Stop #34: Tiger Run RV Resort, Breckenridge, CO
- Denisse Storti
- Apr 4, 2024
- 6 min read
Aaaand we're back! We checked out Tiger Run in the fall before committing to returning for a month in the month of February. Tiger Run offers shorter stays in other times of the year, however, in the winter, you can only make bookings for long term stays. We were looking to spend a longer time skiing this season so this worked out well with our plans. During our week long stay in the fall we were able to see which sites were available in person and pick the one that suited us best: one that would give us the most sunlight during the day and was close to the club house. We would've chosen a different site (close to the river and far from the club house) if we wouldn't have done this.
Our review for this campground can be found in a previous blog post so no need for us to get into that again. Instead, I will share the differences we noted between staying here in the winter versus the fall. First off, while there is some beauty in a campground covered in white, Tiger Run was stunning in the fall and we all enjoyed the grounds much more then... biking and walking all around. The kids did still enjoy playing in the snow on our site but walking around was tricky as pathways got icy and staff was not diligent in keeping the ice off.
As shared in our previous Tiger Run review, the club house has a decent enough gym, a heated pool and two hot tubs, all of which we enjoyed in the fall. There were a lot more people around in the winter which meant these were getting a lot more use. As with the pathways, staff was not diligent in keeping the hot tubs clean. We visited once and decided not to return. When the jets were on, you could see a layer of dirt building up on the bubbles which was rather gross. The gym also needed some simple maintenance which Paul decided to take into his own hands. He greased the door and some of the machines which while minor work, resulted in much improvement. We will send them the bill later. lol
When renting monthly, water is still included in the rental fee but electricity was separate. We had to set up our own account with the electric company and the campground had the account transferred to our name during the length of our stay so we could pay directly. It was a bit confusing to set it all up but not that big of a deal.
The biggest advantage to staying here in the winter was the campground's proximity to the mountain... actually to two mountains: Breckenridge and Keystone. Breckenridge is only 10 mins away and Keystone around 15 mins. Both easy drives. There is also a bus stop on the main road outside of Tiger Run. We saw some folks taking the bus over to the mountain to avoid having to park. We opted to drive because while the bus stop is close to the campground the thought of walking that distance in our ski boots, while carrying our gear and that of our kid's just didn't make it worth while. Since we were there for a month, we avoided skiing on the weekends or during a holiday, so finding parking close to the lift / gondola was never an issue. The other great advantage - the amazing winter sunsets! Boy, were they breathtaking!
After our arrival, our first outing was to check out the ice skating rink in Keystone. I had read that Keystone claimed to have the largest Zamboni-maintained outdoor ice skating rink in North America so we had to check it out. We visited during the week in the early afternoon and had it mostly to ourselves. It is indeed large and the kids enjoyed skating around but it might be even more scenic closer to sunset once the lights are on in the village and on the tree in the middle of the rink.
Our arrival into Breckenridge also coincided with the 2024 Snow Sculpture Championship. We visited around sunset to see the sculptures lit up with colorful lights. The details on these were impressive but it was rather cold so we took off as soon as we had seen them all.
Next up, we visited Breckenridge for the first time and loved the mountain. Parking was easy (we parked at the lot next to the gondola) and the conditions, while not a powder day, were good. During our stay, we didn't only ski at Breckenridge and Keystone but we also did day trips to Vail and Beaver Creek - we had the Epic Local pass and dang it, we were going to get the biggest bang for our buck. lol
The second ski resort we visited was Keystone, which had some very cool snow sculptures and an ice castle. Keystone seems like a small mountain at first sight which is deceiving. It's a decent sized mountain with plenty of runs to choose from. We returned to Breckenridge a few times before exploring the other two resorts we visited. We first visited Vail and then made it to Beaver Creek two days later to meet up with our niece and her husband who happened to be there skiing. Both of these ski resorts were 40 - 45 mins away on scenic roads which made time go by fast and easy.
Skiing with the kids was so much fun but let's be honest, it also involves a lot of challenges. Our son who turned ten during this trip is much more resilient than our daughter and wanted to ski all the time till the ski lifts closed. He carried his own skis and poles all the time except for when he went to the top of the mountain in Breckenridge with Paul to ski double blacks. There was a lengthy trek from where the ski lift dropped them off to where you ski from which was difficult at that altitude with boots. Our daughter on the other hand, who is 7, got frustrated at times with the gear or the difficulty of a slope. We had more than a few meltdowns throughout but the positives still outweighed the negatives by a lot. Our daughter still had a ton of fun skiing and tackled a couple of blacks with moguls. This season they also both loved skiing the terrain parks... going on the half pipes, tackling jumps, and railings. Both kids continued to make great progress with their skiing which is so fun to watch.
It didn't escape us that skiing, like any other sport, has its risks. We all experienced wipeouts but thankfully nothing too serious. Several snowboarders also crashed into our son and I, one of which completely knocked me over resulting in a bruised leg and ripped pants. Maybe we should try skiing at Deer Valley Resort next year to avoid them all together?? We didn't have any incidents with skiers as they seem to have better control when on the mountain. Other than having fun, my number one wish was for us to end the season without any injuries and, other than some sore knees from a fall I had towards the end of the trip, thankfully we achieved that.
We didn't do much other than skiing during this stay because that's what we wanted to do most with our free time. We visited Runway Sledding Hill one day which was down the road from the campground. This was lots of fun and free. We had our own sleds but they also had some available in a sled recycling bin. We also walked around the Breckenridge Village one day to shop around for t-shirts. The village, as most ski villages, is lovely with lots of restaurant options to pick from. On the opposite direction of Breckenridge from the campground you also have the town of Frisco which also has a nice strip with shops and restaurants. Here we visited a few restaurants (parking was easier than at Breckenridge) as well as a few wellness appointments we had pending - acupuncturist, dermatologists, and a visit to a homeopathic doctor which was great.
This was our second ski season with the kids and it delivered awesome memories that we'll never forget. Our son wished to go skiing for his birthday and this month at Tiger Run overdelivered on that wish. While we expected to have heavy snow fall and tons of powder days during this time of the year, conditions were still good throughout and we were able to ski on about 4 great powder days. So overall, Tiger Run served as a great home base for our skiing adventures.
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