After returning home from Arizona’s early spring heat, we wanted our summer getaway to be a place with cooler temperatures. We also looked for a location where active seniors like us could spend time outdoors hiking, biking, and exploring historic places.
On an early morning in mid-June, we packed the car – e-bikes folded into the hatch and hiking boots in a suitcase – and headed west to Breckenridge, Colorado, where the average temperature in June is 66 degrees.
Ten hours later, we walked into the welcoming lobby of the Ranahan Resort. After a quick trip into town for a grocery run and dinner, we planned our next day’s adventure. Happy with our plan and exhausted from our drive, we collapsed into bed.
Blue River Bikeway
Early the next morning, we rode our bikes the short distance from the resort parking lot to the Blue River Bikeway entrance at Hwy 9 and Stan Miller Drive. Turning right onto the paved trail, we headed south towards downtown Breckenridge.
The trail is well-maintained and scenic. It runs parallel to Hwy 9 and the Blue River. Along the way, we passed children playing at the River Park Playground, small ponds, waterfalls, and other bikers out for a morning ride.
About an hour into our ride, we left the Bikeway and took a slight detour onto the Walkway to explore the area near the Blue River Plaza. It’s a popular tourist destination with a playground, amazing views of the mountains, and a large gathering area. This interesting character caught our attention as we walked our bikes along the trail.
Back on the trail, we checked our map and headed toward our original destination – The Illinois Creek Trailhead and Isak Heartstone, the Breckenridge Troll. The trailhead is located at the south end of the parking lot at the Stephen C. West Ice Arena on South Boreas Pass Rd. Using phone navigation, we left the bike trail and rode the shared lanes through town to the parking lot.
Illinois Creek Trailhead and the Trollstigen Trail
Isak Heartstone, aka The Breckenridge Troll, is a 15-foot tall wooden sculpture seated at the end of the quarter-mile Trollstigen Trail. The parking lot for the trails was only moderately busy when we arrived. After securing our bikes to the bike rack near the trailhead, we began the short hike to Isak.
Installed in June 2019, Isak quickly became a destination for Breckenridge locals and visitors. The trail is not maintained in winter, so if you plan to visit during the ski season, be prepared to hike in the snow. Happily, there was no snow on the trail when we visited in June. However, a crowd was gathered at the end of the trail, waiting in line to get a picture with Isak.
When we visit tourist attractions with these ‘one-of-a-kind’ photo ops, Andy will help those in line by offering to take the pictures for them. No one turned down his offer, and after passing phones back and forth between Andy and other visitors a few times, we had the place to ourselves. It was just long enough to capture pictures of Isak.
After walking the short distance back to the trailhead, we turned left and headed up the Illinois Creek Trail to get a different view of this giant troll.
Snowplow Trains
Back on our bikes, we headed to the north end of the ice arena parking lot and onto a shared walkway. We hadn’t ridden far when we saw large train engines ahead on our right.
Breckenridge’s High Line Railroad Park, also known as Rotary Snowplow Park, is home to original equipment and one of only five narrow-gauge rotary snowplows still remaining. Several engines and other historic items are also on display. Nearby is a railroad-themed playground for the kids. The Breckenridge History site is a great source for more information regarding these historic trains.
Leaving the Railroad Park, we pedaled through town and navigated back to the Blue River Bikeway and our room at the resort. We were ready for lunch and a little rest.
Exploring the South Side
McCullough Gulch
By mid-afternoon, we were in the car, heading south through Breckenridge on Hwy 9. Our first stop was the Lower McCullough Gulch Trailhead.
If your navigation wants you to turn onto a private drive, don’t. The entrance to the small parking lot off Hwy 9 is just past the private drive where the entrance to the trail is located. After parking, just follow the path from the lot back to the private drive and walk along it to the trailhead.
The trailhead is located a short distance up the private drive and is marked with a sign. Upon reaching the entrance to the trail, we stopped. The ground was still covered with large patches of snow. There were also quite a bit of moose droppings. After taking a few pictures, throwing some snowballs, and falling down in the snow, we were ready to head back to the car.
Hoosier Pass Continental Divide
Our next stop was the Hoosier Pass Continental Divide marker. The marker is located about four miles from the McCullough Gulch trailhead. After pulling into the large parking lot, we joined other tourists stopping to capture a picture.
Andy launched the drone for aerial shots of the area while I enjoyed the fantastic view. It wasn’t long before a group of cars pulled in around us, and the parking lot started to get crowded. As we packed up the equipment, we noticed several of the vehicles belonged to members of a wedding party. Yes, this is a trendy spot for elopement weddings.
Montgomery Reservoir and Magnolia Mill
Back on the highway, we continued heading south. Rather than driving directly to the Montgomery Reservoir, we took a quick detour towards the back of the dam. After a quick look around and a few photos, we were on our way.
It wasn’t long before the reservoir came into view. As we approached the dirt road that would take us to the shoreline, we saw the same wedding party from Hoosier Pass. Their photographer was positioning the bride and groom for photos with the reservoir and mountains in the background. Rather than driving to the shoreline, we continued around the water to the small parking lot at the reservoir valve house.
The Montgomery Reservoir, elevation 10,873 feet, was constructed as a storage terminal for the headwaters of the South Platte River. Where we were there in early June, the snow melt was flowing rapidly down the side of the mountain into the river, through the valves, and along concrete barriers into the reservoir.
We took a lot of pictures of the water rushing down the mountain into the reservoir, explored the area around the abandoned mill, and stayed until the sun was behind the mountain. Here are a few photos of our visit. You can see more of our photos here.
We arrived at the resort around 7 pm. Using the kitchen in our room, we made a quick dinner, relaxed, and made plans for our next hike.
A Heart-Shaped Trail
About two and a half miles from the resort parking lot is the Horseshoe Gulch Trailhead, located in the White River National Forest. This is sometimes called The Blair Witch Trailhead because the two trails connect. We hiked the 4.20-mile loop that includes both trails, with an elevation gain of 446 feet. I picked this route because it was heart-shaped.
The trail parking lot was nearly empty when we pulled in around 10:00 am. The air was a little warm, but we knew it would get a bit cooler as we went higher in elevation. Near the trail entrance is a pond that houses the remains of the Bucyrus Dredge. This floating piece of gold mining history is over 100 years old. Its job was to “dredge” the bottom of ponds, searching for gold.
The trail is clearly marked, with changing scenery as you hike higher in elevation. At the start of the trail, we walked through fields with wildflowers and views of the distant snowcapped mountains.
As we ascended the mountain, the plant life changed, and the trail became more distinct and wider. This is a shared trail for hikers and mountain bikers. During our hike, we saw several groups of bicyclists going up and down the trail. However, we saw only a few other hikers.
We came upon this structure about an hour and a half into our hike.
This tree’s bark was ‘rubbed’ off by a black bear. In this short video, Andy demonstrates how bears rub bark off trees. I don’t know how accurate that is, I’m just glad we didn’t disturb any bears while we were there.
The fire damage in this section of the White River National Forest was noticeable. There were many scorched and fallen trees. We also saw a lot of small trees growing to replace those that were lost.
Nearing the highest point of our hike, the views of the distant mountains became clearer. This is why we hike, to see the beauty around us.
As we hiked back down the mountain, we saw cyclists gathering for a race. We pulled out of the parking lot as it began filling with cars and trucks transporting bikes.
Back at the Resort, we relaxed at the pool and enjoyed the view. If you enjoy our hiking stories, check out our visit to Tent Rocks National Monument.
Riding the Bikeway to Frisco
The following day, we rode our bikes to the Blue River Bikeway entrance. This time, we turned north towards Frisco.
The bikeway to Frisco runs parallel to Hwy 9. Along the route are amazing views of the mountains, tunnels, hills, and a lake. We rode to Frisco on a Thursday, and the trail was moderately busy.
As we got closer to Frisco, Andy saw the historic Juno Mine site pop up on the map. Taking a slight detour, we rode south, turning off the paved trail when we saw signs for the mine. However, when we entered the area, there were no additional signs pointing us to it. Looking up, we saw two rock climbers working their way up the side of the mountain. Andy launched the drone and got some overview shots of the area. Unfortunately, access to the mine was not near the trail, and we continued our ride into town, exiting onto Main Street. We discovered later that the mine was located 75 feet up the side of Mt. Royal.
Frisco Historic Park and Museum
Main Street was busy! Bikes were parked in front of shops, restaurants, and along the street. When we saw the Frisco Historic Park and Museum, we turned onto the sidewalk and walked our bikes to their rack. If you have been following our blog, you know how much we love to explore historic places.
Admission to the historic park is free. There is a gift shop and restroom in the Old Schoolhouse at the corner of Main St and 2nd Ave. Tour maps are also available. There are 10 historic buildings to explore, each one with a fun audio guide about the history of the building. We visited each building, enjoying the air conditioning, and the interesting artifacts.
Here are a couple of our favorites.
Bill’s Ranch
Bill Thomas was a local rancher who owned a lot of land in Frisco. In the 1930’s, he sent letters addressed to ‘Mr. Man, to residents in the surrounding area. The letter described Frisco as the ideal location to build a house. He stated that he “was long on land and short on good neighbors.” Mr. Thomas gave away the sites to anyone that would build a cabin there. There were no specific lots laid out, or roads. Those that accepted his offer just picked a place to build. Bill’s Ranch subdivision is a thriving part of modern-day Frisco, with both new homes and original cabins.
Niemoth Cabin
In addition to historical information on the local mines and prospecting in Frisco, there was a display in this cabin regarding the weight of ore. The display encouraged visitors to lift the shovel with a sign that read ‘Ore is heavy. Lift shovel.’
After seeing Andy’s reaction, I had to see if it was really that heavy. It was.
Leaving the historic park, we continued riding on Main Street, which becomes Marina Rd. near Frisco Bay. From there, we entered the bikeway, which took us through the side of town we didn’t see when we peddled into Frisco.
Ski Hill Road
It was our last night in Breckenridge, and we wanted to eat somewhere unusual. After returning to the resort and cleaning up, we headed south on Hwy 9 to Ski Hill Rd and the Bergenhof Hotel.
At Robbie’s Tavern, located in the hotel, we ate outside on the back deck, overlooking the slopes. Even though most of the snow had melted, we enjoyed the view and the food. After finishing our meal, we walked through the area, looking at the ski lifts and the Breckenridge Gondolas.
The next morning, we drove back to Kansas City, and our little dog, Sadie. She had been visiting our granddaughters and their dogs while we were gone. If you would like to see more photos from our trip to Breckenridge, visit Andreas Staver Smugmug.
Peggy Staver, the author of this blog, is a freelance copywriter specializing in outdoor recreation and hospitality. You can contact her at PSCopywriting.com. The majority of photos are taken by Photography by Andreas. Visit his portfolio here.
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