Located at the crossroads of CO-9, CO-6 and I-70, Silverthorne is a Summit County mountain town that offers more than alpine scenery — it is a place where art and culture meets adventure.

This spring, a weekend in Silverthorne presents an opportunity to reconnect with the outdoors, your heart and your belly. While temperatures are sure to be chilly, the budding season is the second busiest for tourism behind summer, filled with plenty of activities to do.

STAY

Photos by David Lauder/The Pad Hotel & Hostel.

It’s no secret that traditional accommodations near Colorado’s world-class ski resorts are expensive. Rob and Lynne Baer recently opened The Pad, a boutique hotel with hostel-style rooms, to welcome the bougie to budget travel. Sitting along the banks of the Blue River, The Pad has a high-end mountain modern design, but what’s even more impressive is it’s made from 18 upcycled shipping containers. It’s on track to become the first Colorado-based lodging company to attain B Corporation certification for its sustainable performance.

The innovative social lodging concept consists of hostel-style dorm rooms, micro rooms, traditional hotel rooms and private suites. The property features amenities open to all, like community lounges, a hot tub, coworking space and communal kitchen. A-Bar, the on-site bar serving everything from local beers to kombuchas and wines, is soon to be accompanied by Graze & Torreys, which promises to focus on locally sourced and organic food.

“We want The Pad to be a home base and a launching pad for both visitors and locals to create new adventures and shared experiences,” Lynne Baer says.

Bunk rooms start at $50 a night, while private suites run $350 a night. It’s an enticing value, especially if you’re looking to spend most of your time off property exploring the surrounding area.

EAT

*Credit to Town of Silverthorne/Shane Morris*

Just a short walk from The Pad across Blue River Parkway is Silverthorne’s first food hall, Bluebird Market. The trendy concept adds to the mountain town’s growing culinary scene, consisting of 12 food stalls reserved for local or chef-owned eateries. The retail pop-up spaces present a unique opportunity for small business owners with its lower start-up costs and shorter lease commitments, making it a staple in the downtown community.

Enjoy fried chicken at Lucky Bird, a home-grown burger at The Mighty Burger, handcrafted pies at Tilford’s Wood Fired Pizza, tacos at Baja Chimayó or a veggie bowl at Hook & Harvest, among others.

Make sure to stop by newly opened Eclectic Bar & Grill to tickle your taste buds. The local hotspot serves up well-made cocktails and fresh twists on daily fare. If you go, try the Summit Mushroom Burger, complete with goat cheese, wild mushrooms, spicy pepper jelly, roasted garlic aioli and micro arugula. Add fried fingerlings and get ready for an explosion in your mouth. The restaurant is vegan-friendly, offering substitutions like the Impossible Burger.

The next morning, head to House of Vibes for a quirky coffee shop experience. It’s a small hidden gem where you can pick up your classic cup of joe or something more adventurous like a honey oat milk latte. The shop specializes in homemade biscuits that you can pair with fillings like pulled bacon, egg and cheddar or vegan chorizo and avocado.

PLAY

Silverthorne is a true mountain playground. If you plan anything from this travel guide, be sure to book an adventure like a guided snowshoeing or Nordic skiing tour (or rock climbing and rafting in the warmer months) with Colorado Adventure Guides. The professional backcountry outfitter and guide service not only takes locals and tourists alike on memorable outdoor adventures, but its team invests in the community it’s a part of. Their avalanche education program provides safety information essential for the backcountry. If you’re looking for a knowledgeable and fun guide to help you venture into fresh powder, this one-stop-shop has it all. A private two-hour snowshoe tour starts at $100.

You can also take a simple stroll along the Blue River Trail, which runs 3.5 miles from Silverthorne Elementary School and North Pond Park through downtown and climbs about 250 feet to the Dillon Dam. The trail connects with the Summit County Recreational Pathway System to Dillon, Keystone, Breckenridge, Copper and Frisco.

For the arts-lover, or if your legs are beat after a day in the snow, the Lake Dillon Theatre Company has year-round performances in addition to showcasing a rotating art exhibit by local creatives.

Silverthorne is located about 178 miles from Grand Junction and about 68 miles from Denver.

Originally published in the Spring 2022 of Spoke+Blossom.

Stay + Play: Silverthorne, Colorado

STAY

EAT

PLAY