5 Best Beginner Biking Trails in Breckenridge
Bike Your Way into this Mountain Paradise
Mountain biking is quickly gaining popularity with people who love outdoor adventures, and Breckenridge is full of trails to delight any level of biker, whether you’re the earliest beginner or an experienced expert looking for a challenging route. For novices who want to up their skill before they dare touch the harder trails, we’ve put together a list of 5 of the easiest and most scenic biking trails in the Breckenridge area that won’t overwhelm a beginner.
#1: Boreas Pass - 12.5 mi out and back
Boreas Pass is a well-maintained dirt road that follows the old path of a narrow-gauge railroad and is one of the most popular scenic routes for hikers, bikers, and vehicle traffic in the area.
This trail is flanked by groves of aspen trees, making it perfect for bikers who are looking for a scenic ride through the area during the brief blush of fall colors in Breck. Once you pass the treeline and make it to the top of the pass, you’ll be gifted with gorgeous panoramic views of the Continental Divide as well access to the Boreas Pass Section House, a restored historical landmark in the area.
If a bike ride up this gorgeous path isn’t enough of a challenge for you, Boreas Pass also provides access to the Banker’s Tank Trailhead, which leads to a tank that was once used to house water for the now-abandoned railroad line. You can also continue another 11 miles down the road towards Como to extend your ride even further.
#2: Spruce Creek Road - 2.5mi out and back
Spruce Creek Road is a well-known 4x4 trail that makes for some great mountain biking for beginners looking to get a bit more technical than riding up a dirt road. This doubletrack route is accessible from the Spruce Creek Trailhead and provides a relatively-smooth experience, with mellow uphill sections as well as fun descents that are enjoyable for even the most novice of mountain bikers.
Although the trail can be a bit crowded and there is a chance to run into vehicle traffic on the northern part of the route, there’s a reason that beginning bikers rave about this trail. And if you’d like to extend your outing, Spruce Creek Road offers access to the Burro Trail as well as the well-known Wheeler Trail.
#3: Blair Witch Trail - 3.3mi out and back
Blair Witch Trail, located off of Tiger Road, was named for a famous horror movie, and while no one has seen the witch it is named for, there are certainly some creepy mining relics and artifacts sprinkled along this route.
Surrounded by the ruins of old mining dredges, you’ll cross over parts of the Summit portion of the Colorado Trail early on. The scenery on this route is unparalleled, starting with a few blind turns that lead to stunning views of the lower Swan River Valley near its beginnings at Tiger Ridge Trailhead.
As the trail progresses, you’ll continue until you’re passing through endless stands of pine in Horseshoe Gulch. There’s also plenty of ways to connect this trail to others, with access to the Horseshoe Gulch Trail and Hay Trail along the way.
#4: Sallie Barber Trail - 9.5mi loop
The Sallie Barber Mine, established in 1880 by miners from Bald Mountain, was once a rich source of zinc in the area. Today, trekking to it by bike or on foot has become a popular pastime for Breckenridge locals and visitors alike. Found off of French Gulch Road, the Sallie Barber Trail winds through town for a few miles before ascending to its highest point where relics of the old mine remain.
Stop for a few photographs and to take in the history of the area, as there are still quite a bit of equipment lying around from days past.
#5: B&B Trail - 1.5mi out and back
Another trail found off of French Gulch Road is the B&B Trail, which contains a contains a fun mix of doubletrack and singletrack riding. This trail is a relatively popular one with novice mountain bikers in Breckenridge due to in part to its lack of steep uphill climbs (there’s only about 300 ft of elevation gain) and a dearth of terrifying descents. But although this route is considered to be quite easy for beginners and kids, there is still a ton of challenge for those learning to navigate over roots and rocky sections.
One of the best parts of this trail is the stop overlooking the Reiling Dredge, a craft that was once used for gold mining but has since sunk into the depths of a pond. To further extend your trip, B&B Trail also offers connections to the more-technical Turk’s Trail as well as a more-advanced route known as the V3 Trail.
Discover More Activities in the Breckenridge Area
Breckenridge is becoming a gateway to adventure sports, no matter if you’re traveling here during the winter months for snow sports or during the summertime for outdoor activities like hiking and biking. While you’re in the area, we recommend taking a look into a few day trips to further extend your fun, or checking out our guide to the best food in Breck to feed your stomach after a long day on the trails.