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The Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad, a narrow-gauge line that once linked Denver with Gunnison, served much of the Colorado Mineral Belt as an independent railroad from 1872 to 1889. A major spur branched off from the main line at Como, crossing the Boreas Pass to Breckenridge and the Fremont Pass between Frisco and Leadville. Three connecting trails now occupy segments of this spur: the Ten Mile Canyon Recpath from Frisco to Copper Mountain; the Frisco-Farmers Korner Recpath through Frisco; and the Blue River Recpath from south of Frisco to Breckenridge.
Specifically, the Blue River Recpath links the resort town of Breckenridge with the regional Summit High School on the southeastern edge of Frisco, offering a safer alternative to the parallel State Route 9. Although generally considered less scenic than other trails in the county's system, views of the Tenmile Range in the distance and the adjacent Blue River make this a worthy trip. Downtown Breckenridge is nothing to sneeze at, either; you'll want to visit for the town's shops along Main Street, its outdoor recreational opportunities and its many yearly events.
At Summit High School (near the Farmer's Korner neighborhood), join the Frisco-Farmers Korner Recpath to access downtown Frisco and additional trails in the impressive Summit County Recreational Pathway System.
Parking for the Blue River Recpath is available at Summit High School (16201 SR 9 in Frisco) and Kingdom Park/Breckenridge Recreation Center (880 Airport Road in Breckenridge). Limited parking can also be found at the Gold Hill Trailhead on Gateway Drive, just off SR 9.
Well maintained trail. With the exception of maybe three short steep climbs, the long ascent Silverthorne to Breck. is hardly noticable. Got a HUGE burrito in Breck and rode back. It does follow the road in many places, but I wouldn't say it's loud. It isn't very well marked in some areas near the dam/Frisco. lots of places to get food.
This is a very nice way to ride to/from Frisco to Breckenridge. The trail is in excellent condition and goes through some pretty scenery. I usually start from Frisco in the morning, grab a delicious lunch in Breckenridge, then head back to Frisco and still have plenty of time to do other activities in the afternoon. This is easy enough for people of all riding abilities- I usually see a lot of families with small children and elderly folks riding along the trail. Be prepared to share with numerous other users (pedestrians, skateboarders, organized bike races and foot races) on summer weekends.
We started in Dillon and rode to Frisco on the Dillon Dam trail. When you get to Frisco, you can continue on the path up a hill around Adventure Park and come out on CoHwy 9. Across the street you meet up with the Blue River Pkwy. But the hill climbing is not done yet. You still have a half mile to go to get to the top. We turned around there since we were beat, and headed back. On the way down, we stayed on the Blue River trail that runs behind the hospital and runs along Temple Trail to downtown Frisco. Then across CoHwy 9 to pick up the Dillon Dam trail again. Either way, its a pretty good climb up over the ridge.
"This is the least scenic trail in the area. The first few miles by Dillon Reservoir are nice (with some workout hills), and near Breckenridge is pretty, but otherwise, it's a trail along a busy road.
It's a definite uphill going to Breckenridge. Our favorite trail in the area was the trail around Dillon Reservoir up to Keystone. The Ten Mile Canyon Trail was also nice, but you could hear and sometimes see the interstate. We didn't get far on it, but heard that it's better farther up the trail.
-Tom Baughman; Algonquin, IL"
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