We love visiting Lake Dillon and Summit County in the summer months as it is an easy hour & a half drive from Denver. Of course, weekends and ski season can add time. Lake Dillon is a beautiful sight at 9017′ high and the summer air is wonderfully crisp.

We enjoy breakfast at the classic Arapahoe Cafe in Dillon. On this trip, we also discovered the Sunnyside Cafe & The Mountain Lion Cafe both in nearby Silverthorne. Both were great for breakfast.

I headed out early for a bike ride from lake Dillon to the summit of Vail Pass, going to Frisco, Cooper Mountain, and then up to the pass at 10,666′ high.

Wildflowers were still in bloom as I headed up the pass from Cooper Mountain.

I love riding to the summit of Vail Pass. The route going west is much easier than the eastern route from the town of Vail.

The exhilarating ride downhill!

I stopped to admire a small lake next to the bike trail. There were signs of beavers.

By the 1870s silver and gold mining was the name of the game in the town of Frisco. This old mine tailing is next to the bike trail.

A view of Lake Dillon looking east from the town of Frisco.

This is a beautiful view right off the bike path.

On this night the legendary group, “The B-52’s”, was headlining at the Dillon Amphitheatre. The views are spectacular.

Party time!

We began our hike up to Rainbow Lake from Frisco after breakfast the next day. It is an easy hike and the surroundings are beautiful.

A mountain view from the trail.

Rainbow Lake is a very popular spot so I really didn’t expect to be alone up here.

Rainbow Lake selfie.

I rode east around the lake from our condo on the bike trail toward Keystone. I hadn’t ridden up to Montezuma in years!

I was happy to see the Montezuma town sign after a bit of climbing. The town is 10,312′ high.

In 1890, at the height of the Colorado Silver Boom, the population reached nearly 10,000. At the time, the town had two stores, a post office, two hotels (the Summit House and the Rocky Mountain House), and a sawmill. It eventually had a smelter, as well, which allowed local separation of the silver and lead ores, which are typically found together in the region. Montezuma has about 70 residents today.

This dirt road heads uphill (4 wheel drive and mountain bikes only.) to the abandoned silver mine and the town of Saints John. The mine ceased operation in 1928.

For our final night, we had dinner outside at Sauce on the Blue, a nice Italian restaurant next to Silverthorne’s Blue River. This was the perfect long-weekend break!

Photos: Dick Gentry. Not to be used without permission.