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Peaks Trail

RECOMMENDED ROUTE
Intermediate/Difficult Intermediate/Difficult
 4.3 (191)
  1. Areas
  2. CO
  3. …Central Rockies
  4. …Frisco
  5. Ophir Mountain Trail System
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“A popular trail for good reasons. Rolling forested trail with diverse singletrack. ”

Matt Thoele
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Map Key

8.0

Miles

12.9

KM

100%

Singletrack

10,173' 3,101 m

High

9,088' 2,770 m

Low

1,227' 374 m

Up

328' 100 m

Down

4%

Avg Grade (2°)

14%

Max Grade (8°)

Dogs Leashed

E-Bikes Not Allowed

Features Views

Overview

The Peaks Trail is one of the most well-known mountain biking trails in Summit county. It's no surprise - this trail has something for just about everyone. The sections near Frisco are rooty and technical enough to challenge riders who like those things, there are some great big mountain views at the halfway point of the ride, and it's long enough with a bit of climbing to make it feel like a big ride.

The trail can definitely be ridden from either Frisco or Breck, and you can even choose to ride the paved bike path to Breckenridge and take the trail back to make things easier. But out and back from Frisco (as mapped) is my favorite way to ride it - the climbing is all rideable, and it's a nice challenge.

Need to Know

This is a busy trail with both mountain bike and hiker traffic. Be courteous to hikers, and be alert on some of the fast downhill sections this trail offers.

Frisco is a nice town with plenty of options for food, drinks, and a bike shop right on Main Street to sort you out if you need mechanical help. You can also ride into Breckenridge on the other end of the trail to find similar services and supplies.

Description

You'll start out from the trailhead at the end of 2nd Ave. in Frisco. Just continue driving all the way down 2nd Ave until you see the obvious trailhead - there are usually a bunch of cars parked there. The trail is fairly obvious, but not well-marked here. Just a heads up, the trails around Rainbow lake are a tangled mess and not signed very well. Just take the trails that feel more traveled and it's fairly easy to stay on the right track. The MTB Project/onX mobile apps would be helpful here as well.

Rainbow lake is under a mile from the start of the ride, and it's a scenic spot to regroup and hang out for a bit. After this, the trail gets a bit more technical for a while, as it dives into the woods over roots and rocks. When it's wet or damp (often), it can be quite slippery in here!

There are a few places where other trails branch off from this one. One is the Gold Hill trail on the left about 3 miles in, and the other is the Miners Creek Trail just past that on the right. Just stay straight and follow this trail the whole way - it's easy to follow.

About halfway along, you'll reach the high point of the ride. There's a bench with a nice lookout to the east. After that, some big clearcut logging has drastically changed the character of the trail for about a mile. Views are now wide-open, and the trail is still recovering from the operations there.

Shortly after that, you'll head back into the woods, and twist around on a very fun section of trail. It's not particularly technical, but there are a few tough spots, and some bridge crossings over mostly swampy mud. The concentration of hikers is often heavier here as you near Breckenridge, so be alert and respectful.

Just a bit more up and down over the last mile - nothing too steep, and you'll pop out near Peak 7 at Breck. There are lots of options here to continue riding, or you can turn around and head back the way you came.

Contacts

Local Club: Summit County Mountain Bike Alliance

Land Manager: USFS - Dillon Ranger District, White River NF

Shared By:

Matt Thoele with improvements by Brad Davey
Full Details

Trail Ratings

  4.3 from 191 votes

#1

in Ophir Mountain Trail System

#93

Overall
  4.3 from 191 votes
5 Star
52%
4 Star
32%
3 Star
11%
2 Star
3%
1 Star
2%
Recommended Route Rankings

#1

in Ophir Mountain Trail S…

#28

in Colorado

#93

Overall
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72,311 Since Jul 25, 2013
Intermediate/Difficult Intermediate/Difficult
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Photos

Sunset rain shower on Baldy Mountain
Jul 9, 2014 near Frisco, CO
One of many beetle kill effected areas
Jul 1, 2016 near Frisco, CO
View of Tenmile Peak and Peak 4 fromt the trail. Roses and Columbine are a plenty here.
Jul 11, 2016 near Frisco, CO
Peaks Trail, somewhere between Breck and Frisco.
Apr 21, 2017 near Frisco, CO
Moose frequent this part of the trail.
Jul 11, 2016 near Frisco, CO
Early morning at Rainbow Lake
Sep 20, 2014 near Frisco, CO

9 Comments

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Current Trail Conditions

All Clear 82 days ago
Add Your Check-In

Check-Ins

Sep 22, 2024
Jieyi Zhou
10mi — 3h 00m
Jun 30, 2024
Randi L
Did Breck to Frisco. Overall an awesome trail with lots of climbs and downhills. Not too crowded. Beautiful scenery. 8mi — 3h 00m
Jul 16, 2023
Jim Ryan
Jul 8, 2023
Daniel Hageman
Jun 18, 2023
Erin Hogan
First time 8mi
Sep 17, 2022
Ryan MD
Breck to Frisco! Very fun and quite chunky. Mostly DH when going in the opposite direction of the recommendation. 9mi — 1h 30m
Sep 7, 2022
Jim Ryan
Sep 6, 2022
chris funke

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