state00

Hi guys, looking for a little help. I'm thinking of taking the family on a vacation next year, but switching it up and trying a mountain location instead of a beach.

We're looking for some good views, not planning on skiing or anything, maybe some hiking, and preferably in the US/Canada. We were thinking of possibly a ski resort in the off-season, to keep prices low. We really have no idea though and we're open to your thoughts/suggestions (or even just a good starting point).

Thanks!

SkiAdcock

Vail, CO & Park City UT come to mind if you want Marriott. SPG also has some locations in ski areas.

azepine00

A couple Marriott vac club places in South Lake Tahoe - i dont think they have good views though... SPG definitely has some nice places in CO. In Canada there is a Westin in Whistler and a another one (Bear Mountain) on Vancouver Island with very nice nature around (but no real mountains). Westin Mammoth CA is in a very outdoorsy area with plenty of mountains nearby.
CO/UT are probably better pricewise - for many others (like tahoe or mammoth) summer is as busy as winter if not worse...

manneca

I wouldn't recommend South Lake Tahoe. It's crammed with tourists. There's no lake or mountain view.

pinniped

We went up to Beaver (Avon CO) one year in August and stayed in a really nice Westin. It has both standard hotel units and villa/timeshare units. We booked the basic villa (probably a studio or whatever) for something like $169/nt. and got upgraded to a giant 2-bedroom apartment almost as big as my house.

It was definitely a down weekend: very few people at the hotel and no special events in the town. The Colorado ski towns all have their various summer festival weekends, so you have to check to see if it's going to be busy or not (if it isn't obvious from hotel availability).

michelin

We have done the Tahoe Grand Residence a couple of times in April, which is off season - too late for skiing and too early to go out on the lake. Great rates! We bring our adult children and reserve the 3 bedroom penthouse. I highly recommend it and there is good hiking and you can walk down to the Tahoe beach as well.

state00

Thanks for all the suggestions everyone! Looks like I have some research to do tonight, then I will return!

returnoftheyeti

Fly to ONT or LAX or PSP and go to Palm Springs. Take to tramway to Mount San Jacinto State Park. Bake in the sun and relax by the pools and any of the Marriott resorts. Then take the PalmSprings Tramway to Mount San Jacinto State Park 10k elevation, alpine wilderness and great hiking at the top. 100s on the Valley floor, 70s on top.

Ready for more vacation? Drive through Joshua Tree National park just north of Palm Springs. Its Amazing. Stay at the Courtyard in TwentyNine Palms.

Keep your road trip going. Drive to Vegas, and on the way hit up Amboy (the Insperation for Radiator Springs). Keep driving and hit up Kelso and the Cima Dunes.

Spend a couple nights in Vegas, but to keep with the Mountain Theame, make sure you hike in Red Rocks canyon and Mount Charelston. The mountains, big horn sheep, and the canyons are fantastic. There is also Boulder and Hoover Dam, as well as the Valley of Fire.

In the summer Red Rocks will be hot, but Mount Charleston will be in the 70s while Vegas is in the 100s.

azepine00

These are nice areas with interesting outdoors options but i struggle to classify them as mountains in a traditional sense - green meadows, snow capped peaks, blue lakes... Those places are desert or high desert featuring rocks rather than vegetation - good for late fall or springtime but miserably hot in summer. Interesting to visit as long as one doesnt expect sound of music landscape..

nacho

Marriott Mountain Valley Lodge in Breckenridge CO - went there late October (rate were low $143 for a big villa), it's a time share property so you get daily tidying up plus late check-in and 10am check out as a "perk".

We have view of the mountains from the balcony and the kids got entertained in the game room and there were small hiking trips arranged by the hotel - perfect for the family. Tons of hiking nearby and we had such a good time that we are thinking about returning next October! Give yourself 2 days to acclimate at 6000ft before heading up Breck (9000ft) and you should be fine (it took me 4 days to get used to it but the rest of the family was fine).

Old Hickory

For information purposes, you should research the family summer activities in Park City, UT, and Breckenridge, CO. These are considered ski towns but they are quickly growing into summer family destinations. Each of these has a Marriott Vacation Club property but I'm not sure if they are available through Marriott. You might need to check the timeshare rental sites.

Oh and I might include South Lake Tahoe and Vail, as well. MVC properties there that I've not visited.

pinniped

Honestly, I love ski towns in the summer almost more than skiing itself. Always lots of family stuff to do...truly gorgeous weather. That's totally what I'd shoot for if this is a June-August type trip. The Palm Springs / Vegas idea starts looking better if you're thinking about cooler months.

3Cforme

Your concept of mountain is regrettably - and simply incorrectly - narrow.

returnoftheyeti

There is a Westin in Mammoth Lakes. . You can backdoor into Yosemite from there as a day trip. Other day trips allow you tocheck out Mono Lake and Bodie. Panum Crater is cool to visit as well.

In my experience the Ski towns in the summer are not really “inexpensive” and the resorts that have kids activities are really not “inexpensive”. We stayed at the Hyatt Centric in Park City in the true off season, the middle of May and it was still $200 or more a night. Affordable for me for sure, but no way you can call that inexpensive. Dont forget parking, resort fees, and the general higher cost of the towns as well.

When we were in Park City, in the off season, in May, the place was dead. There was nothing going on, it was almost a ghost town. And they REALLY dont want you hiking the trails when its all wet and muddy. We had a great time, and got some great hiking in, and I would do it again. But you couldn’t pay me to go in the high summer.

For me, as reflected in my post above a great mountain vacation is some of the National Parks. There is a thread here on Marriotts in National Parks. Check out the High desert, or some of the more off the way places like Crater Lake or Great Basin National Park. Go check out Monument Valley (I know, thats not in the mountains). Go to Seattle and visit Mt Rainer.

nacho

That's why timeshare properties are great - there's no resort fee, free parking. There are activities for kids and the villas have plenty of space for families.