Where to Vacation in Colorado?

I do just want to re-iterate, if you like to stay out late and/or ski, don't go to Estes in the winter.

Restaurants literally close before 7:00, and even earlier on week days.

But it is pretty empty this time of year, so hotels are usually cheaper (as opposed to ski towns where they're much higher during this time of the year), and Rocky Mountain National Park and surrounding areas will be empty which can be fun for snowshoeing, sledding, etc.

Just depends on your life style. I like having it empty, so I've been to Estes several times in the winter. My only issue is the restaurants closing early (specifically Bob and Tony's pizza - my favorite!), I've had to get Domino's several times because it's been the only thing open.

I have lived in Colorado since I was 8. I have lived in the mountains and the city and I LOVE to ski and play in the mountains. My recommendations, based on my own experiences and what you have mentioned you are looking for:

Estes Park is gorgeous but don't go there if you want to ski/board or stay out late. I prefer Estes in the summer because it really isn't a winter "hot spot" so to speak. I do a long girls weekend in Estes every spring and I love it up there, but wouldn't go near there if I was looking for skiing and a night spot. There isn't any big ski area near Estes and like someone up thread mentioned, they roll up the sidewalks early in the evening.

I loathe Vail. Yes, it's pretty BUT it's overcrowded, over-expensive and over-full of itself. The skiing is not any better than many other resorts and it's wall to wall people and *extremely* expensive.

Of Keystone, Breckenridge and Frisco, I'd stay in Breck. Fantastic little town with lots of good bars and restaurants and everything is within walking distance. The skiing is also really good. It's also close enough to Keystone and Copper that you can easily ski there if you want a little variety. The road between Breck and Keystone can be a little dicey if weather is bad, but absolutely fine in good weather. Frisco is right in the middle of everything with easy access to Keystone, Breck and Copper. It's just off the highway though and really, in my opinion, not very pretty. Keystone really doesn't have a town proper per say either. Breck is definitely the best place to stay of the three.

Winter Park/Fraser is also a great alternative. It can be more affordable than the Summit County places (Breck, Keystone), but there is a little less accessibility up there. There are no other resorts nearby, so if you go that direction, you are pretty locked in. Also, if you are afraid of driving In the mountains, Berthoud Pass is not an easy drive. It is a 3-lane (2 lanes uphill, 1 downhill) road, very steep and very twisty-curvy. In bad weather, it scares even me and I learned how to drive on jeep trails in the mountains!

If you want to splurge on a little more money and driving, go to Aspen. Aspen is my all-time favorite location in Colorado. The skiing is incredible, the town is beautiful and the people watching can't be beat. Aspen is also actually less expensive than Vail, I have found. It is a lot farther from Denver though. It's about a 4-hour drive from Denver and it's a 2-lane road for the last hour (Glenwood to Aspen). You can actually stay in some of the towns between Glenwood and Aspen for less money than in Aspen itself and still have easy access to ski in Aspen or head to Glenwood to play in the natural hot springs and soaking in the hot springs while it snows around you is pretty incredible.

If you weren't already flying to Denver, I'd also second the recommendation for Crested Butte that someone gave up thread. It's on the western slope though and you'd be better off flying into Gunnison if you wanted to go there.

Wherever you decide, you'll have a great time! Colorado is a beautiful place whether you come in the winter or summer. We are getting hammered with snow right now as well, so the skiing is fantastic!

Why don't you just stay in Denver then? None of the I-70 resorts are more than 1.5 hours away (except Vail/Aspen) especially if you go on weekdays... Cheaper to stay in Denver, plus you'll have more access to ALL of the amenities that CO offers.....a nightlife in Downtown Denver, 30 minutes to Boulder. An hour to Colorado Springs, Red Rocks and good hiking within a half hour along the Front Range, Snowshoeing up near Mt Bierstadt and Mt Evans (again, 30-40 minutes). When you are on "this side" (Denver side) of the Pass you have a lot more options. Plus, its Fairly unlikely you would even have to deal with snowdriving conditions if you stayed Downtown. Denver doesn't *usually* get that many snowstorms during the wiinter (they start stacking up in spring though!).

I think it was last January/february we had a LONG string of 60-70 degree weather! Possibly the year before, then again, thats pretty much every year. VERY Mild here, even during the winter (Except TODAY!!)

And one of my friends who lives in Colorado goes snow shoeing, which sounds like so much fun, but again, I've never tried it.

Snowshoeing is a blast...warning though, it's challenging! Prepare to work up a sweat. I usually end up having to take off my coat.

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I would suggest you don't stay in Denver if you plan to spend much time in the mountains. The traffic is HORRENDOUS between Denver and the resorts. It is the reason I avoid skiing on the weekends like the plague!

Thats why I suggested it if she was going to ski on the week DAYS. They're going to be in CO for a week, after all. No reason to go up to the resorts on a weekend

If you plan to ski/snowboard, don't stay in Denver & commute to the mountains.

It depends on the budget. It seems like you said Breck is out of the budget.

You could stay in Dillon, Frisco, or Silverthorne and ski Breck, Vail, or Copper Mountain. If you stay in those towns, Breck or Copper are much easier to get to. Also depends on your ski/snowboard level. Breck and Vail have some steep stuff. Breck has a good variety of terrain.

I prefer the CO mountain towns in summer for the heat respite.