Are you planning your mountain getaway in Colorado and looking for the perfect family destination with affordable but upscale accommodations? Keystone is where you want to look for winter or summer fun with kids and the Timbers in River Run Village is the place to stay. If location is key for you when you pick a mountain retreat, read why the Timbers is tops of them all in Keystone.

Family-friendly Keystone Colorado is my family’s favorite mountain destination year-round. The mountains are a frequent getaway destination for us as locals here in the Denver area. We love Keystone for skiing and riding, beautiful River Run Village for après ski, and the plethora of family activities with kids of all ages in mind that the resort facilitates. This was our first time staying at The Timbers, and the best thing about these condos is the location! It puts you right in the middle of it all at River Run Village. You really can’t get any closer than this to the River Run Gondola at the base area. Every time we visit Keystone we gaze at these condos as we ski/ride by down the mountain and think how grand it would be to stay right off the main trail where we could just ski-in and ski-out with ease. We finally got a chance to check them out at the end of this summer.

What Works for Families

• Ideally located a short 2-3 minute walk from River Run Village
• Indoor/outdoor pool heated year-round
• Beautiful hot tub with waterfall feature
• Queen/Twin bunk beds in second bedroom
• Hiking trail in front of property
• Stackable washer/dryer in condo
• Nice common area for gatherings with a fireplace, bar and comfy couches
• Heated below-ground garage with keycard access

What Doesn’t Work for Families

• Swimming pool is a bit small and doesn’t have any extra features for kids like a diving board or water slide.
• Limited patio seating by the pool
• Only one hot tub

Rental Cost: $$-$$$$

Rates vary based on number of bedrooms and season. Rates are lower in summer, higher in winter. We rented a 3-bed, 2.75-bath unit at the end of August which ranges from $89 – $840 a night.

The Details

I’ve already mentioned the best part of The Timbers is the location, which is ideal for both winter and summer since the gondola is open for rides up the mountain during both seasons. Keystone has incredible mountain biking trails and a bike park in the summer accessible by gondola. And in winter, Keystone is the only Summit County resort with night skiing from this same part of the mountain.

We enjoyed riding our bikes from The Timbers to the other half of Keystone Resort – Lakeside Village where Keystone Lake is located. At Keystone Lake you can rent paddleboats and stroll through the many shops and restaurants overlooking this beautiful mountain lake.

The Timbers are all privately owned condos, and ours was booked through Summit County Mountain Retreats (SCMR), which offers competitive nightly rates. If you find a comparable unit at a lower price, SCMR will not only match it, but discount your rental another 10%. If you’re searching rentals through VRBO, Airbnb or other third-party rental sites, there’s a good chance you will be booking through SCMR. We called SCMR directly and spoke with one of their friendly Vacation Planners who researched available properties and found the perfect rental for our short summer weekend stay. SCMR’s Vacation Planners are available seven days a week and in addition to helping find the ideal property, can help set up activities and give suggestions for finding the best deals in Keystone.

The Timbers represents just one of a variety of properties managed by SCMR. From ski-in ski-out, to budget condos and lakeside homes at Dillon Lake, there is something to fit every budget. Joining SCMR’s mailing list will notify you of special pricing on available properties throughout the year too.

The Rooms

Rustic comfort is how I would describe the décor of the Timbers. Leather and animal fur couches, solid wood furnishings and western accents that are current and not over the top are the theme. Our daughter, Reagan who is eight-years-old, decided she had to have a lamp table like the one in our spacious living room made from an animal-skin-covered drum with attached drumstick. You can imagine how tempting that was.

I loved all the windows. And the extended porch shared by the living area and master bedroom. So much room on that porch for entertaining, and ours even had its own gas grill. But, the windows in our master bedroom were my favorite. They made up two entire walls giving us great views in two directions. I so wanted to just take a nap in the middle of the day here, and would have if we hadn’t had so many activities to pack in.

The king size bed in the master bedroom was super comfortable and our daughter loved the bunk beds in her room. Both rooms had flat screen TVs and their own bathrooms. There was even a third full bath in the foyer, which would be great for larger families. The master bath was so roomy and had an oversized soaker tub with jets and separate shower with a rain feature showerhead.

The kitchen had everything we needed and full-size appliances including a gas stove, which is a huge plus.

Amenities

Like most mountain properties, there is no air conditioning at the Timbers, so you’ll be sleeping with the windows open during the summer. Which is nice because there is a stream running right outside the property that you can hear from the bedrooms.

We loved the large, soft, comfy robes provided in our room and wore them to the pool and hot tub each night. Towels are also available at the pool so you don’t need to bring them from your room. A sauna, steam room and small fitness center are also all right there for your use.

Dining

There is no dining onsite, but there are lots of restaurants to choose from a short walk away in River Run Village. Our favorite restaurant, Bighorn Bistro is worth the short drive or shuttle ride over to Lakeside Village. There is also a small grocery/convenience store in River Run Village should you have forgotten anything.