A Winter Adventure In Breckenridge: Acclimation

This is day two in our winter adventure in Breckenridge, Colorado in February of 2024.  We had arrived on Sunday of President’s Day Weekend in the evening and today is our first full day in the popular mountain town.  You can find our arrival at: A Winter Adventure In Breckenridge, Colorado: Our Arrival.

 

Sunrise With A View

Pulling the blinds open around 6:30 am, I had my first real glimpse of Breckenridge as the sun came up.  The white ski runs zigzagged down the slopes of the ski resort in the distance and the snow covered roofs of the neighborhood spread out before me.

 

 

The Crown Coffee Bar & Lounge and A Blogging Friend

A few weeks before leaving for Breckenridge a long time blogging friend, Susie of Susie Lindau’s Wild Ride, posted on Instagram her pictures from the snow sculpture championship that happens in early February. I replied that I was bummed I was going to miss it by only a week or two and she replied that maybe we could meet up while I was there!  She did turn out to be leaving on her own trip the day after my arrival but we squeezed in some time Monday morning to meet up at a cute coffee shop on Main Street.  Susie has a home in Breckenridge but lives mostly in Boulder, Colorado.  She is a novel writer, podcaster and overall outdoorsy person!

 

 

It was absolutely wonderful to have a chance to chat in person, even better than our exchanges over blogs.  The cafe as warm and cozy, not too busy yet while we were there.  We talked about our writing (both not blogging as frequently as we used to), outdoor adventures and politics.  Like other blogging friends I have met in person over the years, it was so wonderful to actually sit with Susie and enjoy her company off screen.

 

 

And thankfully, we remembered to take a picture!

 

 

Up To The Slopes On The BreckConnect Gondola

I made it back to the condo in time to see the kiddo* off on his adventure to the slopes.  We agreed on a time that I would meet him up at the ski resort for lunch and he was off.

 

 

After a late breakfast and some internet research, I walked downtown and towards the free gondola ride that would take me up to the ski resort so I could meet him.  I was interested to see exactly how amazing this resort was that draws people from all over the country (and world).

Walking into the middle of town, I turned on a walking path that snaked behind the shopping area and along Blue River Rec Path towards the BreckConnect Gondola.

 

 

This fun guy stood tall at the beginning, you will see him again later on in our adventure.

 

 

 

I think the Blue River is frozen under all that snow on the right, imagine it flowing under the covered bridge.  You will hear in the next post how I rode this way on that day’s adventure.

 

 

Arriving around lunch time, there was no line to ride up the gondola.  The kiddo said there were more people when he rode up but it was President’s Day so plenty of folks heading up for some slope time before heading home after the long weekend.

 

 

The Breckenridge gondola is free (unlike the one we rode in Banff that summer) and has just as stunning views.  10 out of 10 on the worth scale.

 

 

 

Not being a skier, my ski resort experiences are mostly limited to summer so the number of people was impressive.  However, there was so much going on and it all looked organized so it didn’t feel overwhelming.  I took this picture because the mini skiers heading out for a lesson was adorable!

 

 

With a little patience and a couple text messages, I spotted the kiddo and he joined me for lunch at Peak 7 (the resort has Peak 6 to Peak 10 with Peak 10 being expert only).  The gondola goes to Peak 7 and Peak 8 on a loop).

 

 

I was not entirely sure that I was going to find much to eat up at the resort unless we went to a sit down establishment but it turned out the burger counter did offer a basic Caesar salad so I was happy to have greens (after about 30 minutes in line).

 

 

 

Downtown Breckenridge And Crepes A La Cart

After making the loop on the gondola from Peak 7 to Peak 8 and back down to town, I took a stroll along Main Street with the ultimate goal of finding a troll on the south side of town near the ice arena.  Most of the shops were geared for tourists looking to do some shopping and eating.  The buildings have been kept in the style of a mining town with brick exteriors and interiors and second story balconies.  I peaked into a few of them, pretty standard fare for destination mountain towns with a little something for everyone.  But no yarn shops, unfortunately.

 

 

 

When I was doing my research in the months prior to our visit, I made a list of eateries that offered gluten free options.  We will visit a few of the restaurants later in our adventure but one of the things I learned is that you can’t visit Breckenridge without trying a crepe from a cart. It’s a thing!

So as I was headed south, I noticed a popular cart with a not so long line and decided to see what it was all about.

 

 

It was about 5 minutes in line but that gave me time to check out the menu and choose my crepe toppings.  There were plenty of predesigned crepes (just like if you were at a pizza shop) but you could buy toppings a la cart, too.  The line moved to a booth where someone took your order and money then you moved out to the open area to wait among those who were opting to eat on site.

 

 

I opted to get the Crepe A La Brie and Apple but when I got up to pay the gal was smooth at upselling and asked if I wanted to add prosciutto.  Well, of course I did but this ended up putting my crepe over $20 by the time all was said and done.  No regrets because it was larger enough for two meals but I won’t need to do it again if I ever find myself in Breckenridge. From the beginning of the line to walking away was only about 20 minutes.

This is definitely not celiac-friendly.

 

 

I took my crepe goodness to go and continued my walk along Main Street, by this time the line was out to the sidewalk.

 

 

High Line Railroad Park

I followed Main Street until it ran out of shops and turned left on Boreas Pass Road. Shortly after I spotted the High Line Railroad Park and took the snowy path inside to check out the railroad cars and history laden kiosks.  It was about 10 minutes from the crepe cart to here.

From their website:

When the first train arrived in Breckenridge in 1882, the course of the town’s future changed. With more supplies and amenities available, Breckenridge prospered and grew. Today, the High Line Railroad Park, which sits parallel to the original rail right of way, showcases original rail equipment and displays about the town’s railroad history. A mining and railroad themed playground is a popular attraction for families. This is an outdoor historic park with limited amenities (trash receptacles, picnic tables).

 

 

It was interesting to read about the steam engines and other train cars that now call the park home.

 

 

I also enjoyed my delicious crepe but halfway through was enough and I tucked it in my pack to savor again later.

 

 

 

You could go into one of the cars, the display was set up to look like it would have back when the car was in use.  My favorite part was learning about the FRED and WILMA that made cabooses obsolete.  I could just hear the echo of Fred Flinstone’s iconic yell as I imagined the engineers naming the devices.

 

 

 

 

Isak Heartstone The Troll

The railroad park butts up against the parking lot for the Stephen C West Ice Arena which not only provides parking for the surrounding trails but is known as the “Ice Rink” lot when referenced as a parking option in Breckenridge and on transit maps.

It is also where I knew I was going to find one of the wooden troll sculptures by Danish artist, Thomas Dambo.  I must admit this was my first troll sighting and we have 6 in my own home state!

 

 

The parking lot is expansive and it took a few minutes to walk all the way to the other side and find where the trail system started that would take me to Isak.  I was glad that I was doing this short hike today because there were trail closure signs for an area I had seen online as a possible longer hike later in the week.  As a note, parking for the troll is not allowed at the ice rink. Visitors are encouraged to walk from town or take transit.

 

 

The troll was going to be hard to miss, the Trollstigen Trail was constructed just for Isak Heartstone and was .25 miles (1.5 from downtown).  I guess there are troll prints in the path when you visit snow free!

 

 

When I arrived there were a handful of people but everyone was taking turns getting their pictures and it wasn’t long before I had Isak to myself.

 

 

Isak was installed in 2019 and is #36 of what are now over 100 trolls worldwide.

 

 

Belle Barbie got her own selfie.

 

 

On the way out I studied the trail a bit more, trying to get a feel for where I might return to.  Then, it was back to “home”.

 

 

From the ice arena, I took Boreas Pass Road to French Street which runs above Main Street and towards our condo.  I don’t know why this fascinated me so much but not living somewhere that gets snow to the degree of Breckenridge, the fact they have special sidewalk plows that are busy each morning to clear paths for pedestrians deserved a picture.

 

 

I got back to the condo around 4pm and the kiddo was down from the slopes.  We spent the evening making dinner, chatting about our day and watching some Netflix.  I kept things simple with things I had purchased at the grocery the night before by grilling some beef sausage and mixing up some coleslaw.  All in all in a great day getting used to the elevation and exploring downtown.  We were both doing our best to stay hydrated and I had been taking a small amount of aspirin to ward off any possible altitude sickness.  The air here is noticeably drier than in the Pacific Northwest, my eyeballs were sticky.  Note to self, eye drops for next time I am at high elevations in winter.

 

 

I also did a little research for tomorrow, leaning towards renting a fat bike and riding on the Blue River Rec Path from Breckenridge to connect to Frisco about 14 miles away.  The avalanche forecast was high so it seemed like a great time to try a new adventure off the slopes.

Here is where I want to say that I now know that people who spend time in Breckenridge regularly do not call it by its entire name.  Those in the know just say “Breck”.  However, I don’t think that my one week in town qualifies me so I will keep writing it all out.

 

Resources in this post:

• The Crown
• Breckenridge Trails
• Breckenridge Ski Resort Map
• The Coop
• Crepes A La Cart
• High Line Railroad Park
• Isak Heartstone
• Downtown Breck
• Breckenridge Parking

 

The next post will take you along as I try fat biking and you will get to hear a lesson I learned about the sport (the hard way).

 

 

*Editor’s note: I keep saying “kiddo” but my son was almost 27 at the time of our trip.  Once your kiddo, always your kiddo.

 

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