, bouncy house, mini-golf, scenic chairlifts and more.
Quite possibly our favorite time of the year. Fall is the season of change, and it can be seen in the folliage, in the weather and in the crowds. Though the weather is still mild, the aspens begin turning in early September, with their gold-and-fire colors peaking somewhere around mid-month. Trails are still hikable and the views are gorgeous. The brown trout begin to spawn and you have a chance to catch a trophy in the Dream Stream.
From October onward, you can encounter winter conditions as a storm passes through that could dump a foot of snow or more. Keep this in mind when planning travel and getting a rental car. During these times, you can have a lot of winter-type fun around our property -- sledding, building snowmen, snowball fights and such. After a day of snow, the storm will give way to sunny skies and temperatures in the 50s. The snow will melt and you will get several days of relative balmy weather. Fishing is still good, hiking can be had in lower elevations but you will be between seasons -- winter sports aren't available yet and some of the summer activities will be limited or unavailable.
Fall is a great time to see wildlife! The decrease in crowds coincides with the rut of Moose, Elk and Mule Deer. Be careful, though, rutting moose can be unpredictable and dangerous! Other species, like the Black Bear, Steller's Jay, Gray Jay, Pika and Ground Squirrels all are finishing their preparations for winter and are frequently seen.
November is where the snow will start to stick on our property and you have crossed over into a winter vacation. You will need snow gear to be outside, and need to be prepared to travel in snowy conditions. Winter sports, like snowboarding and skiing, open up by Thanksgiving, but typically with only a few runs and less-than-ideal snow conditions until mid-December.
Just
Fairplay, 6 miles away from our home, is a small, rural town with a history of mining and ranching. While not a fancy resort town, it has most of what we need including a grocery store, liquor store, sporting goods store, coffee shop, micro brewery and a few decent restaurants like Millonzi's and the Brown Burro Cafe. On the north side of town is South Park City, a recreation of an 1800's mining town. Front Street is worth a stroll, as it has a few restaurants, art galleries and the like. The Burro Days festival is held every July and features live music, arts & crafts, a parade, mock western gunfights, and the main event: up-the-mountains-and-back burro and llama races.
Alma, the highest incorporated town in the US, is smaller and lies 9 miles away to the north on the road to Breckenridge. Alma has more of a hippy vibe than Fairplay, which is reflected in the Festival in the Clouds event held each summer. This event has food, arts and crafts bust most importantly music -- generally folk and bluegrass. Some businesses of note are the South Park Saloon, Alma Coffee House and the town's general store Almart.
26 miles to the north over Hoosier Pass and the continental divide is the town and resort of Breckenridge. When we want to ski/snowboard, or just need to plug into more civilization, this is where we head. It offers all the fun and luxuries you would expect of a resort town -- a historic main street, good restaurants, shopping, spas, and arts/culture.
Breckenridge like to throw a party, and has many festivals and events year round. The major ones are ocktoberfest, Mardi Gras, international snow sculpture championships, Viking-themed Ullr-Fest and the Dew Tour Olympic Qualifying Event. You can check out a calendar of Breckenridge Events both big-and-small here.
45 miles north from our home where highway 9 meets I-170 lie the towns of Frisco, Silverthorne and Dillon. Clustered around Dillon Reservoir, each of these towns offer a lot to do -- boating on the reservoir, cute main streets, concerts and events, golfing and more. These towns begin to feel a bit more metro, with movie theaters, Whole Foods, Lowes, Walmart and an outlet mall.
TBW
Catch a flight to Denver International Airport. If you are coming from Austin, many airlines have direct flights. At that point, you have two options: rent a four-wheel drive vehicle and drive to our house, or you can catch a shuttle from the airport to Breckenridge and we can pick you up from there and you can borrow one of our vehicles in town.
If renting, the rental company will probably tell you they can request but not guarantee a 4WD vehicle. We have not seen this be a problem. Everytime we visited before moving, we were able to get a 4WD vehicle this way.
If you want to take the shuttle, here are a few options (we would recommend the first two):
You can also take the bus from Denver to Frisco, CO and we can pick you up there. The cost is $10-$25 depending on passenger count.
If you are renting a car and driving, our physical address for maps/GPS is:
722 Sacramento Crossing Fairplay, CO 80440
The drive from DIA to our house takes approximately 2-2.5 hours in good weather depending on the route you take. There are two options. The fastest and most direct route is bytaking 285 west out of out of Denver. This route will get less attention in bad weather, snowstorms, etc... The other option is to take I-70 west from Denver and then 9 south from Frisco. This is slightly slower, but the roads will for sure be plowed.
- Head from the airport to I-70 West
- Take a left (south) on XXX
- Take a right (west) on Highway 285
- Take 285 approximately XXX miles to Fairplay, CO
- In Fairplay, take a right on Highway 9 (north)
- After approximately 2 miles, take a left (west) on Park County Road 14
- Proceed to the common "Final leg to our house" section
- Head from the airport to I-70 West
- Take I-70 West approximate XX miles to Frisco, CO
- Take a left (south) on Highway 9
- Take 9 approximately XXX miles, passing through Breckenridge and over
Hoosier Pass to Park County Road 14
- Going over Hoosier Pass crosses the continental divide, there are some switchbacks for the 4 miles or so up the pass. This is a primary evacuation route for Breckenridge, however, so they keep it plowed and traversable at all times.
- Take a right (west) on Park County Road 14
- Proceed to the common "Final leg to our house" section
The final leg is where you get off road to come to our house. Maps apps have sometimes given bad directions that have sent people the wrong way. If you use a GPS or maps app on your phone, cross reference the directions given against these.
- Head west on Park County Road 14 (also known as Sacramento Creek Road)
- At 1.5 miles, the paved road gives way to dirt road
- At 3.9 miles there will be a sharp S-Curve in the road
- At 4.6 miles bear left at a fork in the road onto Sacramento Drive
- At 5.3 miles take a right onto Sacramento Crossing
- 100 yards down the road, right as it begins to turn left, is our house on the right.
You can always call us at 512-299-0479 (Lance) or 970-409-2152 (Vanessa) if you get lost.
You will need to be prepared to drive the 2+ hours from our house to DIA, check your bags, get through security and catch your flight. In general, if you leave 5 hours before your flight, you should have plenty of time even if there is some bad weather that slows travel. In winter, the weather may affect flights as well. If you need to be at work first thing on Monday, then you might want to leave on Saturday to ensure you make it through.
We live at 10,000+ feet which means you will get winded easily. Don't expect to go on a big hike your first day here. Schedule your activities that would require a large physical effort later in your trip after you get acclimated a bit. Be aware of altitude sickness, its prevention and treatments. The older you are, the more our altitude will affect you.