We’ve lived in Summit County for just about two months and are completely smitten. While we used to visit nearly every weekend, there is something so cool about saying that we live here full time! While we may not have full fledged local status yet, we’re getting there! I think once we break ground on the house, then it will become official.

While we had explored the parks and playground before, it now it comes with a new perspective and a chance to meet new friends. Our oldest son is making new buddies faster than we are (no surprise there really!) and we’re running into those kiddos at the pool, dirt track and the parks all around town.

So, to honor our basically local status, here are a few of our favorite parks and playgrounds here in Summit County. If you visit one, let us know what you think!

It’s pretty hard to rank our favorites, but we did our best, so here are our top 7 parks and playgrounds for kids in Summit County!

Coming in at #7, #6 are the playgrounds at two of the local elementary schools: Summit Cove Elementary School, and Frisco Elementary School

Summit Cove Elementary is between Dillon and Keystone and has some really fun features and lots of swings!

It was a tough decision as to the “best elementary school playground”, but according to our 5 year old, his favorite is Frisco Elementary School. The views of Mt. Royal and proximity to downtown are A+ in our book (see what we did there?). They have a great castle like wooden play structure that the boys love running around on.

We haven’t visited the school playgrounds at Dillon Valley or in Breckenridge, but I’m sure they are great too! Have you? Which one do you like best?

#5: Frisco Marina Park

If this post was about the best playground where you can order a cocktail, Frisco Marina Park would be #1. However, since we’re trying to give some suggestions on best playgrounds and parks, it ends up at #5. The playground is kind of small, but the rest of the area around the park is awesome! Small beach area, a place to rent SUPs or kayaks to go out on Lake Dillon, The Island Grill has food and some great fruity cocktails for big kids. The proximity to main street is nice too!

#4: Dillon Marina Park

Dillon Marina Park definitely wins for the best view. With sweeping views of the Gore Range, Lake Dillon and Peak One, this park is amazing! It is right next to the newly renovated Dillon Amphitheater, so if you happen to be in Summit during the summer, you can hit up a free concert, then go to the playground. And, the super nice new bathrooms are an added bonus. There is a small structure that the boys use to pretend they own a bakery. Ha! They like to “bake” us all sorts of yummy things. Some of their favorites are cake and iced coffee. I think they are paying attention to what Mom likes in real life!

Serving up some fresh cake and iced coffee!

#3: Wellington Bike Park

The Wellington Bike Park is in the Wellington Neighborhood in Breckenridge. The park features two pump tracks (one smaller and one big one). The small pump track is great for all kids – our 2 year old can rock that one on his strider. There are also a few downhill courses. One of the downhill courses is just right for our oldest, but most are just a bit too challenging this summer. There a pretty views towards town and all the local kids from the Wellington Neighborhood have been nothing but awesome to our boys. The only downside, no bathroom. But, pro tip: there is a porta potty at the nearby equestrian center down the hill just a bit.

The large pump track is behind this cool dude :-)

#2: Rainbow Park

Our boys ask to go to Rainbow Park basically every day. We’ve been doing swim lessons at the Silverthorne Recreation Center that is right next door and each day we leave they always ask if we can go to the park for a bit. One of the best things about Rainbow Park is there are totally separate areas for toddler and big kids. Our oldest who just turned 5 still has lots of fun at the park of the “little kids,” but he definitely prefers the bigger slides and taller structure designed for the older kids. Our two year old can hang, but there are some pretty steep slides and some ladders that make me a bit nervous for our little guy. There is an awesome skate park that is right next to the playground that draws a lot of awesome skateboarders. When your kiddo needs a break or a snack, it’s fun to watch the adults (and some older kids) do tricks that I could only imagine doing.

Daddy = the original king of the playground

#1: Frisco Adventure Park

If you know our boys, #1 will come as no surprise. If we could pick a home away from home, this may be it. Our boys (and us too!) love to work on our bike handling skills on the pump track or the jumps. Our oldest even had his 5th birthday at the park too! Everything is totally free and it is fun for kids of all ages, even the littlest guys and gals on balance bikes can have a blast. If your kiddo has some decent handling skills, try heading down Royal Roller (or Royal Wedding as our oldest calls it) at the top of the Adventure Park. It’s a bit of a haul to get to the top and your kiddos probably won’t be able to ride the whole way up, but the view is awesome and your kids (and you) will have fun on the bermed turns and small rolling jumps on the way down.

Four five year olds at the top of Royal Roller (aka Royal Wedding according to our son)

Getting ready for the first group of jumps. Seriously, his favorite place.

What do you think? Did we miss a fun place we should visit?

Happy Summer! And, if you are in Summit, let us know!