Things to do in Breckenridge, Colorado in Winter

BRECKENRIDGE:

The sky-high town of Breckenridge, perched 9,600 feet above sea level, sits in the midst of Colorado’s most stunning alpine scenery. The ski resorts are considered among the finest in the United States.

Much like Aspen and Vail, Breckenridge is a town that is known for its luxury ski resort, stunning mountain scenery, and endless recreation. The former mining town is lined with hundreds of restaurants, shops and saloons. Breckenridge attracts visitors from around the world. It probably has the most places to eat out of any mountain town, so it’s easy to find a great meal.

Breckenridge always finds a place in a top 10 best mountain towns in the USA. I wanted to visit this small but beautiful mountain town during winter to see the world famous ski resorts, the charming Main street and enjoying the Dog sledding.

I flew to Denver. Breckenridge is a 2 hour drive from Denver.  On a cloudy Friday evening, I landed in Denver, had my dinner at my favorite restaurant and stayed in Denver. The next day morning, after breakfast, I started driving to Breckenridge. Unfortunately, the I-70E, from Denver to Frisco, stuck with traffic. It took me 3 hours to reach Breckenridge from Denver.  But the drive was very scenic with snow capped mountains, frozen lakes and rivers.

Once I reached Breckenridge, the first thing I did was catching the gondola to go to Peak7 ad Peak8, the heart of Breckenridge.

BRECK GONDOLA:

The Breckenridge Gondola is a favorite attraction among visitors and locals alike. Operating since 2006, the Breckenridge Gondola transports passengers to the base of Peak 8 in the Rocky Mountains. The Breckenridge Gondola is located conveniently close to downtown, a short 1-2 minute walk from Main Street. The best part about the Breckenridge Gondola it that the ride is completely free of charge to all guests.

Once you are on the Breckenridge Gondola, it will take 13 minutes to travel from the bottom at Park Avenue to the base of Peak 8. There are three stops along the way (The first one is for Shock Hill residents/guests only, the second is for Peak 7, and the third one is for the base of Peak 8 restaurants, ski lifts)

For guests who do not depart Peak 8 until after the gondola stops running for the day, transportation back to downtown is available via the “Breck Free Ride” Black Route. The shuttle stop is just below the gondola on Ski Hill Road.

When we talk about the transportation, there is a “Breck Free Ride”, a free shuttle, transport you from one part of the Breckenridge to another. Each shuttle is color coded with Black, Yellow and Red. See each shuttle’s route before get in the shuttle. There is also a trolley which runs in the Main street. But, I strongly recommend you to walk and explore this beautiful town if you can.

MAIN STREET:

Main Street Breckenridge is known for it’s incredible shopping and dining scene. I have been to different places in the USA and seen a lot of quaint city centers. Breckenridge’s Main Street is one of the quaintest. The shops, street lights, Christmas decorations, etc. looks like a movie set, so beautiful and charming. I recommend taking some time to stroll up and down this lovely street and take in the variety of shops and restaurants.

TROLL HIKING:

Sitting at 15-feet tall, the massive troll dubbed Isak Heartstone is back and once again, you’re able to reach him with a short hike through the woods. This massive wood troll sculpture created by Danish artist Thomas Dambo.

BRECK LOOKOUT:

If you are ever driving up to the base of Peak 8, you will notice a small parking lot right after the Shock Hill turn on Ski Hill Road on the left hand side. Make sure to pull off and get out your camera, because this spot has great views of the whole town. During winter time, after the sunset and before getting dark, this place looks like a heaven.

ICE CASTLE:

Ice Castles is an award-winning frozen attraction located in Dillon, Colorado, a 10 mile from Breckenridge. The experience is built using hundreds of thousands of icicles hand-placed by professional ice artists. The castles include breathtaking LED-lit sculptures, frozen thrones, ice-carved tunnels, slides, fountains and much more. I spent 20-30 minutes here; wear a proper clothes. You are inside an ice castle and the temperature already dropping to -10’c.

DOG SLEDDING:

I saw some pictures of dog sledding in Instagram, it looks fun. So I booked the Dog Sledding via Good Time adventures.

They run an awesome 6-8 mile tour along the gorgeous winding trails of the Swan River Valley. Each dog sled trip begins with the friendly, knowledgeable guides explaining how to run the sled and how to work with the beautiful Siberian Huskies. The tour, which can handle up to 6 people, is run as a “relay” – guests will switch off between running the dogs, riding in the dogsled, and riding on a small passenger sleigh with the guide. You will be out with your guide for about an hour and a half, stopping along the way for everyone to trade places. The guests riding in the snowmobile sleigh have the opportunity to take great action shots and video of the participants on the dog sled. This tour is a unique, interactive and absolutely thrilling way to experience dog sledding and the Rocky Mountains.

I really enjoyed this adventure. If you are close to Denver during winter time, don’t miss out this opportunity.

After the Dog Sledding, I had my lunch at Frisco and started driving back to Denver around 2PM on Sunday. Because, the I70 will again get stuck with traffic in the after noon time. I reached Denver at around 4PM, relaxed a little bit at Starbucks and handover the rental car and reached the Denver airport at 6PM.

Overall, this is another spectacular trip to Colorado after the last year’s Durango trip. If you like skiing, snow boarding or just a road trip to enjoy the small mountain town, then Breckenridge has all in it. Planning to visit this town again during Summer/Fall.

YouTube link to the video: