Best summertime Colorado mountain towns recs

They're all great but I like Durango and Salida.

Ouray would make my list.

Come for the winter, stay for the summer.

Anywhere in the roaring fork river valley.

Vail is great in summer. Easy to get to from Denver. Great hotels and restaurants. Close to Breck, Beaver Creek, etc. You can make a day trip to Aspen.

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They're all great but I like Durango and Salida

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Leadville. You’d love it man

I’ve done several Colorado trips, none since wee has been legal. 1st was as teen with parents. Faves were pagosa springs, Durango/silverton including the train. Ouray is like a city in the alps. We cut across to salida and canon city I believe where the royal gorge is. Walked across the bridge. Then spent a few days In Colorado Springs....the train to top of pikes peak was still running, thought I heard it was closed but went from 80 to 30’s by the time you got to the top. As an older teen/young adult.... Been to Breckinridge, Vail, beaver creek, Boulder, Denver, Estes park twice. Had a swim meet at Air Force academy and some other small college I can’t remember when I was at LSU that was cool. Was at Olympic training center for a week which was not fun, practice from 5-7am and 1-3Pm everyday.

Faves southwest co....pagosa springs and Durango area and Estes park are. But I do love Breckinridge as well as a perfect mountain town

Still need to do telluride, aspen, steamboat

Camped there this past weekend. Every time I go it just reminds me of why I love living in Colorado.

We go to Breckenridge twice every year, in the winter and in the summer. I've been doing this for about 7 years, but my wife and her family started the tradition when she was a child (~ 20 years now). The reason we go is for the elevation. It's higher than other mountain towns in the lower 48, with the town's elevation at 9,600 feet above sea level. This keeps temperatures cooler than other towns and makes for spectacular views.

As a true mountain town it's really hard to beat Breck in the summer, and I've spent time in Frisco, Copper, Steamboat, Vail, Beaver Creek, and Dillon/Silverthorne. Telluride may be on par or slightly better but it's also more difficult to get to (depending on who you ask).

The downside I've noticed recently is overcrowding in Breck as each year that goes by it seems the town is growing, adding more lodging, and more people are there. To those that have been going there long term we can see that it is starting to lose it's unique Colorado mountain town feel. That may or may not be a bad thing depending on the way you look at it. There are still quiet spots around Breck, including just south of town in Blue River.