Escape Chalet sits at the base of Mount Werner, ten minutes' walk from the gondola and ten minutes' drive from three of the valley's best-known trailheads. The heated mudroom, the boot dryers, and four ensuite bathrooms mean a party of eight can come back muddy at the same time without a queue.
Flat, paved, 7.5 miles, and the right call on day one if you have come from sea level. Start and finish anywhere.
ActivityHike the Yampa Core TrailSee it in the guide →Half a mile round trip to the main falls, or keep going two more miles to the upper falls if the legs feel fine.
Fresh beer and artisanal wood-fired food on Yampa Street, in a room that tolerates a group in hiking kit.
Eat & DrinkMountain Tap BrewerySee it in the guide →Ten minutes from downtown, canyon scenery the whole way, running right along the creek. The historic barn at 3 miles round trip is the natural turnaround.
Extend up the drainage for a longer day, or come home and use the steam shower in the loft bath.
The round table seats 8 with 3 more at the kitchen bar, which is the entire hiking party in one go.
An hour to the trailhead. Six miles out and back, or a 10-mile loop.
Roughly six feet wide with long drop-offs either side. You can turn around at the edge; the view from there is the point, and nobody has to cross it.
A classic Western steakhouse with hand-cut prime rib and a generous salad bar. The right meal after that day.
Eat & DrinkOre House at the Pine GroveSee it in the guide →Escape Chalet sits in the mountain district at the base of Mount Werner, a flat ten-minute walk from the gondola, with the free Green Line bus stopping 50 feet from the door.
Four ensuite bedrooms, sleeps 10, ten minutes' walk from the gondola. Two dogs stay free when you book direct, and the Pup Package is included.