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Summit County
The Heartbeat of Colorado
By Lillian Ross
Because of its geography, Summit County yielded riches from the get-go. In that rarefied air circling 13,000-foot peaks, miners raked gold and silver from the hillsides near old Keystone, Breckenridge, and what is now called Copper Mountain. One fellow carried his golden treasure in the crook of his arm, a 13-pound nugget he named Tom's Baby.
Ore was transported by rail to the area's crossroads — Frisco — and then on to Denver. Populations mushroomed in the late 1800s, and the county became the heartbeat of Colorado. That was then.
This is now. Riches are still found in the hills of Summit County, but the gold is white, snow white in winter. Skiers and snowboarders value it as much as miners did their mother lodes in the days of yore.
The Kingdom of Breckenridge
Back when Breckenridge was a most prolific mining community, an inept cartographer omitted the entire town from any and all official maps. It was a non-entity until the error was discovered and righted a half century later, in 1935. Each year thereafter, No Man's Land celebrations proclaimed the independent Kingdom of Breckenridge.
Today, Breckenridge is one of the largest historic districts in Colorado, with more than 150 buildings listed in the National Register of Historic Places. A renaissance did not occur until the 1970s, when the mountains serving as the town's backdrop opened for skiing.
Four mountains of the Tenmile Range, Peaks 7, 8, 9, and 10 — so numbered because of their mile distance from each other — now form the nucleus of the Breckenridge Ski Resort. Twenty-five high-tech lifts serve 139 trails and 772 acres of gentle to extremely challenging terrain. You'll find skiers and riders of all skill levels and every age enjoying the expansiveness of Breckenridge, and world-class athletes competing in events such as the Snowboard Grand Prix in January.
The season's highlight is the annual International Snow Sculpture Competition. Teams from around the globe carve 10-foot-high monoliths of snow into exquisite, creative forms. The event takes place every January.
To get a feel for history, you can take a tour of the Country Boy Mine. Walk 150 feet into the side of a mountain and learn how miners found and extracted gold from inside the earth. Then, take a guided walking tour through historic Breckenridge to learn the rest of the story
Ice skate outdoors on historic Maggie Pond, or indoors at the new Breckenridge Ice Rink. Mush your own dog sled over the river and through the woods or drive a snowmobile on a guided tour into the high country. Take in a live performance at the award-winning Backstage Theater or a first run film at the town's Speakeasy Theater. You can even workout at the state-of-the-art Breckenridge Recreation Center.
Then, face a dining decision dilemma with more than 80 restaurants tempting your palate. Choose cuisine from every corner of the globe — French, Indian, Southern Italian, Northern Italian, Native American, Mexican, and good old American — proving how cosmopolitan this mining town has become.
Twice as many gift and clothing shops, art galleries and antique stores line Main Street, and the 72 factory outlet stores are a 10-minute bus ride away.
Read more about Copper Mountain Resort and Keystone Resorts in the Lodging Section.
Summer at The Summit
It's true! The hills ARE alive with the sound of music. Summer and music go hand-in-hand. From casual performances in Copper Mountain's or Keystone's plazas, to jazz headliners on the floating stage of Breckenridge's Maggie Pond, and classical evenings at the Breckenridge Music Festival with the 90-piece National Repertory Orchestra, sweet sounds of summer are everywhere.
At 9,500 feet, days are mild, nights are cool, and summer is a gift of incredibly blue skies and meadows of wildflowers.
Sailboats and canoes fill Lake Dillon with its 25-mile shoreline.
Paddleboaters and kayakers navigate the small lakes at all Summit County resorts. Fishermen cast their lines into waters filled with rainbow trout and kokanee salmon.
Rafters looking for whitewater, roller coaster waves find them on the Blue and Arkansas Rivers. Milder float trips ride the upper Colorado River.
You're beginning to get the picture of summer at the Summit — non-stop activities in postcard-perfect weather, against a backdrop of snow-covered peaks. Anyone who came to spend the winter, and stayed through just one summer, became hooked, and became a resident of the Summit.
Championship golf is offered at Breckenridge (Jack Nicklaus design), Copper Mountain (Pete and Perry Dye), Keystone's two courses (one by Robert Trent Jones, Jr.), and Silverthorne's Raven Golf Club. At this elevation, golf balls travel 15% farther than at sea level. Drives are ego building; short games are challenging
Four-wheel tours take you above timberline to the Continental Divide. Or, you can bike the high country — each resort lets you take a rental or your own bike on chairlifts and gondola, and then ride down special bike trails.
A paved bike path circles Summit County, allowing you to ride from Keystone, around Lake Dillon to Breckenridge, and up Tenmile Canyon to Copper Mountain.
If you still want some downhill thrills, ride a special sled (with brakes) on the dual tracks of Breckenridge's Alpine Slide. One lane is for slow riders; the other, for those who want to go all out down the hill. A chairlift brings you and your sled to the top of the tracks.
The West wouldn't be the West without horseback rides. You have your choice of trail rides into the woods and the hills. Wagon rides take you to dinners in the woods, and at barn dances, you can let your hair down.
Take along a llama on a lunch hike; you walk, these gentle beasts carry the goodies. Or hike on your own throughout miles of trails in the Summit.
Each resort runs its chairlift for drop-dead gorgeous scenic rides on the mountain. At Keystone, the gondola brings you to the summit of Keystone Mountain, and then to North Peak to dine at the Summit House and the Alpenglow Stube. As a summer bonus, most restaurants offer the warm pleasure of patio dining.
You’ll also enjoy a wide variety of outlet stores and local shops that carry everything from antiques to southwestern art. With so much to offer, the Summit doesn't miss a beat year-round.
Aspen and Snowmass
