The Best Summer Cool-Down Spots Around Vail, Colorado

Disclosure:  This is a sponsored post written by blogger Allen Sherman who has been contributing to various travel blogs for over 10 years.

Hiking, mountain biking, horseback riding, golfing, rafting, fishing and concerts make Vail resorts an excellent vacation option even in the summer. When the summer sun gets too hot, beat the heat at one of these following great nearby swimming holes.

Avon Recreation Center

The Avon Recreation Center in nearby Avon, Colo. features a 15,000-square-foot water park. If you want to swim for exercise or training purposes, try the 25-yard, five-lane lap pool with diving as well. Kids and adults alike can indulge the leisure pool, featuring fountains, bubblers, sprays, a small slide, a poolside climbing wall and a 140-foot slide. A steam room, sauna and Jacuzzi are also available. The Avon Recreation Center is open every day.

Bridal Veil Falls

Bridal Veil Falls is a 365-foot waterfall that spills into a box canyon overlooking the nearby town of Telluride. It is the tallest free-falling waterfall in Colorado. Smuggler-Union Hydroelectric Power Plant, at the top of the falls, is privately owned by the Idarado Mining Company and provides around 25 percent of Telluride’s electricity needs. It’s the second-oldest operating alternating-current generator in the country after the Ames Hydroelectric Generating Plant in Ophir, Colo.

To visit the falls, travel east through Telluride on Colorado Avenue, heading toward the mountain. Pass Pandora Mill and proceed down County Road. Follow this dirt road 1.2 miles to the bottom of the falls or 1.8 miles to the top of the falls. No vehicles are permitted past the gate, but from here you can hike to the falls themselves.

Blue Mesa Reservoir

Twenty miles long, the Blue Mesa Reservoir is the largest body of water entirely in Colorado. It was created by the construction of the Blue Mesa Dam in 1965. U.S. 50 follows the banks of the Blue Mesa Reservoir and crosses it at Middle Bridge. It’s part of the Curecanti National Recreation Area and was the first of three reservoirs formed on the Gunnison River.

Avoid the rocky areas of the shore and head for the swimming beaches at the Bay of Chickens, Old Highway 50 Beach and Dry Creek. Because it’s a high-altitude reservoir, the water is always a little chilly. Boating, windsurfing and water-skiing can also be done here. Anglers will be delighted to know the Blue Mesa Reservoir is well-stocked with fish. In fact, it’s home to the nation’s largest Kokanee salmon fishery.

Jackson Lake State Park

Jackson Lake State Park, northeast of Orchard, Colo., is a reservoir on the South Platte River. There are 260 camping sites here and visitors can boat, fish and bird-watch — several species of migratory birds pass through here.

ReserveAmerica has voted Jackson Lake one of the country’s Top 15 Park Beaches. This shallow reservoir gets warm in the summer and has a sandy beach. Water-skiing, sail-boarding and Jet-Skiing are some of the popular activities here.

Rifle Gap State Park

Rifle Gap State Park near Rifle, Colo. boasts a 350-acre lake. The water is pristine and the Rocky Mountain views are astounding. The swim beach can be found on the west side of the reservoir. Take in some of Colorado’s best boating, Jet-Skiing, windsurfing and water-skiing. Anglers can fish for rainbow trout, walleye, German brown trout, yellow perch, pike, and smallmouth and largemouth bass.

When you’re done at the reservoir, head over to nearby Rifle Falls. This 80-foot-tall triple waterfall is the only one like it in the state. Enjoy the verdant, misty scenery — and the limestone caves.

Carter Lake

Carter Lake near Eagle, Colo. is a reservoir on 1,000 acres of publicly owned land. There is a swim beach at Dam 2. Scuba diving is allowed at The Saddle, and from boats in the area along the western shore. You can also boat, fish, water ski and sail here. Overnight camping is available.

Colorado’s beautiful Vail Mountain Resort has plenty of outdoor activities for visitors to enjoy, even in the summer. These activities include hiking, horseback riding, ziplining, golfing and outdoor concerts. When you need to cool off, head for the swimming facilities at the Avon Recreational Center or for one of the many nearby lake parks.

Photo credit: Avi. / Foter / CC BY-NC-ND