Discover Frisco, Colorado
Mountain Towns in their Summer Mode
For those looking to get outside this summer, to spend countless hours getting lost amid peaks and valleys, rivers and lakes, trails and mountain roads, Colorado is an obvious destination. What’s not so obvious—in a state with such splendid and various natural treasures and endless options for exploration—is how to narrow down your getaway to a place, how to plan a trip that maximizes your adventure time. Enter the ultimate mountain town of Frisco, CO.
In the winter months, of course, Frisco is within 30 minutes of many of the best Nordic ski areas in the West including: Frisco Nordic, Gold Run Nordic Center, Breckenridge Nordic, and more. Come summer, however, this Central Colorado region becomes a hotbed of all manner of outdoor activities. With Frisco as your home base, you can easily reach some of the best biking, hiking, paddling and generally awesome mountain times anywhere—plus get to experience the hospitality and vibrant atmosphere of a world class alpine town.
Where to stay?
In terms of lodging, your best choice really comes down to what kind of Frisco trip you are looking for. If you’re a hotel crew, the Frisco Inn on Galena Street offers 15 luxurious and tastefully adorned rooms spread through a unique Euro-Tuscan structure planted in the heart of the downtown. Plentiful outdoor patios and porches, a fully equipped spa and wellness center, an in-house coffee shop and a restaurant loved by locals and visitor alike make this boutique hotel a perfect fit for couples and families alike.
In search of a more rugged stay? You’re in luck: Frisco is home to a bevy of excellent campgrounds and dispersed wilderness campsites. Peak One, Pine Cove, and Heaton Bay Campgrounds provide gorgeous backdrops for your tents or RV setups with all the amenities you may need, while Miner’s Creek Road and the Dillon Reservoir area are home to even more rustic, hike-in style campsites.
What to do?
Paddlers, boaters and water-lovers of all kinds will find diversions aplenty at the pristine Frisco Bay Marina. Opening out at the end of Frisco’s main street into the massive 3,300-acre Dillon Reservoir—widely regarded as one of the finest inland sailing venues in the country—the Marina grants visitors access to the endless blue via rental paddleboards, sailboats, kayaks and more. A sandy beach, playground and the delicious Island Grill make this a downtown gem at which you can easily spend long days hanging with the family.
For cyclists, Frisco is a high-altitude paradise. As the town chamber of commerce puts it, ‘during the summer on town roads, cruiser bikes outnumber cars.’ Not only is Frisco extremely friendly to two-wheeled traffic, the place is entirely surrounded by public land riddled with gorgeous single track and mountain roads—perfect for road and mountain bikers alike. If you’ve got the wider tires, you can’t go wrong with the semi-technical and totally beautiful Peaks Trail or the gentler waterside Frisco Peninsula—both feature majestic stands of native aspen, ridiculous views of the surrounding summits, and of course, top-notch terrain. In terms of road riding, the must-do ride is the 31-mile loop of Dillon Reservoir, which carries riders to the breathtaking views of Sapphire point and back to the refreshing beverages and dishes served on Main Street.
Hiking or trail running more your speed? There are so many incredible hikes and backcountry running routes in the Frisco area it’s almost not worth even trying to name them. While trails to the unfathomably beautiful Trout Lake, and up the mountains of Breckenridge and Mount Royal are sure to bowl over everyone in your party, I’ll outsource the real recommendations to the knowledgeable users on All Trails, who have made a wonderfully curated and in-depth list of Summit County’s best walking adventures.
Post-Activity Activities
Once the main action of the day is done, don’t let the fun end. Main Street is chock-a-block full of delicious eateries and lively watering holes where you and your family or friends can refuel after a day of mountain life or swap adventure stories over some beers well into the evening. To give an idea of the range of options: Ein Prosit is a German bar-restaurant with a rotating selection of delicious seasonal biers and a mouthwatering menu of sausages and sandwiches; from another part of the globe, the Fifth Ave Grill features the best of Southwest fusion, serving up everything from Bison Empanadas, to vegetarian Chana Masala to pan-seared local trout. To keep the party rolling, shuffle over to hear some live music whilst sipping some craft cocktails and local brews at the historic Silverheels Bar.
