This is day five 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 will depart on Thursday from this popular mountain town. You can find our arrival at: A Winter Adventure In Breckenridge, Colorado: Our Arrival. So did we finish strong?
Up With The Sun
Having packed all my things the night before, I decided I would get up early for one more outdoor activity in Breckenridge before we had to hop on the bus to start our journey back home. After researching a trail I could walk to from the condo with Colorado Trail Explorer app, I was out the door around 6:30am and walking a few blocks back behind us to a nearby park with trails.
Carter Park
The trail was well marked and started up steeply into the tall pines. There was housing on my left and the sledding hill on my right as I ascended on the compact snow of tight switchbacks.
It was not long before I had views out across to the slopes and Breckenridge laid out along the valley floor.
Hermit Placer
The quarter mile Carter Park Trail intersected with Hermit Placer which ran perpendicular and along the contour line. Here the forest was thin Aspen denuded by winter’s cold so the views continued. This section is bike friendly but the narrow path and steep slope would have been a no-go for me.
Jack’s Cruel Joke
Just short of a mile, Hermit Placer dropped me down .4 miles on zigzagged Jack’s Cruel Joke to connect with Sunbeam Drive where I had walked back to the condo after visiting the Breckenridge troll.
Sunbeam Drive
The Sunbeam Trail would continue into condos on this side of Breckenridge but for my trek, I turned left and continued on the sidewalk.
Illinois Creek High
Sunbeam Drive took me to Boreas Pass Road and I was soon walking through the parking lot of the ice rink again to the Illinois Creek Trailhead. It would be a left turn for the troll but for this trek I turned right.
Illinois Creek splits and you can stay close to the parking lot or climb up into the trail system.
Southside Trail
From studying the map, I knew the goal of this trail was to head to Little Mountain, either by continuing on Illinois Creek High or on the Southside Trail. Since all the signage said that Illinois Creek High was closed and I had not been here before to know any different, I took Southside. Reports online were not definitive, maybe someone with adjacent private property having issues? They put up a private gate? Whatever it was, I was not going to bother finding out.
The further I went, the more the trail wove around sections of private property and the less foot traffic I was seeing.
I continued until I reached what would have been perfect for snowshoes that I had not brought. There would be no Little Mountain for me today but that was okay. For the industrious, one could continue from here all the way to the Boreas Pass Trailhead, another popular snowshoe trail.
Time To Disembark From Breckenridge
After retracing my steps, it was time to tidy the condo and say good-bye to Breckenridge. We ate as much of our leftover food as we could for breakfast (brunch?) and packed what we could in our luggage for the trip home.
Back On The Bus
It was snowing as we left the condo for the bus back to the Breckenridge Station at 11:30am. We were sad to go but also ready to be home in our own spaces.
The sun was out when we were once again waiting in Frisco for our connecting bus back to Union Station in Denver around 1pm.
Once in Denver, we took the light rail to get close(ish) to our hotel and then a bus to get there within a few blocks. This was our least favorite part of our trek, in hindsight I should have just called a car. There was a bit of walking with our luggage and it was not intuitive how to transfer from the light rail to the bus we wanted. Originally I had booked a hotel a block or two from one of the last stops on the light rail to the airport but in the weeks before our trip it closed for repairs and they had to move us to one both further from the light rail and further from the airport.
A Denver Sleepover
There isn’t too much to write about our stay at the hotel other than to share that I had hard-boiled the last of my eggs at the condo to take with me, along with our pizza and other grocery store leftovers. Normally I pack condiments and other goodies so I can make my coffee up the way I like it when staying somewhere other than home. Other than that, it was a cozy night watching Netflix.
The next day we took the bus back to the light rail and it was on to the airport. Here is where I remembered to take pictures of our luggage for those who are interested in such things. I was going to miss the blue skies, surely it would be grey and wet when we returned home.
Belle Barbie would miss the sun, too.
We arrived at the airport around 8:30am with plenty of time to catch our flight.
Our Flight Home
Our airport experience in Denver was uneventful, we just joined the long lines of other weary travelers heading to the many destinations beyond Colorado. And I managed to complete my Musselburgh hat before the flight!
I do have to say that our trip did not end on the best note because for some reason Seatac had the hardest time retrieving the kiddo’s snowboard bag, we waited an incredibly long time after all the other luggage was out. This was after he had spilled his drink on his pants in the most embarrassing spot possible while we were waiting for the bus that morning and had to quickly run over to a fast food place to change. Needless to say, it was a sullen trip home.
Overall, however, this turned out to be a fabulous adventure and the kiddo says we can take another one in the future so it must not have been too bad. We are talking about Whistler or possibly Banff, of course, because snowboarding is king for him right now. And I don’t mind, I love the snow too. Almost as much as having an opportunity to get out with my son.
Thank you for coming along with me on my vacation to Breckenridge, Colorado. I hope you enjoyed the pictures and details, inspiring you to create your own winter adventure someday!
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