Biking in Breck

[Kathi]

A really neat ride for mtn bikes is Boreas Pass Road. It's an old RR bed and is pretty gentle. It has great views of Breck and at the top there is Section House. It's part of the hut system and we snowshoed to it 2 winters ago and spent 2 nights there. It's a pretty brutal place in the winter.

You can also ride the service road at Keystone. You can ride all the way to the Outback restaurant but when we tried it we didn't make it as the terrain gets steeper around the second chair lift.

There is a paved trail from Breck to Frisco. From there you can ride to Dillion and on to Keystone. Mostly small rollers except the part going into Frisco. The section of the trail around the lake used to have lots of pine trees and was very pretty but have been removed due to beetle kill.

The trail up Vail pass is paved, not really that difficult. It runs between I-70 and it is a must do. You can access it from Frisco, a constant climb but not hard, or at Copper Mtn. Starting from Copper the trail climbs and flattens with one steep section near the end.

If you're feeling good there is a new paved trail that goes up to Swan Mtn road. At the end of the trail ride a mile on the road to get to the top or you can end at the parking lot and go back down the trail to Summit Cove. I found the climb to the top pretty hard.

When you get to Breck pick up a copy of the Summit biking book. It has maps, parking lots, level of difficulty, etc for both mtn and paved trails. It should be in the bike shops and the visitor center at Silverthorne.

On weekend the trails are crowded with families and novice riders. Bring a rain jacket, afternoon storms are common in the mtns. They roll in without warning usually around 1-2 pm. The temps drop and it is pretty miserable without appropriate gear.

Drink lots of water before you come and stay hydrated while you're here. Keep your first couple of rides easy, you will feel the altitude.

Weathergal, what tour are you doing in August? I'm volunteering for an August tour.