Bikes, Horses, Guns and Fun

From Summer Biathlon to Overnight Pack Trips, Where to Find Family Adventure

In an ideal world, summer is all about fun. It’s about carefree days, with trips to the beach, the pool, and of course, the mountains.

Whether you’ve got a day, a weekend or a week set aside, here are some ideas to inspire you this summer or perhaps to plan for in 2014.

New England

While summertime in New England may bring to mind sailing, clam bakes and reading books on the beach, Killington Resort in Vermont offers cool, mountain fun with free concerts, hiking, biking and disc golf.

New this year at Killington was the Powdr Shot Biathlon held on July 13-14. Summer biathlon is just like winter biathlon without the snow and skis. The Powdr Shot series combines your choice of mountain biking or trail running, with air rifle target shooting on a short loop course. Just as in winter biathlon, for every target you miss, you take a penalty lap!

The Killington event kicked off the nationwide Powdr Shot series. After Killington, biathlon competitions continue through September in Utah, Oregon, Colorado and California.

Rocky Mountains

There is something about the wide-open vistas of Montana that makes me want to ride a horse. Moonlight Basin, near Big Sky, is the perfect destination for families that want to get their cowboy on this summer and reconnect with nature in a non-motorized way.

Options include riding by the hour or day on mountain wilderness trails, a Friday or Saturday night trail ride and cookout, or best of all, an overnight camping trip where you’ll sleep in walled tents, enjoy fresh cooked camp food and fish for big Montana trout.

Prefer a steed with two wheels? Moonlight Basin has 16 miles of self-guided bike trail.

Or, for something more intense, look south to Winter Park, Colorado and the incredible Trestle Bike Park. Designed for downhill biking, Trestle has new beginner and intermediate terrain and offers full rentals and excellent instruction for those new to the sport. For advanced and expert riders, the challenges at Trestle never end. On July 25-28, you can watch the best freeride bikers in the world compete for $45,000 at the Colorado Freeride Festival.

Southwest

For a quick day trip, the Sandia Peak Tramway outside Albuquerque, New Mexico can’t be beat. Board the tram and in 10 minutes you’ll travel 2.7 miles above deep canyons to the top of 10,378 foot Sandia Peak. From here, the views are breathtaking and encompass 11,000 square miles of the Rio Grande Valley.

Atop Sandia Peak, you’ll find an observation deck, a restaurant and hiking and biking trails. Check the trail status before you go, as drought conditions in the early summer resulted in trail closures.

Down at the tram base, don’t miss the free New Mexico Ski Museum.

Pacific Northwest

If you like the idea of skiing in July, Timberline Lodge, Oregon is your destination. Open seven days a week, through Labor Day, you’ll share the Palmer Snowfield with professional and aspiring ski racers from around the world. There is plenty of snow dedicated to public skiing and snowboarding, too, so everyone is welcome.

I’ve skied the Palmer Snowfield in the summer and it’s memorable. Get up early and board the lift when it opens at 7:00 a.m. Ski all morning and then spend your afternoon relaxing and swimming in a nearby lake, racing down the alpine slide at Government Camp, hiking on the famous Pacific Crest Trail or enjoying a guided tour of the 1937 lodge built by the WPA during the Great Depression.

Enjoy!

Portions of this post originally published at Liftopia.com on July 12, 2013. 

Related Posts: 

• Rip, Wander and Ride at Copper Mountain This Summer, June 24, 2013. 
• Ride ‘Em Cowboy: Family Fun at The Beaver Creek Rodeo, June 10, 2013.
• Pedal, Play, Party: Summer Fun in West Virginia, Idaho and California, June 17, 2013.
• Family Hikes at Some Favorite Resorts, June 14, 2012.

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