Summer with a Side of Bacon

Posted June 3, 2024

A weekend itinerary for the Keystone Bacon & Bourbon Festival, June 22-23

It’s the start of summer. Birds are chirping, rivers are running, trails are drying, and the smell of bacon is in the air. Ok, the last one isn’t totally true yet, but it will be, come June 22-23 when the annual kick off to the summer season returns with the Bacon & Bourbon Festival in Keystone’s River Run Village!

 

The mountain comes alive again with scenic gondola rides and the renowned Keystone Bike Park starting June 20, as well as signature activities like summer SNOW tubing (yes, you read that right, real snow tubing), Keystone Golf, water activities in Lakeside Village, the Keystone Stables, and a lineup of summer festivals that all combine to make the idyllic Colorado summer getaway.

 

Mark your calendar for a sizzling summer opening weekend at Keystone to enjoy the mountains, live music, bacon-themed dishes, and more. Whether you’re looking for a chill mountain getaway or an adrenaline-filled weekend, we’ve got you covered with some ideas for the perfect weekend itinerary.

Keystone Bacon and Bourbon Festival 2023

FRIDAY

Arrive at Keystone! Festival lodging packages are the way to go to make the most of your weekend mountain getaway. For more information and to book, visit our vacation deals page.

Afternoon

Hit River Run Village to enjoy a variety of shops and restaurants, plus the free Keystone Concert Series from 4-6 PM featuring locals favorite, El Paso Lasso, covering rockinalternative hits from the 90s and 2000s.

Dinner

Stroll through River Run Village and grab a casual bite to eat from one of many restaurants within easy walking distance. Whatever your crew is craving, options like Pizza on the Run, Zuma Roadhouse, Lime, Rotolo’s or Kickapoo Tavern are sure to satisfy.

Or, if fine dining is more your style, the Ski Tip Lodge is a can’t-miss destination both for its historic charm and its incredible rotating four-course dinner menu. Originally an 1800’s stagecoach stop and once the home to some of Keystone’s founders, Max and Edna Dercum, the Ski Tip is now a cozy bed and breakfast and dinner restaurant that has consistently been named one of the best in America by OpenTable. Reservations are required and can be made online to secure your spot for a memorable mountain meal.

Family Summer Hike on Dercum Mountain at Keystone

SATURDAY

Grab a coffee in River Run, stroll along the Snake River, and get ready for the day!

Morning

Just Chillin’? Ride the River Run Gondola (opens at 10 AM) up to the top of Keystone for scenic views of the resort, Lake Dillon, and the surrounding Rocky Mountains. Bonus points if you see our neighbors over at Breckenridge Ski Resort from the top of Dercum. Make it extra chill and up the thrill with a visit to Colorado’s (and possibly the entire country’s?) only summer mountaintop SNOW tubing hill!

Downhill thrills and dirt more your speed? Hit the Keystone Bike Park and experience the adrenaline rush of sending it down the mountain in summer while working up an appetite for all that bacon.

Afternoon

The Bacon & Bourbon Festival is calling and you must go! Taking place from 1-5 PM on Saturday and Sunday, this indulgent event is a can’t-miss whether your passion is bacon, bourbon, or live music! Grab your tickets here.

From candied bacon to bacon s’mores, to BLTs and bacon mac n’ cheese, there is no shortage of sweet and savory options to satisfy bacon-lovers of all ages. And, for those 21-plus, pair your bacon delights with dozens of different bourbons.

The event also features live music throughout the afternoon, including headlining act, Strutter, from 3:30-5 PM on the main Events Plaza Stage. This KISS cover band is sure to have you rock n’ rollin’ all afternoon.

Post-Bacon

If you aren’t too full of bacon, Keystone has an assortment of restaurants suitable for any taste.

If you’re looking to take it up a notch (because why not!?), then we highly recommend the Keystone Ranch, located right next to its namesake golf course. This AAA Four-Diamond rated restaurant offers a steakhouse inspired concept offering the finest meats, a variety of game, and locally sourced products. Reservations are required and can be made online in advance to secure your table.

Golfers at Keystone River Golf Course

SUNDAY

Morning

Hit the links at one of Keystone’s two championship golf courses, the River or the Ranch Course. Enjoy the mountain scenery from course greens that offer impressive elevation changes, water hazards and features, lodgepole pine forests, and sage meadows. Plus, did you know your golf ball can fly further at altitude?! Tee off and put it to the test!

If time spent on the water is more your Sunday vibe though, visit the Keystone Adventure Center in Lakeside Village to rent your choice of paddle boats, canoes, kayaks and stand-up paddle boards. Looking to cool down or start the fun early with a refreshing adult beverage? Pour yourself a cold beer or cocktail at the Adventure Centers Rathbone Tap Wall.

Afternoon

The Bacon & Bourbon Festival fun continues on Sunday from 1-5 PM, so you can easily flip-flop the Saturday and Sunday itineraries to customize your weekend in Keystone to your likingOr, circle back to River Run for a second day of sizzlin’ fun if you didn’t get enough bacon on day one.

Plus, the all-female AC/DC cover band, Hells Belles, will shake you all night long (actually, specifically from 3:30-5 PM) on the main stage for the grand finale of the weekend schedule.

Whew! What a weekend! Rest up and make plans to do it all over again at the next big Keystone Festival this summer, with Wine & Jazz July 13-14 and Beer & Bluegrass Aug. 3-4. For the full lineup of summer festival events, visit KeystoneFestivals.com