RV Trip 2024 - Frisco, Colorado

We spent 10 days at Heaton Bay Campground on Lake Dillon near Frisco, Colorado. The campground sits at 9,000 feet and the temperatures were very pleasant with highs in the low 70s. Our coldest overnight temperature was 36 and we used our heater every morning to take the chill off. The Summit County Recreational Path runs right through the campground. There are approximately 60 miles of paved trail that connect the surrounding towns of Frisco, Dillon, Silverthorne, Keystone and Breckenridge. Connecting trails will also take you to Copper Mountain and Vail Pass. The ride up to Vail Pass is one of our favorites…it’s a long climb but the 14 mile downhill on the way back is so much fun. In addition to the bike rides we did from our campground, we also drove up to Leadville to ride the Mineral Belt Trail. It loops around the city and through the historic mining district. Many remnants of 1880s silver mines can be seen along the route. Part of the trail follows old mining camp railbeds. It’s a fun roller coaster trail starting at an elevation of 9,900 feet and climbing to a high point of 10,600 feet. After reaching the summit, it’s nearly all downhill back into town. It’s only about 12 miles long so we decided to ride two laps. During our stay here, we biked just over 128 miles with 6,133 feet of elevation gain.

We also did a little hiking in the area. We hiked a trail just outside of Breckenridge to see the Reiling Gold Dredge. The dredge was built in 1908 for the French Gulch Dredging Company. The dredge traveled up French Creek, mining for gold. Each one of the Reiling’s 86 buckets could scoop up five cubic yards of gravel from the streambed. On board the dredge, the gravel flowed through separation screens and sluices. The waste rock was dumped off the back of the dredge, creating piles as tall as a two story house. Miles of rock tailings are visible, marking the dredge’s path. The Reiling sank in 1922 and has remained in the same spot ever since. In 2018, the remaining superstructure was stabilized to prevent further deterioration and to preserve it as a historical site.

We also hiked the Black Powder Pass Trail. The trail starts at 11,493 feet at Boreas Pass above Breckenridge. To reach the trailhead you have to drive 8 miles of gravel road that was once an 1880s narrow gauge railroad route. The trail climbs about 1,000 feet in just under two miles to the pass which is between Bald and Boreas Mountain. The alpine trail took us above the tree line and across meadows filled with wildflowers. The views from the pass were incredible. We sat at the top and shared our trail mix with some friendly ground squirrels.

We also did a very short walk in Breckenridge to see Isak Heartstone, a large wooden sculpture by Danish artist Thomas Dambo. Isak was installed in 2019 and is one of two Dambo sculptures in Colorado. We saw the other one, Rita, when we visited Victor, Colorado earlier on our trip.



The Eastern Plain/I’m On My Way/courtesy of epidemicsound.com