Running Colorado: Peaks Trail, Frisco to Breckenridge

With our first mountain race coming up this month, Matt and I are in need of logging some miles at altitude. Recently we decided to try out the Peaks Trail which runs between Frisco and Breckenridge. Many run this trail as an out and back, for a total of about 16 miles, but since we weren’t in need of (or in shape for) that many miles, we decided to try it one way and find our way back to our car.

With a decent amount of research but little detail to be found, I did learn that it is possible to take a free bus from Breckenridge to Frisco (and vice versa) but little information on how to get to the bus. So keep reading for more on that.

The Frisco trailhead is just through town, turn left down 2nd Ave and down the road about a mile or so you’ll find a parking lot on the right. If you curve towards the left, you’ve gone too far. Keep an eye out for cyclists as you’ll cross over the paved trail that runs between the two towns to get into the parking lot. Note that there is no ports-potty at this trailhead, so you might want to make a pit stop in town.

If leaving from Frisco, as we did, you encounter Rainbow Lake a little less than a mile in, which was pretty busy when we were there as it’s a nice spot for dogs to play in the water and in itself, a nice turnaround spot for locals or families just wanting a short hike in the woods.

Not long into the run/hike (we ran at least 5 miles, but again, I wasn’t in shape for a 8 mile trail run) I knew I was going to like it. The terrain changes quite a few times and while there are some definitive climbs, it’s nothing too serious and easily tackled by a quick-paced hike. The vast majority of the trail winds through woods, which I like because it means you’re protected a bit from the hot Colorado sun. 

We saw a fair amount of other people out on the trail; most hiking or mountain biking, some running, but there were times when we had the trail to ourselves which is always nice. As per usual, it’s best to get started early.

Beyond Rainbow Lake, much of the trail winds through the woods along a fast-flowing creek that adds a bit of coolness to the air and a nice soundtrack to the run, towards the later part of the trail you’ll run along a viaduct of sorts that we think must be man-made and perhaps helps reduce erosion from water run-off as the snow melts. In a few spots along the way we were reminded of some trails we hiked in the pacific northwest because of the bright green moss and ferns and overall swampiness, complete with wooden bridges to get you through.

While most of the trail runs through the woods as I mentioned, there are a few spots with nice views of the mountains. Do yourself a favor and stop and take them in because you won’t get many chances to on this trail. According to the Trail Run Project, the trail starts at 9,088 feet, tops out at 10,165 and ends at just under 10,000. The first 3.5 miles are a steady climb with a few ups and downs, then a nice decent before another climb to the peak of the trail (not the peak of the mountain, your in the Breckenridge ski mountain area) and a few climbs and decants before one final, quality decent to the trailhead at the Breckenridge end, again in dense forest. A few trails split off from the Peaks Trail, but it’s fairly well marked and easy to stay on course.

Even without looking at our watches we knew we were getting close to the end because of the amount of people and families on the trail. It finishes at a dirt parking lot at the end of the paved section of Ski Hill Road and just past the Grand Lodge at Peak 7 with a restaurant and (public) restrooms and water fountains. In all the overviews I read about this trail, not one mentioned there is an actual trailhead. So know that, if you’d like to start from the Breck end, this trailhead with parking lot exists (porta-potties do not, but clean, indoor restrooms do).

It took us about two and a half hours to complete, which included a few picture breaks and a bit of hiking. We were pretty happy with this and felt like we could tackle a few more miles, but decided to head into town instead. 

Turns out the gondola, which can be accessed just past the Grand Lodge and its neighboring Crystal Peak Lodge, is free. So we hopped on and took a ride down the mountain. If you haven’t been to Breck before, it’s good to know that the gondola drops you off just a block away from the main street in town, which is awfully convenient. By the time we get off, we’re sufficiently hungry and ready for breakfast. 

I had done a little research the day before and found a spot called Amazing Grace which sounded perfect for two vegans after a run. I’ll warn you that this spot is off the main street and up a hill, but it’s worth it. And it’s not just for vegans and vegetarians. The cute little yellow house  has several tables inside with a back patio. The fresh menu is filled with sandwiches, breakfast burritos and other breakfast plates, and the staff was super helpful and accommodating. While we’ve been to Breck a few times this was our first visit to Amazing Grace and from now on it’ll be our go-to spot. 

After becoming sufficiently full, we headed back to the transportation center where the gondola lets off to pick up the Summit Stage bus back to Frisco. This was an easy process but the bus only comes every 30 minutes or so, which means we ended up waiting around for a bit. Be sure you get on the Frisco bus rather than one heading to another regional town like Keystone or Silverthorne. The bus drops off on Frisco’s main drag and it’s another mile or so walk back to the trailhead where we found our car, cleaned up and headed off to Broken Compass Brewery.

What to know, if you go:

• There are trailheads with parking lots at both ends; neither have porta-potties or water
• While this isn’t the highest trail in the area, you’re still in the mountains so take layers
• If going one-way from Frisco to Breckenridge, pick up the gondola just down Ski Hill Rd for a free ride down into town; the free Summit Stage bus can be caught at the bus loop just outside the gondola drop for a ride back to Frisco
• If you start from the Breck end, drive up Ski Hill Rd till you hit the trailhead; if you’re doing one-way to Frisco once you make it to the trailhead turn left at 2nd Ave, walk till you hit Main St then turn right and walk several blocks to the bus stop for your trip back to Breck and the gondola ride back up
• Take a picture or two of the trail map with your phone so you can reference along the way if you feel the need
• Don’t forget to wear sunblock (higher altitude, thinner air) and drink plenty of water to stay hydrated
• Visit Amazing Grace in Breckenridge for your post-run brunch.
• Have fun and enjoy the journey!

Here's a helpful link for a trail map and elevation chart: www.trailrunproject.com/trail/7002524/peaks-trail

When you go trail running, do you prefer big views or forest shade? * With so many trails, how do you choose which ones to run or hike?

Colorado Hike: Upper Mohawk Lake, Breckenridge

Sleeping in on the weekend for us looks like 7:15am. I'm going to guess it's not much different for a lot of you since we runners tend to get up early and get out on the roads or the trails to put in our miles. This past Saturday however, we were up before 6am so we could get on the road to Breckenridge early.

While only an hour and a half from Denver, it was Woody's first time to Breckenridge and the only time I had been there was for a Powder Day with co-workers. The aspens are reaching their peak color in a lot of the state so we were hoping to see some beautiful colors on our day trip to the high country.

After checking out a number of trail review websites we decided on the Spruce Creek Trail to Upper Mohawk Lake. The trailhead is just a few miles outside of downtown Breckenridge off an accessible dirt county road. We arrived right about 8:30am to a few other cars in the small lot and it was all of 39 degrees! Thankfully I had long pants on over capris and a long sleeve top over a tank, but I could have easily used a pair of gloves as we started off. It's easy to forget how cold it can get at night in the mountains.

The start of the hike was nice and easy. Wide and well groomed, not too much of an incline we were able to walk side by side and could breath easy, even though the trail starts out more than 5,000 feet higher than where we live.

This 6.7 mile round-trip trail reaches its highest point at 12,110 feet with a total elevation gain of 1,810 feet. To put this into some perspective, the Empire State Building is 1,454 feet tall.

While we saw a few other groups of hikers, we had the trail to ourselves most of the way out, which is how I prefer my hiking. It offers us a chance to connect, talk about random things, and also just enjoy nature at it's most peaceful.

The trails winds alongside Spruce Creek a bit, and crosses over a few streams and seasonal runoffs, and through tall pines. About 1.5 miles is a turnoff to Wheeler Trail and then marshy lake with stunning views.

A bit farther down the trail you cross Spruce Creek Road - which actually goes back to the trailhead but from what we saw, would require a truck or SUV to navigate - and a damn. After this, the trail begins to get a bit more technical and steep. Past Mayflower Lake, which we didn't actually see, but there was a turnoff from the trail, things get really serious.

First, are some old mining buildings. This place is far from town now, I cannot even begin to imagine what life was like way out here back when this mine was in action. There is a waterfall just a bit away from these buildings, which is cool to check out, before heading back to the trail.

From here on up, the trail is almost a mythical thing - it was crazy hard to find the trail on our way up and instead we ended up scrambling up steep open rock alongside Continental Falls. At the top of this section there's what's left of an old, tram building with one cable still in tact which we used when we could. To say I was a bit nervous during this section is an understatement. But it felt pretty amazing to get to the top. I wish I had some good photos of this, but I was too focused on just getting through it!

We were a bit tired by the time we got up to this point and without any shade or clouds in the sky, the temperature had jumped dramatically. We hunted around and found the trail again, which led us over a bit of a hill to Lower Mohawk Lake. I have to say, these mountain lakes are beautiful - the water is so clear it's just crazy. Each one unique, some more stunning than others, but all of them incredible.

Just about 3 miles in the lake is a perfect spot to stop for a picnic or a rest, a lot of people also seem to turn around and head back from here. It's a beautiful lake, so it's definitely a fine place to stop, but it's worth it to push on. There were only a few people at Lower Mohawk Lake when we were first there, so it was quite peaceful.

Again, it was tough to find the trail and we had to crosscut a bit through some marshy patches, but we managed to locate the trail and wind our way up a final incline and through some tall bushes. Then out of no where, you're eye level with the lake.

Super clear and a sharp shade of green, not to sound like a broken record, the lake is stunning. There was one guy fishing along the edge of the lake and two others up a bit along the other side, but for a while, they were the only other ones around. A few more hikers arrived and declared that the next two lakes beyond this are even more beautiful, but this was as far as we were going.

Not a bad view the other way either, but there were more pines than aspens. On the way back down there were a lot more people out on the trail. We had read this is a popular trail - which makes sense since it's so close to downtown Breckenridge - and it definitely was. I'm glad we got out on the trail early. Thankfully we were able to find our way down the mountain via the trail, which was still pretty steep but a good bit easier than the way we took up. Talking to some other hikers, we quickly realized we weren't the only ones who had trouble finding the way.

When we got back to the trailhead the small parking lot was overflowing with cars, which were parked along both sides of the narrow road for quite a long way. Another reason to get there early!

A few tips if you're going to do this hike:

• Get there early
• Wear layers
• Wear sunblock - the sun is harsh
• Be sure to drink plenty of water to stay hydrated at the high altitude
• There are no outhouses at the trailhead, so make a pit stop in town
• Take a picture of the trail map at the trailhead so you can reference it when you get of course
• Plan to spend some time in Breck after the hike, there are great places to eat and it's a cute mountain town

While we didn't see many aspens on the trail, there were quite a few in downtown Breck and around Frisco, which is where you get back onto 70 - the main highway through the mountains. This photo is from Dillon Reservoir.

What are your favorite ways to enjoy fall weather? * Any favorite hikes or drives to see the colors?