Stepping into Linda Clem's garden is like stepping into a fantasy, Beverly Breakstone said.

It starts at the road's edge and winds around the house, by the guest house in back and into a place Clem calls the “secret garden.”

To add to the garden's somewhat mystical nature, the sound of the Snake River rushes by behind the house.

“It's so beautiful,” said Breakstone, who's the chairwoman of the Summit County Garden Tour. “That's all there is to say.”

Clem's Keystone garden is one of seven on the 21st annual Summit County Garden Tour — a self-guided visit to select High Country gardens slated for 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday. Registration, with refreshments, runs from 8:30-10:30 that morning at the Summit County Community and Senior Center.

This year, featured gardens are in Frisco, Keystone and north of Silverthorne — and the tour also steps somewhat out of the way to Jane Hendrix's garden in Blue River.

“Even though it's out of the way, we put it on the tour because it's spectacular,” Breakstone said, adding that Hendrix's garden is on the tour almost annually.

New this year is the dedication of the event poster (which is for sale on Saturday) to Hendrix. Another new addition is Women in Watercolor “plein air” painters situated at about four gardens on the tour.

Tickets are $10 in advance, available until noon Friday at Alpine Earth Center and Neils Lunceford in Silverthorne — as well as the Neils Lunceford Farmer's Korner location — and at Summit Landscaping in Breckenridge. They can also be purchased at the Summit County Community and Senior Center in Frisco before the event or the day of — when the price jumps to $15.

Proceeds from the garden tour return to the community — to community gardens and a scholarship for a Summit High School senior who is majoring in plant-related sciences.

Garden tour participants receive an event booklet with maps and directions to the gardens, allowing them to go their own pace. Each garden has a host, who can answer questions and explain what it takes to garden in the High Country. They were chosen by garden club members, who take notes throughout the summer for the following year. Next year, the tour heads to Breckenridge.

Breakstone said she anticipates the garden north of Silverthorne may trap some viewers, as it includes “breathtaking” views of the Gore Range.

“People may get stuck,” she said, adding that another “two gardens are right on the river, so that adds a beautiful dimension.”

Generally, the garden tour draws several hundred people, including visitors, locals and folks from nearby areas. This year, Summit County Garden Tour coordinators sought to expand the reach — they're hoping to draw more people from farther away.

Breakstone emphasized that the tour can be fun for just about anybody. From taking photographs to simply enjoying the view; from picking up ideas to learning more about gardening, it's a chance to visit with and learn about local gardeners who create spectacles that emerge in summer months.

“The gardeners are always thinking about what to do next,” Breakstone said. “They are people who enjoy being outside and making things happen.”