It was time for another girls trip in 2021 and again we opted for the mountains, but this time we were off to Colorado!
After too many flight delays to count, we finally departed Nashville on Friday night and arrived in Denver after midnight. We stayed the night (and by night I mean a couple of hours!) at the Fairfield Inn & Suites near the airport.
Saturday we grabbed a quick breakfast at the hotel before picking up our rental SUV at the airport. Then we were off to the mountains. Our first stop was in Idaho Springs for lunch at Clear Creek Cidery & Eatery. Kim and I tried their ciders (I had the lavendar & lemon and she had the peach). We each had a variation of the Chimi Bowl. It was a nice sunny day to enjoy lunch outside.
Next we drove to the Dillon Reservoir Recreation Area and the Sapphire Point Overlook. We did the Sapphire Point Overlook Trail which is a 0.6 mile loop around the lake. We definitely didn’t expect snow on this trip so it was a pleasant surprise!
We then drove to our destination of Breckenridge and checked into our cute AirBNB chalet at Gold Camp. The chalet was located on Ski Hill Rd and only a mile from Main Street.
For dinner, we all had some delicious burgers at Ollie’s Pub & Grub.
After a good night of sleep, Sunday morning we stopped for breakfast at the Cool River Coffee House before starting our day of hiking.
The one thing I wanted to do/see on the trip was to find the Breckenridge Troll. If you read my blog on the Forest Giants of Kentucky, this is another creation using recycled wood from the area by the artist Thomas Dambo. Isak Heartstone aka the Breckenridge Troll is a short walk from the Trollstigen trailhead.
The troll map of all creations can be found by clicking here.
After saying goodbye to Isak, we drove to the Cucumber Gulch Preserve for a morning hike.
On the way to our next hike of the day at the Sawmill Reservoir we saw a cute fox!
Picture by Karen
Some of the trail was too icy for us to complete, but we definitely all enjoyed the lake loop portion. The highlight of the hike was seeing a moose and her baby!
For lunch we ate at The Canteen on Main Street where all four of us had the grilled cheese and roasted red pepper bisque. Also we made a stop at the Mountain Top Cookie Shop before going on our first afternoon hike.
After lunch, we did a portion of the Iowa Hill Trail through an 1800’s mine site with many interpretive signs along the way that told the history of mining in the area.
Our last adventure of the day was driving to the Blue Lakes which were at an elevation of 11,400 ft. The area was absolutely stunning and a great ending to the day.
We ate dinner at The Flipside. Kim and I had more local cider, the bison chili and the house potato chips. Karen had the beet salad and Michelle tried the mac & cheese with chicken. None of us had the milkshakes, but they looked delicious.
Monday we decided to explore the nearby areas. We made our first stop of the day in Frisco for breakfast at the Butterhorn Bakery & Cafe before driving over to Vail. In Vail, we decided to go to the visitor’s center first and see what they recommended for us to do since we had limited time. Two guys there suggested we we drive to Piney Lake even though the ranch was closed for the season the lake area was worth visiting. After a driving 10 miles up an unpaved, narrow and somewhat icy at times road with so many potholes that Michelle’s fitbit recorded her doing stairs, we finally arrived at the lake!
After another adventure in getting back down the road, we went to eat at Joe’s Famous Deli before walking a portion of the Gore Valley Trail in the town of Vail.
On our way back to Breckenridge, we drove up to Loveland Pass and the Continental Divide.
For our last night we decided on pizza and went to the Breckenridge Ale House & Pizza.
For our snowy final day we ate breakfast at Breckfast on Main St. before making our way back to Denver.
We did make a quick stop at the Georgetown Bighorn Sheep Viewing Area; however, sadly there were no sheep to be seen.
I’ve always wanted to see a concert at Red Rocks Park and Amphitheatre, but it was a fun stop to see it on our trip. I will definitely be planning a trip to come back to see a show there! The Visitor Center has displays featuring the geological and musical history of Red Rocks along with Performers Hall of Fame wall.
Last stop for lunch at the Moonlight Diner before heading to the airport. Again we spent way too much time at the airport due to many flight delays, but we made it back home safely. We all had a great trip and made many more memories together!
So Many Places So Little Time 