Breckenridge by way of the Blue River

BRECKENRIDGE — The Blue River and Breckenridge are synonymous.

Lengthy earlier than ski trails had been first reduce into the Tenmile Vary above Breckenridge in 1961, the river introduced the good American gold rush of the late nineteenth century to the mining valley that turned Breckenridge.

A century and a half later, a stroll or bike trip down the Blue River hall is the best way to absorb the historical past, tradition and neighborhood of Breckenridge. Alongside the Blue River Recreation Path and the parallel riverwalk, locals and guests can see historic mining and snowboarding places and discover the city’s acclaimed breweries and artwork galleries close by.

To understand this particular connection between the city and the river, there’s no higher place to begin than the Blue River Plaza. Positioned throughout from Important Road and Washington Avenue, Blue River Plaza is the center of downtown Breck. Stroll across the numerous artwork installations or watch youngsters skip rocks and hopscotch on boulders from one financial institution of the river to the opposite in summertime. Because it’s smack-dab in the midst of downtown, it’s additionally an ideal spot to seek out energetic native leisure and occasions or take a break and loosen up within the solar (or shade) because the river babbles shut by.

The Breckenridge Welcome Heart is on the plaza’s nook and is the perfect spot to be taught concerning the city’s historical past and create a strolling itinerary for buying, eating or sightseeing. From the Welcome Heart, stroll southward alongside the river to go to the Alpine Backyard and the Dredge. Cross the Blue River to seek out numerous performing arts occasions on the Breckenridge Riverwalk Heart or head over to Important Road to take a look at the Summit Ski Museum.

On days devoid of “white gold” — an oldfangled native’s time period for snow — one standard exercise is to hop on a motorcycle and go to the breweries alongside the Blue River hall. Breckenridge has a wealth of watering holes, from Breckenridge Brewery at downtown’s southern terminus to Damaged Compass Brewing a few miles north on the recreation path. Hire a motorcycle of your individual and pedal from spot to identify to sip suds or be part of one of many excursions placed on by a city enterprise.

Close to the southern finish of Important Road, Ridden Breckenridge is without doubt one of the native outlets that makes use of the Blue River hall and recreation path to cater to those two Breckenridge pastimes. The enterprise operates fat-bike excursions of city year-round, stopping at outdated historic spots earlier than taking the recreation path to spend a while on the Breckenridge Distillery or Damaged Compass Brewing.

Jared Black, basic supervisor of Ridden, mentioned the store thought up the bike tour concept as a option to cater to guests on their “down day” in Breckenridge — after they aren’t at Breckenridge Ski Resort or climbing atop a close-by mountain.

“It’s hottest in the summertime now, although it was initially created as a winter product,” Black mentioned. “We cease on the Dredge (mining boat) for some Breckenridge historical past, we discuss concerning the arts district, see the Barney Ford Home Museum — give them an concept of the unique miners up right here.”

Ridden is only one of many bike outlets on the town that supply bike leases and excursions. There are some outlets in Breck specializing in planning adventures alongside the city’s close by mountain bike path system whereas others assist informal cyclists cruise down the recpath. Mountain Wave, throughout from Important Road Station, focuses on bike-path biking for guests. Proprietor John George says the store usually helps guests to seek out the enjoyable their in search of on a motorcycle by both shuttling them as much as the highest of Vail Cross or suggesting a trip down valley to Frisco.

The Vail Cross shuttle permits for bikers to trip down from the ten,666-foot mountain cross on the Continental Divide on the Vail Cross Recreation Path by Copper Mountain and Tenmile Canyon into Frisco. As soon as in Frisco, visitors can drop off their bikes at Mountain Wave’s particular drop-off location at Abbey’s Espresso on Frisco’s Important Road after which hop on the free Summit Stage bus again to the store. Bikers in search of extra of a problem can bike the ten miles and 600 toes uphill again to Breckenridge.

If biking down from Vail Cross appears a bit a lot, Mountain Wave suggests using from Breckenridge to Frisco — a well-liked 10.5-mile, downhill bike-path. George mentioned many guests select to lease a highway bike or cruiser for the trip downhill alongside the river earlier than being shuttled again to Breck.

Final 12 months, native legal guidelines permitted using e-bikes — bicycles that may be powered by conventional pedaling or an digital motor. George mentioned extra visitors are focused on renting e-bikes, which have develop into standard for these trying to do a loop round Lake Dillon and up Swan Mountain Street.

“And fairly actually, if you happen to wished to trip to the highest of Vail Cross on an e-bike, you are able to do it,” George mentioned.

Skateboarding is one other standard exercise alongside the Blue River Recreation Path. Steve Rosenthal, out of doors recreation coordinator for the city of Breckenridge, recommends guests park their autos on the city’s gondola parking tons earlier than dropping their skateboards on the recpath entry level between Breckenridge Station and the Blue River. From right here, skaters can have enjoyable on the meandering path because it dips downstream with the river earlier than feeding instantly into the Breckenridge Skate Park, the place extra enjoyable awaits.

Positioned on the recpath not too removed from the Breckenridge Skate Park, the “stair step swimming pools” present for a shocking spring scene — particularly throughout spring runoff — as guests drive into city from Frisco. Longtime native guides, like Jackson Streit at Mountain Angler on Important Road, says that the “stair step swimming pools,” as Breck locals name the stretch of the Blue simply north of downtown, are the place to go for that basic Breckenridge angling expertise. It’s in right here, because the climate warms and snow melts into the stream, that these town-built swimming pools provide an opportunity to catch nice-sized rainbow and brown trout. The fishing right here, Streit mentioned, is flies and lures solely — no bait — with a catch-and-release restrict of 1 fish over 16 inches.

Contemplating the ever-changing fishing situations on the Blue River, particularly with the excessive variability of Rocky Mountain runoff every year, the standard and issue of the fishing on the Blue close to city may be difficult. Nevertheless it’s an idyllic and fruitful spot to stroll and wade because of the annual stocking by Colorado Parks and Wildlife.

Within the winter, when deep snow blankets the Blue River hall, the city of Breckenridge usually grooms the trail. Every Monday and Thursday, the 9-mile stretch from the Breckenridge Transportation Heart to Frisco is groomed. Although situations alongside the recpath are topic to vary because of the county’s wild winter climate, Breckenridge Recreation does its greatest to maintain the path in tip-top form, and customers are inspired to report any hazards, resembling downed bushes that have to be cleared. Recreationists are welcome to cross-country ski, snowshoe, fat-bike or hike on the recpath in winter.

“You possibly can even fish that water within the wintertime,” Streit mentioned, although he added the prime fishing is after spring runoff, usually from June by August.