Vacation Destinations Abound in Weestern United States

Ever since we began traveling on family vacation trips through the West, we’ve been revisiting our favorites. As a result, we’ve selected several to share with you, starting with three in Colorado.

Winter Park. This four-seasons resort, 67 miles west of Denver via Interstate 70 and U.S. 40 has fishermen looking ahead to late spring and summer action and reporting that mackinaws in high mountain lakes and rainbows in 1,000 miles of streams have come through the long winter with strength and fighting spirit that makes them a challenge for any line and lure.

The lakes will be full for board sailers, and Winter Park’s new Mountain Bike Trail System will be experienced by cyclists as the first extensive (500 miles) mountain bike-trail system in Colorado.

Winter Park’s Great American Music Festival starts July 9. The summer sports festival, beginning July 30, will be a family affair highlighted by tournaments, races, seminars and sports clinics.

The Alpine Art Affair is July 16-17 and the Jazz Festival on July 23-24.

The Wine and Food Festival Aug. 6-7, a golf course rated by Golf Digest as the best new public course in America and Colorado’s longest Alpine Slide are other attractions. For information on package prices and rates at bed and breakfast inns, contact the Winter Park Recreational Assn., Box 36, Winter Park, Colo. 80482. Call toll-free for cental reservations: (800) 453-2525.

Copper Mountain. This resort in the Rockies has 47 miles of bicycle paths extending west to Vail and east to Breckenridge. The Copper Mountain Celebrity Golf and Trout Tournament is Aug. 6-7; lowest golf score and the most fish decide the winning team. At an average elevation of 9,650 feet, the championship golf course is high enough to extend the distance of your shots and minimize slices and hooks.

Hiking, tennis, paddle-boat rides, whitewater rafting, horseback riding, Jeep tours, a fitness spa, walks around the village and fine dining are other options. Summer package prices start at $35 per person (double occupancy) per night. Write Copper Mountain Resort, P.O. Box 3001, Copper Mountain, Colo. 80443 or telephone (303) 968-2882. Copper Mountain is west of Denver, off Interstate 70.

Aspen/Snowmass. Only 12 miles apart and sharing many cultural and outdoor activities, Aspen and Snowmass (about 200 miles west of Denver) have become a destination for all seasons.

The Aspen Music Festival, ready for its 40th season, is a showcase of classical music, jazz, choral and operatic performances, June 24 through Aug. 21. Snowmass will host many of the musicians in performances on its mall.

The Snowmass/Aspen Repertory Theater presents its seventh season July 7-Aug. 24. Ballet/Aspen offers the Ballet West Summer Dance School July 10-Aug. 20, with open-air tent performances.

Anderson Ranch Arts Center holds workshops with artists in ceramics, photography, woodworking, painting and printmaking. Children’s courses are available.

Activities range from the Snowmass Balloon Festival in early July to foot and mountain-bike races, horseback riding, hiking, fishing, rafting, Jeep touring, rodeos, barbecues, golf, tennis and scores of pools and spas. Summer packages dip as low as 70% over winter rates. Call toll-free (800) 332-3245 from outside Colorado.

Great Basin. This is America’s newest national park. Park headquarters are five miles west of Baker, near the Nevada-Utah state line and about a six-hour drive north of Las Vegas.

The Lehman “living caves,” 500 million years old and regarded as a wonder of the world, are introduced with a 90-minute walking tour covering mile among the rainbow colors of stalactites and geode crystals that are still being created.

Outside, beneath 13,063-foot Wheeler Peak, 76,800 acres of park land feature forests of mountain mahogany as well as sagebrush of the Sonoran Desert. Wheeler Peak Scenic Drive climbs dramatically for 12 miles to the 10,000-foot level.

Baker has accommodations and there are 92 camping sites in Great Basin.

Lake Mead. The lights of Las Vegas are only 30 miles away. Created by Hoover Dam, this is the nation’s largest reservoir lake, an inland sea with 255 square miles of waters and 500 miles of shoreline. The 110-mile length reaches into the lower end of Grand Canyon.

The lake and its national park recreation area is popular for houseboating, camping, hiking and fishing.

Valley of Fire State Park is near the northern end of the lake, 26,000 acres around sculptures from the last Ice Age.

A houseboat is best for exploring the lake and its canyons by day and for overnighting in bays framed by beaches and cathedrals of rock formations shimmering in the moonlight. Houseboats at Cottonwood Cove and Callville Bay resorts and marinas are about $650 for three nights during the summer.

Great Salt Lake. Only 17 miles west of Salt Lake City, the Great Salt Lake is more than a sightseeing experience.

Sailboats drift across this inland sea, 35 miles wide and 85 miles long. Along the southern shore, the state has restored a sandy beach that was swept away by floods. Here the water has a salinity of only 4% to 5%, compared to 20% at the northern shore.

Campgrounds are available, or you can stay in Salt Lake City, midway between the lake and hiking trails at the ski slopes of Alta and Snowbird.

Contact the Salt Lake City Convention and Visitors Bureau, Suite 200, Salt Palace Center, Salt Lake City, Utah 84114, (801) 521-2822.

Bryce Canyon. South of the Great Salt Lake travelers reach Bryce Canyon National Park. Start with the views from Rim Drive, then drop by the visitor center and choose one of the ranger-guided nature walks.

A highlight of the Bryce experience is the 30 miles of sculptured organ pipes and fantasy spires, in colors from crimson to soft purples, along the Pine Cliffs. Camping is available and Ruby’s Inn is near the park’s entrance.

Ketchum/Sun Valley. The old Idaho mining town of Ketchum has come into its own as part of the Sun Valley experience. Ketchum has 2,500 residents and a variety of accommodations, galleries, historical exhibits, restaurants and night life.

An art center of the Rockies, Ketchum created the Historical Society with exhibits of author Ernest Hemingway’s years in the valley. His hilltop home is preserved and his grave is a visitor attraction. Sun Valley’s cross-country ski trails and mountain heights attract hikers, and the Elkhorn Resort and Village complex features about 20 tennis courts, an 18-hole Robert Trent Jones golf course and a health spa. Sun Valley Lodge reflects the golden years of Hollywood with photos of film stars.

For accommodations ranging from campgrounds to hotel/resort rooms, contact Sun Valley/Ketchum Central Reservations toll-free at (800) 635-4156.

Idaho Whitewater. Last summer we rode the white water of the Snake and Payette rivers in Idaho. Plan two to three days on either.

We jet-boated the Snake. Eagles and falcons watched from Hell’s Canyon cliffs that tower over 6,000 feet and in the evening we dined at Copper Creek Resort.

A two-day, one-night jet-boat trip to Copper Creek costs about $165 per person. Contact Beamer’s Landing Jet Boat Tours, P.O. Box 1223, Lewiston, Ida. 83501. Telephone (208) 743-4800.

A three-day rafting trip, including all meals, tents and gear, is about $250 per person. Bring your own sleeping bag and personal gear. Phone the Cascade Rafting Co. at (208) 462-3639.

Jackson Hole. This historic Wyoming town is gateway to both the Grand Tetons and Yellowstone national parks.

Don’t be confused by the interchangeable use of Jackson and Jackson Hole. Jackson is the official name of the only incorporated town in the Jackson Hole Valley a few miles west of the Continental Divide.

The galleries of Jackson make it an important center of Western art. Many artists live and work in the town, with a population of about 5,000. Summertime attractions include fishing tournaments, rodeos, children’s recitals and fiddle contests.

Jackson Hole is known for its National Elk Refuge and 20 minutes from downtown visitors ride the Grand Teton ski lifts to lofty heights.

Summer events include the Grand Teton Music Festival, with leading musicians and orchestras attending from throughout the world, July 6 to Aug. 20.

For the 1988 Summer Travel Planner, contact the Jackson Hole Visitors Council, Dept. 83, P.O. Box 982, Jackson Hole, Wyo. 83001. Toll-free number is (800) 782-0011, Ext. 183.