Summer Kids Activities near Breckenridge, Copper Mountain, Colorado

Summer family adventures are a great way to try some new things and explore new places. We spent four days near Breckenridge, Copper Mountain and Silverthorne on a summer family road trip through Colorado. Our family traveled from North Idaho to Colorado with our RV toy hauler, which makes camping with our kids much easier. We also brought our bikes and plenty of summer gear. Here are the highlights of things we found to do with kids in Summit County, Colorado!

Video: Kids Activities at Breckenridge & Copper Mountain

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RV Camping at Prospector Campground

Once we arrived in Colorado, we camped for several days at Prospector Campground, near Dillon Reservoir in Summit County. Our camp site did not have hook-ups for our RV. However, we are used to “dry camping” and using our RV’s water supply and generator. I was especially impressed with our spacious camp site, which was located on a loop near other RV sites and plenty of tent camping sites. In our current young family stage of life, RV camping is very empowering. Once we set up our RV toy hauler, we can easily explore the outdoors and do all sorts of family activities. At the end of an active day filled with family adventures, we love coming back and sleeping in our comfy RV beds at night. Our RV also allows us to maintain somewhat of a schedule for our kids for meals and bedtime.

Walk Down to the Lake

Once our RV was set up at our camp site, we wasted no time in walking down to the local waterfront at Dillon Reservoir. This spacious lake is set picturesquely at the base of nearby mountains and provides gorgeous lake views, especially at sunset. Our kids eagerly scrambled down the unofficial trail to the waterfront.

We really enjoyed exploring the easy trails down to Dillon Reservoir, or Lake Dillon. Our kids, Kiera, Sylvie and Joshua are always eager to venture down hiking slopes and climb over rocks. They were delighted walk down to the lake so close to our camp site. We spent quite a bit of time exploring and enjoying the pretty lakeviews. Dillon Reservoir is a large fresh water reservoir located in Summit County, Colorado. It’s a gorgeous destination for boating, paddleboarding and kayaking. Next time we’ll have to bring our kayaks!

Beautiful lake views at Dillon Reservoir in Summit County, Colorado

Summit County Things to Do with Kids

We discovered a lot of fun family activities and things to do for kids near Breckenridge, Copper Mountain and Silverthorne, Colorado.

During our time in Summit County, we went on several family hikes, walks and bike rides. We took our kids on a shopping trip at the Silverthorne Outlets. Afterwards, we enjoyed dinner and several delicious appetizers at Timberline Craft Kitchen and Cocktails.

Another day we took the Breckenridge Gondola up the mountain. Afterwards, we went window shopping in downtown Breckenridge, Colorado. We even discovered a mysterious troll in the forest!

Finally, we really enjoyed riding down the Rocky Mountain Coaster at Copper Mountain. Kiera, age 8, was very excited that she was tall enough to go down the Rocky Mountain Coaster by herself. Additionally, Kiera, Sylvie and Joshua had a lot of fun driving remote control cars around Copper Mountain’s RC car course. Before we left, we ate lunch at the Copper Mountain resort cafe.

We hope you enjoy our highlights of summer things to do with kids in Summit County, Colorado!

Summer Activities in Breckenridge, Colorado

We found many activities to do with our kids during our stay in Breckenridge, Colorado. The often sunny weather and crisp mountain air are definitely highlights of visiting this beautiful area. During the summer, Breckenridge Ski Resort offers several attractions including a mountain gondola ride, alpine coaster and alpine slide.

Eiffel Tower made out of bike tires in downtown Breckenridge, Colorado.

Scenic Gondola Ride

A gondola ride is a scenic way to see the mountain up close and enjoy some beautiful views. The Breckenridge gondola ride is no exception. We purchased tickets for our family of 5 and boarded the gondola. Similar to a ski lift, a gondola ride offers an enclosed ride up the mountain slope. It’s an easy activity that families of all ages can enjoy.

Gold Runner Alpine Coaster

Once at the top of the mountain, we checked out the Gold Runner Alpine Coaster at Breckenridge. We had purchased coaster tickets in advance at the bottom of the mountain. We stood in line for about 30 minutes before boarding our individual coaster carts. Our three kids were not tall enough to ride without an adult, so my husband and I took turns riding with each child down the coaster track. Each ticket purchased is good for one ride down the Gold Runner Alpine Coaster.

The Alpine Coaster is gravity driven and riders sit on individual carts. Once at the top, riders can go as fast as they want and control their speed with a lever connected to a braking system. The roller coaster-like track twists and turns for 2,500 feet down the mountain. The Breckenridge Alpine Coaster was definitely fun and each of our kids enjoyed the ride.

Breckenridge Alpine Slide

Breckenridge also has 3 different 2,600 foot long Alpine Slides at the Peak 8 Base Camp of Epic Discovery Breckenridge. We were surprised to discover the wait for the slide was an hour and a half long, so we weren’t able to try this activity. However, we have tried other alpine slides, which offer the experience of sledding down a smooth track on a small sled. You can ride alone or with a passenger and control your own speed as you cruise down the mountain on the alpine sled.

Shopping in Downtown Breckenridge

After our visit to Breckenridge Ski Resort, we headed downtown to explore and get some lunch. Downtown Breckenridge has many walking paths and park areas for families with kids to explore.

We stopped in many of the local stores and bought t-shirts for our kids. For lunch, we enjoyed some street tacos and nachos, as well as a to-go order of sushi. We like to keep lunch casual and inexpensive, so we mixed and matched our food choices and ate at the Riverwalk park next to the Blue River.

My kids had a lot of fun discovering cool things in downtown Breckenridge, Colorado like this scrap metal robot sculpture. I think it’s really cool when cities integrate unique art into their community gathering places.

Walk to a Forest Troll

After lunch, we headed to a nearby trail to discover a mysterious forest troll. Our walk didn’t disappoint and we found a very cool work of local art tucked into the trees along the trail.

This 15-foot tall wooden troll sculpture named Isak Heartstone is located on the Trollstigen Trail in Breckenridge, Colorado. You can find the trailhead at the southeast corner of the Stephen C. West Ice Arena parking lot, also next to Illinois Gulch Trailhead.

The forest troll was created as part of the annual Breckenridge International Festival of Arts as a reminder to recycle and find ways to upcycle trash.

Summer Activities at Copper Mountain

Another day we headed over to Copper Mountain to experience the summer activities for families with kids. Copper Mountain is a picturesque ski slope that’s also a fun destination in the summer. We purchased tickets for the Rocky Mountain Coaster and enjoyed lunch at the resort restaurant. We also stopped for a Starbucks coffee break.

Rocky Mountain Coaster

Our kids really enjoyed riding on Copper Mountain’s Rocky Mountain Coaster. Our 8-year-old daughter Kiera was delighted that she was tall enough to ride by herself. We stood in line for about 45 minutes to ride this attraction. Once at the front of the line, we got in little carts to ride to the top of the track. My husband and I each had one of our kids with us, but the carts are made to easily fit an adult and one passenger. At the top of the track, gravity pulls the cart 5,800 feet down the mountain at speeds up to 25 miles per hour. You can control your speed around turns with the braking lever. The Rocky Mountain Coaster at Copper Mountain is a memorable family activity to do with kids; we went on it twice!

Remote Control Car Course

In between coaster rides, our kids practiced their driving skills at the RC car course. Kiera, Sylvie and Joshua each received a remove control car to drive around the rugged course for 5 minutes at a time. Learning how to drive a remote control car is a great way to practice learning how to steer using the hand-held controller. Each kid stood on their own platform overlooking the course. The RC Car Course at Copper mountain is a free activity for visitors.

Other family activities at Copper Mountain include chairlift rides, bike rentals, bumper boats and a summer ski area. Overall we really enjoyed our relaxing family day at Copper Mountain!

Silverthorne Outlets

Last but not least, we enjoyed a relaxing family shopping day at the nearby Silverthorne Outlets. We had a few things on our list such as back to school clothing and a few kids accessories. The Silverthorne Outlets are a very pretty place to shop. The stores are divided into 3 sections, which are connected by bridges that go over a river. Although we were shopping for shoes and sunglasses, we also enjoyed the scenic walk in between stores.

We discovered a wide variety of things for our family to do in Summit County, Colorado. We enjoyed biking, walking, hiking, shopping, and exploring Breckenridge and Copper Mountain. At the end of each day, we came home to our RV camp site at Prospector Campground. During our 4 days in the area, we mixed casual activities with highlight attractions like the alpine coasters. We made fun memories and enjoyed some great summer adventures!