Breckenridge Resort Colorado Review
Breckenridge Colorado Resort Review
Breckenridge Resort Website: http://www.breckenridge.com/
Breckenridge Colorado Trail Map
Rating: ★★★★★ (4.5/5 Stars)
Summary: Breckenridge Resort is one of the more widely talked about and visited winter towns/resorts in Colorado and for good reason. Breckenridge offers the complete resort experience: Fine dining, town with strong nightlife, great terrain, and housing all over the mountain’s base. Similar to Keystone (but with more more terrain), a day at Breckenridge is entirely what you make of it. From thick portions of trees, to wide open sweeping runs, to expert only hike up terrain, Breck has something for everyone. To fully experience what these series of peaks have to offer, you need to be familiar with the mountain and have a plan of attack or have multiple days to spend on this monster. Breckenridge is home to the highest lift in North America (Imperial Express) and is worth the trip up for the spectacular views but beware of the wind. Even with the hefty lift ticket price, Breckenridge will not disappoint.
Strengths: So much terrain to choose from, so little time. Breckenridge has a variety of “hike-to” terrain for experts looking to challenge themselves which is one of my favorite parts of the mountain. Outside of expert terrain, Breck offers something for everyone: trees, park, “green’s”, moguls and terrain parks. Take some time to explore the mountain on your first visit to find where your favorite terrain is located. Breckenridge does have lifts all over the mountain which provide easy connections from peak to peak. This can be a huge downfall if not executed properly at other mountains.
Weaknesses: Crowds on Crowds. Plan on waiting at least 10-15 minutes for every lift during your weekend visit at Breckenridge Resort. Since Breckenridge is such a big name ski resort, many of the trails (especially on Peak 7 and 8) can get very crowded on weekends (and an occasional weekday). Lack of close free parking is a bummer but the airport shuttle is only a 5 minute ride from the base gondola.
Mick’s Tip: Start your day at Peak 7 and work your way over to Peak 6 when it opens. For me, this is the best way to avoid the crowds for a solid hour or two before having to wait in long lift lines. Bring your “hiking boots” and take advantage of the many bowls Breckenridge has to offer. Looking for a solid beer? Breckenridge brewery in town (and served at most resort restaurants/bars) is a great way to go (my personal go to is the Nitro Vanilla Porter). Recently, another smaller brewery has opened in near Breck, Outer Range Brewery, which has some amazing IPAs and DIPAs along with other rotating beers.
Parking: Paid parking is available all over the place and ranges in price. However, if you are looking to take advantage of free parking you can either try to park in town and take the bus or simply park at the airport lot which is about 5 minute shuttle from the base gondola.