REI will open a new store in Dillon, CO this spring.

The 25,000-square-foot store is located 65 miles west of Denver and within 25 miles of six large ski areas.

“REI has been a part of this community for decades, with more than 8,000 members residing in area. With this new location we’ll be surrounded by some of the country’s most iconic outdoor places and adventurers will more easily be able to get the best gear and expert advice to explore them. Summit County is a special area in that outdoor recreation really fuels the local economy, so we’re looking forward to continuing to partner with local nonprofits and our outdoor peers to get more people outside,” said Julie Lochner, REI retail director for the Mountain district.

REI Dillon will be located at the intersection of US Highway 6 and Dillon Dam Road. The location will be the co-op’s ninth store in Colorado, with nearby locations in Denver (67 miles away) and Lakewood (68 miles away).

REI Outdoor School will offer an in-store schedule of educational programs about hiking, climbing, biking, backpacking, snowsports and more. In addition, the store will host presentations by well-known authors and athletes. The majority of programming will be free. Across the Front Range, REI Outdoor School’s programming increased by more than 28 percent over the last year in its focus to help people live a life outside.

REI has been a part of the Colorado outdoor community since first opening its Denver Flagship store in 1983. Over the past 34 years, the co-op has established strong relationships with outdoor nonprofits throughout the state, and invested $198,000 in 14 local nonprofit partners in 2016. The impactful work completed by REI’s partners last year include:

  • Volunteers for Outdoor Colorado (VOC) – VOC used the co-op’s $40,000 investment to support stewardship projects at Lawn Lake Trail in Rocky Mountain National Park, Hermit Park Open Space Trail in Larimer County and South Valley Park in Jefferson County — which was a Yay Day service project completed by local REI employees.
  • Wildlands Restoration Volunteers (WRV) – REI’s $15,000 investment supported restoration of trails in the most popular recreation areas on U.S. Forest Service lands, flood and fire devastated areas, heavily used Denver Mountain Parks, Georgia Pass in Summit County, and many more.
  • Colorado Mountain Bike Association (COMBA) – The co-op’s $15,000 investment helped COMBA continue to construct and maintain mountain bike friendly multi-use trails throughout the greater Denver area, including Jefferson, Douglas, Park and Denver counties.
  • Colorado Youth Corps Association (CYCA) – REI’s $20,000 investment supported the CYCA’s mission by empowering their corps to employ youth, young adults and veterans for trail accessibility projects at Rocky Mountain National Park, Sand Dunes National Park and Preserve and Florissant Fossil Beds National Monument.

REI has 149 stores in 36 states.