We visited Breckenridge in October 2020, as part of Big Trip #3.

After visiting the charming ski towns of Telluride and Crested Butte, we were excited to experience one more before turning for home. Breckenridge isn’t like those two pretty, quaint, happy little towns! It’s much glitzier; everything seems shiny and bigger and buzzier. We much preferred Telluride and CB, but are happy we stopped in Breckenridge on the way to Denver to see what it’s all about.

Campground

We stayed at Tiger Run Resort, a HUGE, pricey park with RV spots, cabins, playground, pool, fitness center, clubhouse… basically every RV park amenity you can think of. It was lovely, but overkill for people like us who generally don’t use a park’s public spaces. The drive into downtown was about ten minutes–with some of that time just getting out of the park. Did I mention it’s huge?

A local told us later about a $5 satellite parking lot in town where you can sneaky camp, and boondocking on Boreas Pass Rd up the mountain at the end of town.

Hiking

There are lots of hiking options in Breckenridge, but we only had time for two short hikes–one the afternoon we arrived, and one the following morning. Both of these hikes are dog-friendly.

The Colorado Trail stretches 567 miles from Denver to Durango, and there’s a trailhead at the edge of the RV resort. While this section doesn’t have much of a wow factor, the location was ideal. You can make your hike as long as you’d like, and the trail connects to a network that would be great for trail running.

The hike to the summit of Mount Victoria has some really tough climbs! The views of the neighboring mountains and the reservoir are nice at the top, but you see lots of civilization and not enough wilderness. This is a hard-plus 6ish mile hike.

To do: Lower Crystal Lake looks like a pretty 4.6-mile hike close to town.

Eating and drinking

We got in as much research as possible in a short visit!

We started the evening at the far end of the main drag, at Breckenridge Brewing, and worked our way back up Main Street. It’s a popular place, but they have a big yard that safely accommodated everyone. I really liked the tropical sour.

The local who told us about the alternative camping locations also told us about the super happy hour deals at Blue River Bistro. They have a long cocktail list and a few tables and heaters out front. It’s a fun spot to watch activity on Main Street.

We ended the evening at Broken Compass Brewing. So dog-friendly! Dogs everywhere, and merch with the slogan “Drink Beer Pet Dogs.” (Think we bought anything??) I sampled a yummy sour and ginger pale, and J liked the IPA enough to get a growler.

Breckenridge was a fun stop with lots to do, and it’s convenient to Denver, but it lacks the charm of the smaller ski towns a little farther afield.