1. The Colorado River loop
We love this drive. Just a mellow way to see more of the low country. Starting at the Lodge, drive north on Highway 9 through the massive ranches of the lower blue valley. Just before Kremling, turn left to the trough road. This road takes you along the banks of the wild Colorado river. Many options for picnics, views, and a swim.
Follow this road to state bridge, a small rafting town, and then on to I-70 through the town of Vail and over Vail Pass and through 10 mile canyon. This is a 3 hour drive, if you do not stop for long. Any car will do.
2. Loveland Pass
This was the road that everyone had to take before they built the tunnel in 1971. Very easy drive with amazing views.
Head north on Highway 9, turning right on swan mountain road. There is a very flat hike at the top of swan, with amazing views of the lower blue valley and lake Dillon. As you drive down the other side, you turn right on Highway 6 and go through the town of Keystone. Pass the base a basin ski resort and making your way up the top of Loveland pass.
This is the top of the continental divide with also great options for hiking.
As you go down Loveland pass, you are heading towards Denver with a great mining town of Georgetown as your next stop. Georgetown has wonderful bars and pubs with a great low-key atmosphere. And then you just get back on I-70 and head back towards Frisco and back around the lake and you are in Breckenridge.
This is a good 2 hour drive.
3. Hoosier Pass
This drive takes you south of Breckenridge up and over the continental divide at Hoosier pass where you can see an amazing view of Summit County and all the incredible mountains that surround us.
There are some very easy hikes here that follow an old mining road on either side of the road that take you into the wilderness. As you go down into the town of Alma, which has great significance to us because as a kid driving through there we would always count people and dogs and dogs would always outnumber people.
Keep on driving down to Fairplay, which is a wonderful old mining town with a amazing historic district and great restaurants. This makes a wonderful loop as you drive east on 285 towards Denver. You turn left on various pass at the town of Como. There’s a wonderful mountain museum here with great artifacts for sale. Boaz pass is the old railroad from Denver to Breckenridge so it is very flat but can be quite busy.
This trip is 4 to 5 hours.
4. Another great drive that we enjoy is shrine pass
Shrine pass is located at the top of Vail Pass and takes you through huge fields of wildflowers and old growth spruce trees. Everything grows 2 to 3 times bigger over here than in Summit County.
Once you cross the pass on Shrine pass this is where the water is really flowing. Make your way down to the wonderful town of Redcliffe and stop in at Mangoes, where they have great burgers and beer.
You can continue on to Leadville or Vail from there, and both ways would make a loop back to the Lodge.
5. Just an easy drive around the lake
This is a really easy way to see all Summit County. There are many wonderful places to stop and do small hikes with great views along the lake, plus some great beaches to enjoy with 300 days of sunshine.
Please note that they do discourage swimming in Lake Dillon, but sometimes it just gets too hot or you have to swim in the 40° water.
Feel free to reach out with any questions about any of these strives and more things to do at the High Country Lodge.