Keystone (Colorado)

Keystone is a ski resort in Colorado, with a permanent population of around 11000 people (2010). The Keystone Resort ski area occupies 3 mountains: Dercum Mountain, North Peak, and the Outback. It offers snowcat skiing in Independence Bowl, Bergman Bowl, Erickson Bowl, in addition to the existing North Bowl and South Bowl on Wapiti Peak.

Get in
Keystone is located off Interstate 70 and US Highway 6.

The closest international airport is Denver (DEN). Eagle County Airport is also an option for travelers. Numerous car and bus shuttles are available for transport from the airport.

Get around
The activities and services in the area are spread out around the resort and the adjacent town of Dillon. Keystone Resort provides free transportation by shuttle bus on 15 minute regular schedules to all resort lodging, ski area, and lodge. The Summit Stage, a free bus service, provides service between the resorts in Summit county, and to the towns of Dillon, Frisco, and Breckenridge in addition to Keystone. They also stop at the grocery store, target, and within easy walking distance of anything you might need during your stay.

See
When you arrive at Keystone, right down the road is the old mining town of Montezuma, and you can take a scenic Jeep tour up the side of the mountain to Saint John's, another old mining town, with some beautiful scenery.

Do
The resort has many summer and winter outdoor activities. The winter activities include alpine skiing, snowboarding, tubing, ice-skating, cross-country skiing, horse-drawn sleigh ride dinners, and snowmobiling. The summer activities include hiking, mountain biking, fishing, trail running, golf on two championship courses, and paddle boating on Keystone Lake.

Skiing at Keystone is great from the base area, and from the River Run area. It is a great place to ski in the winter, but has some great events in the summer. One of the most fun events is the Blues Festival. Here, they have music and some really great food. It is usually on the 2nd weekend of July.

Buy
There are many places in Keystone where you can rent ski and snowboard equipment for your stay in Beaver Creek.

Here are just a few of the many equipment rental stores found in Keystone
 * Black Tie Ski Rentals
 * Breeze Ski Rentals
 * Christy Sports
 * Keystone Sports - Mountain House Rental
 * Keystone Sports-River Run Rental
 * Mountain View Sports
 * Rentskis
 * Resort Quest Ski & Sport
 * Summit Outdoor Sports
 * Surefoot - Keystone Blackbear Lodge

If you arriving in Keystone without a car it is probably easier to rent your gear closer to your hotel or even better the lifts as most offer over night storage, saving you the hassle of lugging your skis back to your accommodation every day. Or to secure special boot size or your preference for equipment rental.

You can also book your ski or snowboard rental online which may save you some money and less time in the rental store. The main companies in Keystone that offer this service are;
 * Black Tie (Which also offer full delivery service to your accommodation)
 * Christy Sports
 * Rentskis

Go next
Nearby ski resorts include:
 * Arapahoe Basin
 * Breckenridge
 * Copper Mountain
 * Vail
 * Colorado's Wine Country - Colorado is home to over 70 wineries and its own indigenous vineyards, some of the highest in the world. Wine lovers can enjoy several scenic day trips from Keystone to many of the small towns that grow their own grapes. These lovely little communities include Montrose, Palisade, Paonia, Grand Junction and Hotchkiss. This is a day trip by car.