Escape to Lake Dillon

A Summit County Visit

We finished month two of our three month stay in Buena Vista and a getaway was needed. Mike found two nights in one of our favorite campground on Lake Dillon and another night open in another forest service campground for one more night. We always hated to leave when we were working and still feel the same.

We avoid Breckenridge at all costs now. Real estate developers have caused the town to be overcrowded and not a pleasant experience, no matter how beautiful it is.

We woke early to avoid the crowds for a bike ride from Frisco to Keystone along the lake. Once we hit Keystone we kept going up, Mike a few more miles than me, towards Montezuma. The last mile to the top gets pretty steep and would put us over 30 miles. 

Dillon Marina

Summit County maintains a 38 mile paved Recreational Pathway System with elevations ranging from 8,777 feet to 10,563 feet. It can get pretty busy with runners, families with strollers, tourists riding to take in the views. Over 200,000 trips are taken on the Recpath connecting many resorts and transit stops each year between May and October. If you get tired, you can catch the bus back.

We passed on the savory crepes and went straight for the sweet ones when we returned to Keystone. Nutella, coconut and banana for Mike and strawberry Nutella crepe for me before the last 10 miles back. 

The monsoon season arrived bringing rain showers in the afternoons.

Our Heaton Bay campsite overlooked the osprey and eagle nests that we check out on our visits. This time there happened to be a lot of strange noises coming from across the inlet. We could see several heron nests. Herons are thought to be nesting at higher altitudes due to warmer climates

Great pictures Mike!

Walking or sitting along the shore watching the people in kayaks and birds with a cool breeze makes everything better. 

Our campgrounds didn't have hookups. We have our little solar panels and inverter (a birthday present a few years ago) to keep our electronics charged.

For our third night, we moved a few miles across the lake to Peak One and it was as nice as Heaton Bay. We could carry our chairs a short distance to the shore and read or watch the kids riding their bikes around and around. When we are there, it doesn't feel like there is a pandemic.

It was a short and wonderful way to get our travel bug fix. We have three days booked in two weeks and no changing campsites. It is only 60 miles away!