Hiking Trip in Dillon/Frisco/Breckenridge, Colorado with Kids

Colorado has an endless amount of hiking trails and amazing views. This post covers our favorite hiking trails and food stops near Dillon/Frisco/Breckenridge.

Free itinerary at the bottom of this post!

We traveled here mid-July and temps were good for hiking (just a little hot on open sunny trails in the afternoon).

If you are new to hiking, check out my post ‘The Best Hiking Trails & Food in Estes Park’ that cover some basics on hiking (the All Trails app, hiking gear, etc).

Hiking with Littles

It has become tradition now that our family (of now 4!) takes an annual trip to Colorado. We try to pick a new area of Colorado to explore each year. I was pregnant (first trimester) with baby #2 on this trip.

Take it Easy

Hiking with a toddler and while pregnant on this trip meant we didn’t do any difficult trails. But we did do some longer moderate hikes. I just had to take lots of breaks for me (kept an eye on my heart rate) and our little (but she was in the carrier most of the time).

The longest hike we did with a toddler was a 4 mile moderate trail. This felt very long with a toddler. A 2-3 mile trail was a better fit for us.

Bring lots of snacks and fluids on the trails. Our little doesn’t love drinking water, so we gave her more juice than we normally would just to make sure she was hydrated. It’s very important to stay hydrated when adjusting to high altitudes. Keep an eye on your littles if you are not used to high altitudes. I would defer to the CDC website for guidance on traveling to high altitudes.

If you are pregnant and thinking about going on a hiking trip, I recommend talking to your doctor first. Mine gave me some good guidance (like making sure my heart rate didn’t get above a certain level). Also, the CDC website offers some guidance on traveling while pregnant.

Nevertheless, taking it easy doesn’t mean you miss out on amazing views!

Try Not to Over Plan

We did 1 decent length morning hike (or 2 small ones) and 1 trail in the afternoon (after naptime). Just know that you may not hit your goal of how many trails you want to hike. Which leads to my next tip…

Be Flexible

Schedules and naps went a little out the window on this trip. Our almost 2 year old took a nap in the hiking carrier on a couple trails (we brought a small blanket to give her some neck/head support). There was also some napping in the car on our way to/from trails.

Of course, do what works best for your littles and know that things probably won’t go according to plan.

Top 7 Favorite Hikes

1. Shrine Ridge Trail

The Shrine Ridge Trail is a 4.3 mile out and back moderate trail west of Frisco. The picture above was at the top. A great panoramic view for a picnic.

This is one of the longer trails we hiked with a little one. We almost turned around several times because it felt like a never-ending trail with a toddler. Also, we ran out of water.. bring more water than you think you need!

Get here EARLY as the parking lot is small. And plan for a long very bumpy (and in some parts narrow) road to get to this parking lot. I would actually not recommend coming here if you are pregnant. I did not like the bumps on the drive to this trailhead while pregnant.

2. Old Dillon Reservoir Trail

The Old Dillon Reservoir Trail was an easy short hike to an amazing view! This is a great first hike if you are hiking with kids or still adjusting to the altitude. We try to take it easy on the first couple days to make sure all of us are acclimated to the altitude (we aren’t used to any elevation).

The All Trails app says this is a 1.7 mile loop, but that is if you walk all the way around the reservoir at the top (which we did not). Also, we hiked this in the afternoon and there were plenty of parking spots.

3. Lily Pad Lake Trail

Lily Pad Lake Trail is a 3.3 mile easy trail in between Silverthorne and Frisco. This trail has minimal elevation gain. There is a pretty little pond just before this lake that was covered in lily pads when we were here.

We did this hike in the afternoon, but I think this would be a great late morning hike with a picnic next to the lake.

4. Sapphire Point Overlook Trail

Sapphire Point Overlook Trail is a super easy 0.6 mile loop. It is very popular and busy so bring some patience when trying to find parking. Not far from the parking lot are pretty views like the picture above.

5. Mayflower Gulch Grand Traverse

We didn’t make it very far on the Mayflower Gulch Grand Traverse trail, but the beginning part that we did was beautiful. The part of this trail that we did is actually a road (we saw just a couple vehicles driving on this).

This is a moderate 6.1 mile moderate out and back trail just south of Copper Mountain. The parking lot at this trail head is decent size, but can still fill up quickly.

6. Sallie Barber Mine Trail

The Sallie Barber Mine trail was an easy 2.8 mile (round trip) hike near Breckenridge. This trail is mostly just a gravel road. It leads up to some old mining equipment at the top and opens up to this nice view in the picture above. This is where we took our pregnancy announcement picture!

This trail has minimal shade so keep in mind before heading out. Also parking lot at this trailhead is small, so the earlier you get here the better.

At the top of this hike, there was another trail that lead into the woods in case you want to keep hiking. We just went a short bit into the woods. It was pretty and nicely shaded.

7. Officers Gulch

Officers Gulch is a 1.1 mile easy loop around a small lake. It was a nice area to wonder around right off the interstate in between Frisco and Copper Mountain.

Food Scene

The food scene is decent in this area. We ate in Frisco most of the time since we were staying close by (in Copper Mountain). Be sure to download the Yelp app as this is a great resource in finding good food spots!

• Sancho (in Breckenridge) – Yummy taco place!
• Prosit (in Frisco) – German bar with delicious soft pretzels and sausage flights!
• Ollie’s Pub & Grub (in Frisco) – Sports bar, I had the loaded nachos and they were delicious.
• Butterhorn Bakery (in Frisco) – We ate here for breakfast multiple times because it was so good.
• Spinelli’s Pizza (in Frisco) – We ordered an 18 inch pizza one evening after a long day of hiking. It hit the spot!
• Sundae (in Vail) – Ice cream!
• Denver Biscuit Company (in Denver – in case you are driving through) – I dream about this place often. My favorite item on the menu is The Franklin. Come hungry.

Lodging

We just rented this place on VRBO in Copper Mountain. We enjoyed our stay here! Copper Mountain is a cute little ski resort town and nice area to walk around in the evenings after our hiking adventures during the day.

Other Things To Do

• Frisco Bay Marina – We enjoyed hanging out on the beach for a bit at the marina.
• Explore Breckenridge – Lots of shops and restaurants on Main Street.
• Walk around Vail – This is a cute little alpine town to explore. We only came here to walk around and grab some ice cream. Personally, Vail is a bit too upscale and over priced for my liking, but still glad we explored it.

Free Itinerary

Other posts you might like:

• The Best Hiking Trails & Food in Estes Park, Colorado

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