Peaks Trail

The Peaks Trail does not climb over any peaks! It undulates along the lower slopes of the mountains to the west of Breckenridge and Frisco. Its challenge is rocks and roots rather than altitude! And about half the trail is reasonably smooth. The rocks are not the chunky Moab style of rock - we're talking rock gardens. It's a matter of selecting your line and forcing your way through. They are not nasty rocks - they usually don't attack your pedals or chain wheel. As for the roots - they were nice and dry when I rode the trail and they were an easier challenge but still demanded focus in places.

That's the thing with the Peaks Trail - it throws regular challenges at you but an rider with advanced skills will overcome nearly all of them. So it's a satisfying ride that will leave you with a sense of achievement. It's quite scenic too.

If you ride the trail out-and-back its best to start at Frisco so you'll finish with some nice down-slope riding near the end.

It's free and easy to shuttle it... Probably best to park in Frisco at the bus station (Transit Center), take the free, half hourly, bike-carrying bus to the Breckenridge bus station. From there you could bike up Ski Hill Road to the trailhead or take another free bus - the Breck Freeride Black Route bus up to the trailhead which is near the top of the gondola. Easy!!

The trail is a two-way, shared trail that is popular with hikers, dog walkers and runners as well as bikers.

June 5 still had snow above 10k feet,
Ride Breck to Frisco and had a blast on the lower section. Several downed trees on the trail which led to less than five stars.

I used to ride this both ways when I lived in Keystone back in '88 to '92. It was a really fun ride for the Genuine Jazz concerts. It's nice to know it is still there. There was some controversy back then.

One of my favorite Breck trails. I usually ride from Breckenridge to Frisco and take the bus back. It's more or less downhill that way, makes it easier for anyone like me not used to the altitude. Nothing too technical, not too much climbing, but a really fun fast trail if riding south to north.

Pretty fun trail. Did it as out and back. Nothing super technical, although I did have to walk a few sections...

What a fun trail! I rode this from Breck to Frisco and back. Climbing ranges from easy to difficult, especially for sea level riders who are too impatient to acclimate. Riding downhill has nice flow and just enough technical features to keep it interesting. The trail is quite wide, especially at the lower elevations, probably due to the hikers. This allows you to choose some interesting lines. The only real negative is the fact that the trail is multi-directional and the aforementioned hikers. These obstacles can make it hard to get into a good downhill rhythm. Ride early in the day, during the week to avoid this issue.

This was my first Breckenridge area MTB trail and it absolutely did not disappoint. The trailhead is located past the peak 7 (Independence Chairlift) which can be accessed by riding between the lift and grand lodge on peak 7 resort. The beginning of the trail in this direction was pretty rocky and you quickly get a taste of what's to come. The climbs are no extremely long however some of them are what I would consider moderately technical. I did dismount twice during the ride. Most of the climbing comes early on and you are rewarded with some fabulous relatively smooth single track at the higher elevation then begin a LONG and super fun/smooth decent down to Frisco. The trail is really smooth/fun and you are able to let you hand off the brake as much as you want. I only recall one area that the downhill section was a bit rough. I'm excited to get out and do this trail again soon now that I'm familiar with it.

This was my first time mountain biking, and after this I was definitely spoiled when returning to Wisconsin. The trail is nice and winding with some awesome descents, and stunning scenery all around. Being my first time, it took a little while for me to get accustomed to the bike and terrain, but it was not too much of a challenge for a beginner. I can see the trail having the capacity to be challenging if you don't just wail on the brakes like myself. I had a blast, and this trail has set me up for a lifetime of mountain biking. Do yourself a favor and try it out!

One of my favorite Colorado trails. Stop reading online reviews and go ride it.

Coming from the front range, it's nice to ride a trail that you can stay in your middle ring for most of. Not only is the climbing fast, but the downhill is a blast since you can hammer. Great ride and beautiful. One of my favorites.

Very nice trail with a lot of riders, but for good reason. For the number of riders, the trail is holding up well and the local trail association is doing an admirable job of caring for it. Their efforts are very visible. I rode the trail from Breck to Frisco yesterday. The Breck end of the trail throws a lot at you (rocks, roots, ups, downs), and you just have to keep working it. Not so much flow, but still A LOT of fun and little challenges. The Frisco end (from just before the Gold Hill Jct and down), the trail starts to drop in earnest and still throws a lot at you. You can really rip it. What a fun few miles of DH -- really fast gnar. I enjoyed every moment of it. Also, I HIGHLY recommend doing an out and back on Gold Hill to Hwy 9. I think GH really "completes" this ride for the reasons others have mentioned in the previous reviews. Without GH, I would give this ride 4 stars. With GH, the ride is definitely a 5. It adds two very nice climbs. Going up the west side of GH is shorter and quite a challenge with the all the rocks. Going up the east side of GH is much longer and a great workout at 9-10,000'. If you are not used to the elevation, just take a few breaks along the way, but don't miss it. As DHs both sides of GH are exceptional and just begging to be pressed to the limit. Again, don't miss GH.

Trail is free of snow as of our ride yesterday. There are a few wet crossings but nothing major. Perfect June temps (75).
If you're visiting Breck be sure hit the Colorado Trail from Revette Dr. too.

I just rode (actually hiked through some snow too) this trail on May 25th. Even though the southern 3-4 miles had a lot of snow on the trail (mostly north facing mountainsides) it was Amazing!!!!! I had a great time on the trail, had to use caution through some spots so as to protect the trail integrity, but it was great! I will definitely return to Breck to ride this one again and again!

I would say that this is easily my favourite trail in the state. I rode it from Frisco up to Breck and back down.

Overall, I would say blue with sections of black...There are lots of rocky and rooty sections, and a few that are hike-a-bike. Once you crest from Frisco, it is smooth, tacky singletrack to Breckenridge with some of the best scenery I have ever experienced.

Will be riding this trail as much as possible. Definitely one to put on your 'must ride' list.

Great singletrack through the backwoods. I would ride this every day if I lived in Breck or Frisco. We rode it a little early in the season and it was cold and snow on the trail. Shuttle up to the trailhead and ride down to Frisco. Awesome ride.

I have limited experience, but this is definitely my favorite trail in the state. I ride from Breck to Gold Hill, then take Gold Hill down to the paved recpath, and back to Breck (usually takes about 2 hours). This is challenging enough to be super fun, but smooth enough to let you get in a good flow. Plus the Gold Hill descent is super fun.

I did this trail today with a good friend. What a great ride and amazing views... Dont miss it

Had a monsoon downpour last night so the rocks and roots were pretty slick but 99% of the dirt was just moist. A few small water crossings, but nothing that would deter the average rider. This is a great trail through a beautiful forest. Lots of shade and scenery. If you are only gonna do it one way, then start at Breck and ride down to Frisco. It is pretty bumpy so you're better of with a FS or 29er hardtail. But ride it no matter what.

Rode this trail yesterday (6/19/12). Overall I'd say this trail is mostly a blue with sections of black. I started at the trailhead in Frisco (end of 2nd Ave) and rode to Breckenridge and then back. My ride up to Breck took 1:24 riding time, 1:37 total time. The first 3.5 miles are the hardest, gaining about 1000'. After that its relatively flat, with a few steep sections. My return trip (Breck to Frisco) was 1:00 riding, 1:10 total. The vast majority of the trail is very rideable. I did walk about 6 short sections usually due to rocks and/or steep grade. I wish I had a full suspension bike for the down hill, it can get rough in sections. Trail is easy to follow and usually marked well with blue diamonds on the trees. Here's the gps track for the Frisco to Breckenridge trip: http://tinyurl.com/7eqhxht * Review edited 6/20/2012

I agree with other posts that this trail is closer to a black diamond than a blue square. Mostly due to the length of the sections full of tons of roots and rocks. It really paid off having 6" travel front and rear, otherwise speeds would have been much slower and I think I would have actually gotten arm pump on the downhill sections. Breck to Frisco is ideal for people not used to the altitude. We parked in Frisco near the Granite St. bus stop. There is a LBS that was full of useful information about local trails. Shuttle to Breck transfer station and then peddle the two miles up Ski Hill Road to the Trailhead. Can't miss it. TH says Breck to Frisco is 10 miles. Have a good ride.