Selecting your Rocky Mountain vacation rental can be confusing and tricky. Ski Town Condos takes all the guess work out of your decision! Few vacation rentals offer such a perfect, central destination accessible to a wide array of activities for you to enjoy year-round. Dreaming about the chance to hit the slopes in the morning, catch a little fly fishing on the Arkansas River, or get a quick 9-holes of golf in that same afternoon, and wrap up the day soaking your cares away in one of our many nearby hot springs? That’s exactly what you can expect when you stay with us in the Heart of the Rockies. For those preferring to take the low-key route: pack a picnic and tromp an easy trail winter, spring, summer, or fall. Whatever your preference, we’re ready to help you plan your next Colorado play date!
Discover Colorado’s Monarch Mountain Area
Winter Things to Do
Colorado Play Date in Winter – Snow is practically our middle name here in Colorado’s Rocky Mountains! You name it, we’ve got it waiting for you.
Read More...Monarch Ski Area offers every form of sliding on snow that you can imagine: groomed and fresh powder for skiers and boarders, steel & tilts, cats & woods, tubes and hills … plus all the Diamonds. Out of bounds more fun awaits with snowmobile tours, Nordic trails, and pristine snowshoe treks. Lighten your travel load and rent everything you need when you arrive.
- Monarch Mountain Ski Area – Discount lift tickets online 48 hours in advance – 3 miles
- Crested Butte Mountain Ski Area – 76 miles
- Monarch Snowmobile Tours & Rentals – walking distance from Ski Town Condos
- All Season Adventures – 20 miles Villa Grove
- Bluebird Mountain Sports/Mt Shavano Ski & Snowboard Shop – Snowshoe & Cross-Country Ski Rental – 7 miles
- Mountain Sports Haus Ski Shop – 12 miles Poncha Springs, CO
- Snowshoeing and Cross-Country Skiing – trails offered by Chaffee County Visitors Bureau
Summer Things to Do
Colorado Play Date in Summer – Pick your adventure … just try and stump us! We’ve got world-class white-water rafting, kayaking, and fly fishing on the Arkansas River, mountain biking, rock climbing, horseback riding, and golfing.
Read More...Hiking is unsurpassed, whether you choose a trail along a quiet stream or plan to bag your first (or next) 14er. Climb up on a beautiful horse and ride a mountain trail. All sounds fun but never done it before? We’ll connect you with a seasoned pro to show you the way.
Sign up for an ATV tour, or rent a Jeep on your own to explore the storied ghost towns of St. Elmo, Vicksburg, Winfield or Turret.
- Independent White Water Rafting – 14 miles Salida, open mid-May till mid-Aug
- River Runners Rafting – 30 miles Buena Vista, open May till early Sept
- Noah’s Ark Rafting – 30 miles Buena Vista, open mid-May till mid-Aug. Rafting, rock climbing, park
- Monarch Crest Scenic Tramway – Open May 15 to Sept 15, weather permitting. Enjoy the views!
- Trail Rides – 35 miles, Nathrop, horseback riding year-round, wagon rides
- Ohaver Lake – Poncha Pass 15 miles
- Franz Lake State Wildlife Area – Salida, 17 miles
- The Next Eddy – 18 miles Guided Fly Fishing, full service
- Local fishing trails – Enjoy fishing trails along Monarch Pass
- Best of Salida Fishing
- Salida Golf Club – 16.5 miles
- Collegiate Peaks Golf Course – 36.5 miles, Buena Vista
- Massive Golf Course – 67 miles, Leadville: At 9,680 feet, Mt. Massive is the highest golf course in North America.
- Poncha Springs Disc Golf – 13 miles. 18-hole disc golf course. Free, open to the public, and baskets are mounted year round. Disc golf is played much like traditional golf with players using a flying disc or Frisbee. Directions
Hot Springs
Colorado Play Date in Hot Water – Bring your swimsuit and soak your worries away in the natural and healing Salida, Mt. Princeton, Cottonwood or Joyful Journey hot springs. Celebrate you with a relaxing massage.
Read More...- Salida Pool – 18 miles Salida, CO
- Princeton Hot Springs Resort – 35 miles Nathrop, CO
- Cottonwood Hot Springs – 45 miles Buena Vista, CO
- Joyful Journey Hot Springs – 39 miles Moffat, CO
Hiking and Biking
Colorado Play Date on a Trail – Every direction you turn, you’ll find easy access to trails delivering Instagram-worthy scenery. Whether you’re on foot or two fat tires, the trail head is just down the road. Monarch Crest trail is rated one of the top rides in the Rockies with over 30 miles of single track.
Read More...- Local Hiking Trails – Enjoy exploring the beautiful local hikes & fishing trails around Ski Town Condos.
- Colorado Trail – 500 miles long in the Rocky Mountains between Denver & Durango. Described as one of the best trails, most scenic, and among the best maintained. The trail is for people that hike, mountain bike and ride horseback. Collegiate West 05 crosses Monarch Pass at Ski Town Condos, new section since 2013. Segments 14 & 15 are 2.5 miles, and CW05 is across Hwy 50 from Ski Town Condos.
- Continental Trail – 3,100 miles long from Canada to Mexico. Described as “America’s 3,100-mile-long national park”, also known as the “King of Trails.” (Crosses Monarch Pass at Ski Town Condos. This section was adopted by the Colorado Trail in 2013, Collegiate West 05)
- Monarch Crest Trail – rated the best in Chaffee County – Ride the Divide. (6miles to the trail head from Ski Town Condos)
- Monarch Crest Scenic Tramway – Open May 15 to Sept 15, weather permitting. Enjoy the views!
- Salida Mountain Trails – gaining a reputation for being magical and lovely all year’ round.
- Rocky Mountain Outdoor Center, RMOC, Rock Climbing – 18 miles, Salida, Offering guided rock climbing, beginner to expert climbs.
- Salida Ranger District Forest Service Trails – Salida, CO
- Chaffee County Running Club – Chaffee County Running Routes, events year round.
- The Sawatch Range 14ers – located in an area with an abundance of public lands – peaks topping 14, 000 feet in elevation. There are 15 total peaks located in the area of Leadville and Salida/Monarch. 14ers are held in high regard among the country’s “peak baggers”.
- Mt. Elbert 14,433’
- Mt. Massive 14,421’
- Mt. Harvard 14,420’
- La Plata Peak 14,336’
- Mt. Antero 14,269’
- Mt. Shavano 14,229’
- Mt. Belford 14,197’
- Mt. Princeton 14,197’
- Mt. Yale 14,196’
- Tabeguache Peak 14,155’
- Mt. Oxford 14,153’
- Mt. Columbia 14,073’
- Missouri Mountain 14,067’
- Mt. of the Holy Cross 14,005’
- Huron Peak 14,003’
Tips for hiking: Read more on Mountaineering Safety
Day Trips
Colorado Play Date with a Base Camp – That’s us: your base camp for all your Colorado adventures.
Read More...Want to work a little history into your next day trip? Strike out on a real Wild West experience with a little gold panning with your friends or the kids. Take a trip to Baby Doe Tabor’s Matchless Mine or try your luck with a bit of rock hounding on Ruby Mountain or Mt. Antero. Gather your courage and walk the highest suspension bridge in the world. We’ll get your compass set in the right direction … any of these adventures are less than 90 minutes away from Ski Town Condos!
- Royal Gorge Bridge – the highest suspension bridge in the world. Canyon City, 70 miles
- Great Sand Dunes National Park & Preserve – the tallest sand dunes in North America, 92 miles
- Alligator Farm Colorado Gators – 72 miles
- Black Canyon of the Gunnison National Park – day trip
- Leadville Colorado & Southern Railroad -2.5 hr scenic trip – 70 miles
- The National Mining Hall of Fame & Museum – Nowhere is the mining industry, past and present, better displayed than here! Leadville, 70 miles
- Baby Doe & Matchless Mine & gold panning – “From Rags… to Riches… to Rags“. Leadville, 71.8 miles (Baby Doe Tabor)
- Camp Hale – Continental Divide National Monument – 84 miles
- Rockhounding & Prospecting Sites – Chaffee County’s Rockhounding for Gems and Mineral Sites. The Rock Doc is a great place to get supplies, information, and maps.
Area Tours and Rentals
Colorado Play Date the Easy Way – So much to do, and some of it requires a bit of equipment or expertise. Not a problem. We’ll connect you with our favorite Jeep, bike or ski rental outfitters; ATV, zipline, snowmobile, or walking tours operators. Let us know what you need when you book your vacation stay, and we’ll get a list pulled together for you.
Read More...- Anderson Motor Co. Jeep Rentals & Tours – 18 miles
- ATV Rentals and Tours All Season Adventures– 20 miles, Villa Grove
- Absolute Bikes Rentals – 18 miles
- Subculture Cyclery – 18 miles, bike rentals
- High Valley Bike Shuttle – Monarch Crest Bike Trail Information & shuttle
- Lost Canyon Zipline Tour -18 miles, Salida. Zipline Tours and much more!
- Trail Rides – 35 miles, Nathrop. Horseback riding year round, wagon rides
- Salida Walking Tours – 18 miles, Salida Colorado
- Monarch Snowmobile Tours & Rentals – walking distance from Ski Town Condos
Events
Colorado Play Date Weekend-Style – Our friends who already live in Colorado have the added advantage of planning mini vacations to the Upper Arkansas River Valley on the weekends … which these days could even be on a Monday & Tuesday depending on what’s on your must-do list.
Read More...FIBArk is the nation’s longest running White Water Festival, challenging professionals & hooligans since 1949. You might catch an impromptu kayak rodeo in either Salida or Buena Vista’s White Water park as you stroll or picnic along the Arkansas River.
The creative arts scene has elevated to new heights year-round in Salida, Buena Vista, Leadville, and Gunnison. Check the local calendars for Art Festivals, Brewfests, and other seasonal festivals. Music and live productions are plentiful at Salida’s Historic Steam Plant theater and Riverside Park’s open-air amphitheater. We do like to brag on Salida: they were named one of the Top 100 Best Little Art Towns and serve as home to a variety of galleries, studios, and events. Local artists are hoping you’ll ask about what’s on their easel and are always open to a friendly chat.
- Buena Vista Heritage Museum – Making history come alive. Events June – September with live music, Madams of Central Colorado & more.
- Bluegrass on the Arkansas Festival, hosted by Salida Rotary Club, at Riverside Park over Memorial Day weekend. Enjoy music, food, drink, and fun for all ages.
- FIBArk, June. Lots of fun activities for the whole family. First in boating on the Arkansas – America’s oldest and boldest Whitewater Festival.
- Salida Aspen Concerts – The Aspen Music Festival & School presents world-class performers in Salida.
- Salida Art Walk, October. Enjoy this creative annual art event. Demos, art happenings, and plenty of live music.
- Salida Brew Fest, July. The Colorado Brewers Rendezvous is an excellent opportunity to tap into Colorado craft brewing.
- Christmas Mountain Lighting & Parade of Lights – Nov (annual day after Thanksgiving)
- Event Calendar from Chaffee County – Now this is Colorado yearly events
- Steam Plant Theater – Live entertainment
- Colorado Travel and Tourism
- Monarch Mountain – Ski area events
Local Breweries, Wineries, Distilleries
Colorado Play Date by The Glass – Fun is always on tap in Salida, Poncha Springs and Buena Vista. Take a tour of the local breweries, wineries, and distilleries.
Read More...You’ll find no shortage of award-winning, locally crafted beer, wine, whiskey, bourbon, and gin. Enjoy sips while you’re here and take a bottle or two home. Great gift ideas for your pet sitter or friends.
- Mountain Spirit Winery – 7.1 miles, Premium wines
- Vino Salida Wine Cellars – 12 miles, Crafted wines
- Elevation Beer Co. – 12 miles, artisan microbrewery
- Deerhammer Distilling Company – 35 miles, Colorado whiskey
- Moonlight Pizza and Brewpub – 18 miles, a favorite for locals and visitors
- Amicas Pizza – 18 miles, a favorite for locals and visitors
- Soulcraft Brewing – 18 miles, a hometown brewery
- Librations Loop – by Chaffee County Visitors Bureau
Two quick reminders:
- always drink responsibly, and
- remember that you are visiting a part of Colorado that ranges from 7,000 to 10,000 feet in elevation, so the effects of alcohol can be realized more quickly and intensely.
Shopping and Dining
Salida and Buena Vista are quaint small art towns with great shopping and dining options.
Read More...Enjoy a mix of shops for the whole family from souvenirs, art galleries, antiques, thrift shops, jewelry, pottery, outdoor gear, clothing boutiques, and more!