Beautiful Breckenridge, Colorado – An Overview For All Seasons
Breckenridge. It feels like our second home; we’ve visited scores of times over the years.
Breck is just 70 miles west of Denver, but it’s a world away. This historic and vibrant town is surrounded by the Rocky Mountains and lush woodlands, much of it protected national forests.
The town is best known as a world class ski resort. But it is a year-round destination, and the secret is out that Breck is just as stunning and chock full of activities in summer and fall as it is during the winter and spring ski seasons.
This post is intended to provide an overview of the town in all seasons. Once you decide when you’d like to visit, get more detailed, season-specific information from our companion posts:
Winter’s Wonder in Breckenridge/Summit County
Summer Fun in Breckenridge/Summit County
Perhaps we’re a wee bit biased, but we think it’s paradise in every season.
Table of Contents
The Charming Town
No matter what season you visit, Main Street is the place to be. Downtown Breck just oozes charm with its Victorian buildings.
Strolling down the street, you’ll find countless shops, outfitters, cafes, boutiques, art galleries, and a wide variety of dining options, many of which have year-round outdoor seating. (With heaters in the winter, of course!)
The Blue River flows right through downtown, featuring bridges, gardens, short paths, benches, and in the summer, children joyfully wading in it.
Breck hosts a year-round array of festivals and activities.
The Lighting of Breckenridge and Race of the Santas starts off the holiday season each year, and Ullr-Fest is held in December to praise and encourage the Norse god of snow. In January, an impressive international snow sculpture competition takes place. There is a beer festival, multiple art festivals and markets, a 4th of July festival and parade, Pride Fest, a wine festival, and Oktoberfest, to name just some of them.
The Riverwalk Center, a performance arts venue, is located along the Blue River downtown and hosts the Breckenridge Music Festival Orchestra and the National Repertory Orchestra, in addition to a variety of concerts & performances throughout the year.
Breckenridge is also home to an award-winning regional theatre, Breckenridge Backstage Theatre, producing plays and musicals year-round.
Isak Hearthstone
In 2019, Breckenridge welcomed its newest and perhaps most famous resident – Isak Heartstone. Isak is a friendly 15-foot wooden troll, originally built by artist Thomas Dambo for one of Breck’s famous art festivals.
Dambo is famous for his artwork made of “trash” (i.e. recycled materials). He has built over 100 delightful trolls and installed them throughout the US, South America, Europe, Asia, and Australia. Breck is mighty lucky to have one of the earlier creations!
Apparently, Isak loved Breck as much as Breck loved Isak; he moved into a forest behind the ice arena permanently. There is a short, easy trail to visit him. He’s a little different in every season, and we never miss a chance to see him.
Discover the Surrounding Areas
Breckenridge is located in Summit County, known as “Colorado’s playground”. We’re pretty smitten with Breck, but there are numerous other excellent towns in Summit County worthy of a visit. They include:
Frisco – Featuring an appealing downtown with local shops and galleries, as well as dozens of restaurants and bars. In the summer its marina provides boat rentals, paddle boarding, and other activities. It is also home to a year-round adventure park, offering biking and skateboarding in the summer, and snow tubing, horse-drawn sleigh rides, and a snowboarding terrain park in the winter. Frisco is centrally located and just a short drive (or free shuttle ride) to Keystone, Silverthorne, Dillon, Breck, and Copper Mountain.
Silverthorne & Dillon – Adjacent towns surrounding beautiful Lake Dillon and the base for numerous excellent hikes and snowshoeing/cross-country ski trails. They are a few minute’s drive from Keystone Resort, and boast a a marina, a large outlet mall, a rec center, as well as some great casual restaurants such as Sauce on the Blue.
Keystone – A beloved family ski resort with a base area bustling in all seasons. Besides skiing, winter brings snow forts, gondola rides, ice skating, and sleigh rides. Summer brings hiking, biking, multiple festivals, and even mountaintop yoga. Keystone is also home to the one-of-a-kind gourmet Keystone Ranch Restaurant and Golf Course.
Copper Mountain – An outstanding ski resort, other winter activities include snow tubing, a winter roller coaster, and The Barn, an enormous sports playground with skating, BMX zones, snowboard training, Olympic-grade trampolines, and more. In the summer, visitors can enjoy golf and disc golf, scenic chairlift rides, and a wide assortment of hiking, biking, and mountain biking.
A Word of Caution
Breck sits at a remarkable 9600 feet, and you will feel the difference the first time you climb a flight of stairs and find yourself out of breath. (The altitude is a source of endless t-shirts such as: “This whole town is high!”).
Altitude is nothing to mess with. I’m a mom at heart, so I have to say: be sure to take some basic precautions to avoid letting altitude sickness ruin your trip! The most important thing is: DRINK A TON OF WATER. Drink as much as possible the day before you arrive, the day you arrive, and the day after. Yes, this will lead to increased restroom visits, but it is worth it. Also, consider going light on caffeine and very light on alcohol those first days.
If you are new to altitude, or have young children, consider spending a night in Denver to begin to acclimate, before heading up to Breck.
Finally, if you’re a flatlander, you’re almost two miles closer to the sun. It is important to apply sunscreen liberally and frequently to any exposed skin in all seasons.
Plan Your Trip
Are you ready to start planning your trip? Check out all the details in our companion posts: Winter in Breckenridge; Summer in Breckenridge; Where to Eat in Breck; Favorite Hikes; 5 Fabulous Fall Hikes
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Boy, did these words and photos bring back the memories! All those visits in every season…it was definitely our home away from home for so many years. Thanks for helping us re-live all the great times we had there.
Ahhhh, glad to hear it brought back great memories!
Lovely pictures.
Thank you!