Wildernest condos; always a great value
Condos in Wildernest give you more for your money.
Townhomes and condos are available at reasonable prices. Wildernest is commonly thought of as being in Silverthorne, even though it is not in the town limits. It has a great location not far from I-70 and many of the complexes have fabulous lake and mountain views. It is about 15 minutes from Keystone, 20 minutes from Copper and 25-30 minutes from Breckenridge. Even Vail is only about 30 minutes away in good weather. In the photo to the right, taken from the top of Buffalo Mountain, Wildernest is in the center front, with I-70 going up the pass toward the tunnel and Highway 9 going off to the left.
Buyers for Wildernest condominiumss consist of people wanting to pay a modest amount of money for a condo that is considered “rentable”, locals looking for a full time home, and others from the Front Range wanting a weekend getaway. Because there are so many condo complexes, it often seems confusing to try to figure out which ones to look at. Here is a quick explanation of the condos that fit each of these three categories of Buyers.
Those wanting to rent their condo short term
when they are not using it themselves need places with access to a clubhouse and/or hot tub. Without those amenities, rental income is much less and many management companies refuse to take them on as rentals. Complexes with clubhouses are Timber Ridge, Buffalo Village, Buffalo Ridge, Treehouse and Snowscape. The cluhouses all have swimming pools, most have laundry facilities and fitness equipment, and all have hot tubs. Treehouse has two clubhouses. The older one is for owners only, and the newer one (replacing one that burned down a few years ago) is for everyone that owns or rents in Treehouse.
Complexes with hot tubs only, are Salt Lick, Prospector Village, Watch Hill, Forest Park and Gore Trail.
Townhomes often can have their own hot tub on their decks, which make them very rentable also. Miner’s Run is one such complex where many units have individual hot tubs. Of course, when you have your own hot tub, you also have the responsibility for maintaining it, which adds to the upkeep expense. Another is Saddle Ridge, about halfway up the Wildernest road (Ryan Gulch Rd). Many other duplexes and small townhome complexes are scattered throughout Wildernest and a few single family homes are at the very top of the hill, near the trailhead for the Lily Pad trail and the Buffalo Mountain trail.
Locals looking for full time housing
often buy in Villamont and Woodworks, townhomes that are reasonably priced but without clubhouses. The lack of a clubhouse usually 
makes the dues more affordable. Other condo complexes without hot tubs that are great for locals or weekend users are Summit Point, New Lamartine, Silver Queen East and Silver Queen West, Mountain Country, Aspen Shadows, Snow Bird, Buffalo Mountain Townhomes, Buffalo Woods, Sundance, Silvertrees, Trailhead condos, Aspen Glen, Retreat at Wildernest, Summit Forest and Spyglass.
Locals and weekenders love the proximity to trails and Forest Service lands. In addition to Lily Pad and Buffalo Mountain trails at the top of Ryan Gulch Rd, the Salt Lick trailhead is at the bottom of Ryan Gulch. Salt Lick eventually connects with Lily Pad, and from there you can connect to the Meadow Creek trail, which takes you over to Frisco. The Buffalo Mountain trail goes up 3,000 feet to the very top of Buffalo, where mountain goats stare at you while you stare at them and at the amazing views. Lily Pad is a relatively short, flat trail suitable for kids and “flatlanders”.
If you would rather see the views from your condo or townhome and not have to hike to see them, Watch Hill, Buffalo Ridge, Timber Ridge, Snowscape and Forest Park have great views from most units. If you prefer a more forested view, then Salt Lick, Prospector Village and Gore Trail might be more to your liking.
Newer buildings are Rolling Ridge, which are being built as I write, Prospector Village, Saddle Ridge and Miner’s Run. Older and less expensive units are in Treehouse, Silver Queen East and West, Sundance, Buffalo Woods, Summit Point and New Lamartine.
All in all, there is something for everyone in Wildernest. Even though the winding road up 
the hill often puts some people off, the Buffalo Mountain Metro district does a great job of clearing snow off the road very quickly after snowfalls. Because the pine beetle have killed so many of our pine trees, the neighborhood is now much more sunny and open than it was, and the Forest Service is starting to clear out all the dead trees on their lands that surround Wildernest. The aspen will quickly fill in and it will be more colorful in the fall than it ever has been. Most of the condo complexes are managed by Wildernest Property Management and are listed on their website at www.wildernesthoa.com.
Be sure you check out Wildernest as you start your search for Summit County real estate. You can find it listed under Silverthorne in our MLS. Although we can’t call the condos cheap, compared to other parts of the county they are very reasonably priced.
If you would rather be in Frisco, you might check out the blog posts on Lagoon Townhomes and Mountain Side condominiums. If you subscribe, they will come into your mailbox or your reader program. .
January 9th, 2009 at 5:34 pm
[…] and condos at $400,000 or less were in Breck. Silverthorne has the lower end sales wrapped up as Wildernest has always had the best values in the county. 25% of sales under $400,000 were in Silverthorne, but you have to remember that […]