Skiing and snow sports make the headlines, but mountain resorts have an alpine glow all their own in summer. Whether groups are searching for a respite from oppressive urban heat or looking for a secluded hideaway, mountain areas in summer blossom with outdoor activities, wildflowers, music and arts festivals, spas and endless opportunities to relax and recharge.
British Columbia
As the official alpine skiing location for the 2010 Winter Olympic Games, Whistler Blackcomb Ski Resort is sporting new venues that will be available to groups. Whistler Sliding Centre, site of the bobsled, luge and skeleton Olympics competitions, offers indoor and outdoor event space at the top of the race track. Also, the Whistler Olympic Park, home to the Olympics Nordic events, features five indoor meeting facilities, a day lodge and outdoor options. For off-sites, the Squamish Lil’wat Cultural Centre explores the Native art, language, traditions, history and culture of the two Nations.
At the Whistler Blackcomb resort, a recently added peak-to-peak gondola serves as a summer attraction itself, with options to stop and explore alpine hiking trails or dine on top of one of the peaks.
"A lot of people have never seen the world from the top of a mountain," says Karen Goodwin, director of sales at Tourism Whistler. "Summer stays light until 10 p.m. They can have an event with spectacular views and sunsets."
For a water-borne adventure, Whistler Eco Tours arranges kayaking trips on the River of Golden Dreams. Ziptrek Ecotours operates zip-line tours in Whistler spanning five zip lines, including a line that drops over 20 stories. Whistler is also known for its four championship golf courses.
Groups can find value when meeting in summer.
"Typically our busier season is winter, so we offer great value May through October," Goodwin says.
In contrast, summer is the main travel season for Banff, Lake Louise and Banff National Park.
Traditional activities range from horseback riding to glacier hiking on the Columbia Icefield, located between Banff and Jasper National Park. Another signature activity is a ride up Sulphur Mountain on the Banff Gondola, with views of Banff and the Canadian Rockies, as well as hiking trails and observation decks at the summit. The Banff Upper Hot Springs just outside town are open year-round as well.
Below the renowned Banff Springs Hotel, groups can organize float trips on the Bow River or experience what is touted as some of the world’s best fly-fishing. Alpine Helicopters runs sightseeing flights and heli-hiking adventures, while adrenaline seekers can try rock climbing with Banff Adventures Unlimited. A scenic canoe paddle across Lake Louise is a seasonal highlight.
The Banff Centre, developers of the Banff Summer Arts Festival, offers myriad meeting options and this year will add a new venue, the Kinnear Centre for Creativity & Innovation, which will offer meeting space.
California/Nevada
Though Lake Tahoe hosted the Winter Olympic Games in Squaw Valley in 1960, the destination remains most popular in summer.
"It’s hard to imagine a better place to do a meeting in summer than Lake Tahoe," says Jason Neary, director of sales for the Tahoe North Visitors & Convention Bureau. "If your attendees get bored in Tahoe it’s their fault."
DMCs, such as the Tahoe/Reno Experience and Sierra Event Company, can help filter through the endless list of outdoor options, such as hiking and biking. There are also 46 golf courses within an hour of the lake, including a course at the Resort at Squaw Creek.
Rafting is one of the most popular summer activities. Truckee River Raft Company offers a float from Tahoe City to Truckee, letting out at River Ranch by Alpine Meadows. For a lake outing, groups can charter a sunset or dinner cruise on the Tahoe Gal.
Mountain bike rentals are available at Northstar-at-Tahoe Resort, renowned for its more than 100 mountain biking trails.
For a scenic venue, the aerial cable car at Squaw Valley USA leads up to High Camp, where there is a swimming lagoon and spa, year-round ice skating rink and the Terrace Bar & Restaurant, where groups can host an event in the rotunda with 180-degree views of the mountain and lakes.
North Lake Tahoe now offers The Ritz-Carlton Highlands, Lake Tahoe, which recently debuted with over 15,000 square feet of meeting space.
South Lake Tahoe also draws crowds in summer for its casinos, lake views and outdoor endeavors, including boating, kayaking, swimming, parasailing and hot-air ballooning.
"Whatever anybody else has, we have it here and probably prettier," says Mike Frye, sales and events manager at the Lake Tahoe Visitors Authority. "There are 29 trillion gallons of water, ringed by 10,000-foot peaks with lots of trees, and we have some of the best mountain biking."
Groups can get on the lake from Zephyr Cove Resort on the M.S. Dixie II or recently renovated Tahoe Queen paddlewheeler boats. Golfing on the edge of the lake is also a unique option at the Edgewood Tahoe Golf Course, home of the American Century Celebrity Golf Championship. Day hikes abound at Emerald Bay, one of the most photographed spots in the world.
The gondola at Heavenly Mountain Resort provides access to a viewing platform with unobstructed views of the lake and Carson Valley. Harrah’s Lake Tahoe and Harveys Lake Tahoe are South Lake Tahoe’s main group properties.
Heading south to California’s Mammoth Mountain, groups can ride the Panorama Gondola to the summit for 360-degree views of the eastern Sierra landscape, including the Minarets and Mono Lake. Groups can also kayak on glacier-carved lakes in the Mammoth Lakes Basin or ride the trails at Mammoth Mountain Bike Park. Yosemite National Park and all its scenic wonders are about 20 miles from Mammoth.
Mammoth’s historic Sierra Nevada Lodge, once a draw for Hollywood stars, recently renovated its six-acre property.
Colorado
The alpine towns of Colorado, including Vail, Aspen, Colorado Springs and Telluride, all tempt as summer sojourns. Vail Valley has everything from 14 championship golf courses to jeep tours. The valley also lures with white-water rafting on the Colorado and Arkansas rivers.
"We’re popular with associations in summer and corporate retreats," says Chris Romey, director of sales and marketing for Vail Valley Partnership. "There is good value in the summer, especially early and late summer."
Both Vail and Beaver Creek are attractive in summer as pedestrian villages with shops, art galleries and restaurants. An off-site venue for groups is the Vail Betty Ford Alpine Gardens, the highest alpine garden in the country. 4 Eagle Ranch, an authentic Western ranch 20 minutes from Vail and Beaver Creek, offers custom team-building events as well as zip-line tours. The Beaver Creek Golf Course opens its clubhouse and restaurant to groups.
The Four Seasons Resort Vail is opening this summer with 121 guest rooms and 10,000 square feet of meeting space. Groups can also host events with a backdrop of Vail Mountain in the mountainside ballroom at The Lodge at Vail, A Rockresort.
With its myriad festivals, Aspen is abuzz during the summer months, including the Jazz Aspen Snowmass Festival in June.
"The number one way to find value [is to] come Sunday or Monday and stay during the week, not during a festival," says JoAnna Eisler, national sales manager for the Aspen Chamber Resort Association.
Groups can ascend Aspen Mountain in the Silver Queen Gondola, with a sundeck at the summit. For outdoor options, Blazing Adventures can arrange horseback riding, rafting and jeep tours with catered dinners.
Aspen’s iconic The Little Nell hotel at the base of Aspen Mountain recently underwent a major renovation to its guest rooms, including a focus on green initiatives. In addition, the Doerr-Hosier Center at Aspen Meadows Resort recently became Gold LEED certified.
Nearby, Snowmass is increasing its appeal to groups with new properties, namely the 173-room Viceroy Snowmass, which opened last November at the base of Snowmass Mountain.
"People are discovering there is a new property in Snowmass that is modern and sleek—a little New York in the mountains," says John Egelhoff, director of sales & marketing for the hotel.
The location is convenient for group activities like hiking and biking, with trails just outside the hotel, as well as fly-fishing and golf, both nearby.
Telluride expanded with two new hotels—Capella Telluride and Lumiere Telluride. The Peaks Resort is also undergoing a major remodel, to be completed by winter of next year.
"Probably what is noticeable upon arrival in Telluride is how intimate you are with the mountains," says Scott McQuade, CEO of the Telluride Tourism Board. "It’s very reminiscent of the Alps. We have the highest concentration of 14,000-foot peaks in North America. Here you can really reach out and touch them."
The town offers a free gondola link connecting old town Telluride with the more modern town of Mountain Village.
Telluride is host to over 30 festivals and events, including the Telluride Film Festival and the Photography Festival, which will make its debut in September. Outdoor activities include jeep rides to old mining towns, rock climbing and kayaking on the San Miguel River.
Biking is a main outdoor sport at Colorado Springs, with 350 miles of scenic trails ranging from paved paths along Monument Creek to more challenging routes in the nearby foothills. Numerous companies organize white-water rafting adventures on the Arkansas River.
Groups can host meetings and events at the renowned Pikes Peak Center for Performing Arts.
Idaho
Sun Valley boasts nearly 1 million acres of surrounding wilderness and just about as many summer activities, such as hiking through wildflowers on Bald Mountain and rafting the Salmon River. There are also 30 paved miles of bike trails, some leading into the Sawtooth Mountains.
The Sun Valley Resort can accommodate groups of up to 1,200 people in its convention center. The resort pavilion presents concerts during summer, including the Sun Valley Summer Symphony in August. Another venue for groups is the Sun Valley Center for the Arts in Ketcham.
Montana
Wildflowers burst to life during summer at Big Sky, which offers hikers and bikers everything from a scenic chairlift in summer to a network of trails at Andesite Mountain. The resort also features a zip-line tour and golf course. White-water rafting on the Gallatin River, fly-fishing and horseback riding are other group options. New for this season are a bungee trampoline, a ropes course and a paintball course.
Last August, President Obama and his family vacationed in the park and chose to stay at the Summit at Big Sky.
Yellowstone National Park sits less than 50 miles away and is home to the Yellowstone Conference Center.
Meanwhile, the town of Whitefish is a gateway to Glacier National Park, celebrating its centennial year in 2010. Kandahar Lodge on nearby Whitefish Mountain Resort offers an alpine slide, zip lines and a chairlift or gondola ride to the Summit House, overlooking the Continental Divide, the peaks of Glacier National Park and Flathead Valley. This year, the Lodge at Whitefish Lake is adding 36 rooms across the street from its current location.
The Resort at Paws Up in Greenough caters to groups and offers spa treatments, ATV trail rides, mountain biking, skeet shooting, horseback riding, geo-caching and rappelling along with a host of other options.
New Mexico
Taos sits as the hub of the Enchanted Circle, an 85-mile U.S. Forest Scenic Byway connecting Taos and Questa with the resort communities of Red River, Eagle Nest and Angel Fire. Just off the circle sits the Taos Ski Valley. Taos Ski Valley and Angel Fire keep lifts running in summer for summit views and both feature horseback riding options, as does Red River.
"A couple of guide companies do llama treks, which are a lot of fun," says Steve Fuhlendorf, CEO of the Taos County Chamber of Commerce. "They load the llamas with supplies for lunch, go on a trek into the Rio Grande Gorge and then have gourmet lunch at the bottom of the gorge and hike back out again."
For scenic thrills, there are class V rapids on the Rio Grande. Taos is also an arts and festival hub, including the Solar Music Festival at the end of June. Local artists lead studio and gallery tours or can take groups to Taos Mountain for lessons in landscape or plein air painting.
Oregon
Oregon’s primary mountain resort, Mt. Bachelor, a half-hour from Bend, offers summer options including a chairlift to the Pine Mountain Lodge for sunset dinners and mountain biking.
"Bend is bike town USA," says Angie Darby, destination sales director for Visit Bend.
Cog Wild Mountain Biking Tours offers group trips as does Wanderlust Tours, which also leads year-round cave tours, geo-caching and canoe tours.
Downtown Bend recently opened the Oxford Hotel, with 59 rooms and 3,000 square feet of meeting space.
Utah
Utah boasts some of the country’s most inspired scenery and mountain backdrops. Salt Lake City stands as the launching point for Solitude Mountain Resort and Snowbird Ski and Summer Resort, where the opportunity for summer adventure stacks as high as the mountains themselves.
"It seems that a lot of travelers are ready for something different and want to participate in something, even if it’s not strenuous," says Mark H. White, vice president of sales at the Salt Lake CVB. "Going on a tram to 11,000 feet to have champagne and take a picture is pretty memorable."
Groups can stay at Snowbird Resort and Conference Center, with access to hiking and biking trails, an alpine slide and zip lines. In summer, Snowbird presents performances by the Utah Symphony. Snowbird can also organize team-building activities, such as a ropes course, horseback riding and ATV riding.
Park City, home to the Sundance Film Festival and the Park City Kimball Arts Festival hosted by the Kimball Art Center, offers the gamut of outdoor activities as well as good value in summer.
Area activities range from mountain biking on 300 miles of trails to hot-air ballooning. For groups, Utah Olympic Park features an alpine slide and adventures like the wheeled street luge, as well as tours of the Alf Engen Ski Museum.
Park City last summer opened the Dakota Mountain Lodge and Golden Door Spa, a Waldorf Astoria Collection property, and last year the Stein Eriksen Lodge, located at Deer Valley Resort, expanded its spa. This December, the Montage Deer Valley will debut with 173 rooms, a spa and 15,000 square feet of meeting space. The St. Regis Deer Crest Resort is another option.
Washington
Washington’s Cascade Mountains leave groups with a slew of options for activities and resort locations. Suncadia Resort on the eastern slopes of the Cascades, alongside the Cle Elum River, offers horseback riding, kayaking, white-water rafting and golf. Its Lodge at Suncadia features meeting space.
Sun Mountain Lodge near Winthrop is home to Beaver Pond, which is a feature on the Audubon Society’s Great Washington State Birding Trail. The Bavarian village of Leavenworth, at the foot of the Cascades, is also on the birding trail. Rafting companies provide float trips on the Wenatchee and Icicle rivers. Groups can stay at the Mountain Springs Lodge and Conference Center and Sleeping Lady Resort.
Wyoming
In summer, Jackson Hole brings thrills like zooming down the alpine slide on Snow King Mountain.
"We have something for everyone," says Heather Falk, tourism manager of the Jackson Hole Chamber of Commerce. "We’re not pigeonholed as a Western community; there is a cultural aspect, amazing fine dining and activities for every skill level and age range."
Groups can head out horseback riding in Grand Teton National Park and stay at Grand Teton Lodge, or set out on Jackson Lake from Colter Bay for a cruise, offering views of the Tetons and Waterfall Canyon. Hot-air ballooning over the Tetons is possible with Teton Balloon Flights, while Snake River Kayak & Canoe offers sea kayaking trips in Yellowstone National Park and rafting down the Snake River.
Hotel Terra added 73 rooms at Teton Village last summer. Group venues include the Jackson Hole Playhouse and National Museum of Wildlife Art. The Grand Teton Music Festival is held each summer at the Walk Festival Hall, which is open to groups.
