Gold Hill Trail - 6.6 Miles Round-Trip

The Gold Hill Trail is located 6.1 miles south of I-70 on Highway 9 between Frisco and Breckenridge. It runs 3.3 miles west to the Peaks Trail, a N-S artery that connects the two towns. The Gold Hill Trail is part of the Colorado Trail, which runs nearly 500 miles from Denver to Durango.

Trail Map | Photo Gallery

This short segment begins in the Ten Mile Range foothills and passes through a series of clear cuts made in 1988 and 2008 intended to minimize pine beetle infestation and fire.

Like many other places in Summit County, pine beetles have dramatically impacted these lodgepole forests, and clearing out affected areas triggers recovery by creating space for new growth.

Though large-scale clear cutting may seem anathema to some, it’s vital to the long-term health and safety of these mountain forest communities.

Young aspen have already taken root while native grasses and brush fill the glades. In fact, the Gold Hill Trail is an excellent place to see wildflowers and elk that are drawn to these new food sources.

Despite lacking a true alpine aesthetic, this multiuse trail’s moderate grades are ideal for running, biking, families and winter recreation:

The trail rises above HWY 9 through a broad open slope with good views across the Ten Mile Range and Breckenridge Ski Area.

It climbs steadily into thicker timber and briefly merges with a service road (.95 miles : 9,670’),  then immediately veers left back onto the trail. Keep right at an unmarked fork shortly past the road (1.1 miles: 9,770’).

Travel moderates through intervals of clear cuts and thick, uniform lodgepole up to Gold Hill, an unmarked and anticlimactic high point along the trail (2.4 miles : 10,315’). This is a fine stopping point for those with limited time.

From Gold Hill, the trail tilts down a steeper grade that winds to the Peaks Trail junction along Miners Creek (3.3 miles : 9,989’). This verdant, marshy area is a good place to find wildlife. From this point, the Peaks Trail runs 6.5 miles south to Breckenridge, and 3.5 miles north to Frisco.

Pine Beetles

Bark beetles are native insects which under normal conditions help forests cull older trees and make room for new growth.

Pine beetles affect trees by laying eggs under the bark, introducing a fungus that reduces overall resistance and blocks water and nutrient transport. Periodic outbreaks have occurred throughout history, however none as severe as this recent epidemic.

Cold winters can kill beetle eggs and regulate populations. Unusually hot summers, warm winters and a prolonged dry spell over the region in the last 10 years have led to increased beetle activity while weakening trees natural resistance.

While there is no effective way to safely control an outbreak of this magnitude, recent surveys suggest a modest decline in infestations as the availability of healthy trees has declined.