Altitude Adjustment, Pt. 1 of 2
Autumnal Glee in the Mountains
We spent a long weekend in Frisco, Colorado last weekend, which was mid-November. At this time of year it’s impossible to know whether you’ll be treated to fall or winter weather at the formidable altitude of just over 9,000 ft. We almost didn’t bring the bikes after seeing daily highs predicted for the 40s. But just before we left I checked in with Jamie, my mountain cycling friend, and she encouraged us to bring them and at least enjoy a ride into town. We were staying at her condo that’s just about 2-3 miles from Frisco’s quaint downtown and connected by a paved trail. Boy am I glad we decided to bring them! Not only did we ride into downtown, we also rode all the way to Copper Mountain — one of my bucket list rides!
We drove into Frisco late morning on a sunny Saturday and it felt chilly when we arrived. There was also a bit of a breeze, making it seem even colder. We’ve been having very mild and dry weather back in the Denver Metro area so this definitely felt like the mountains. Things looked very pretty in that brownish-autumn way after the leaves have fallen, but winter hasn’t quite set in. The air was crisp and fresh and it felt good to get out of town for a while and enjoy this more laid back environment. We had lunch on an outdoor patio downtown with Penny Dog, but definitely felt a nip in the breeze.
Frisco has a truly delightful downtown area and has earned itself the nickname “Main Street of the Rockies”. Frisco itself sits at the northern end of the Tenmile Range and is nestled at the base of Peak 1. The rest of Tenmile snakes down toward Breckenridge, where skiers and snowboarders can schuss for miles on peaks 6 through 10. But back to Frisco. It’s a spectacular setting for a mountain town with iconic views in every direction. It’s not touristy like most of the nearby ski towns hawking souvenirs and t-shirts in every other store. Frisco has a nice mixture of shops and restaurants - and no franchises, all true small businesses. (We did pass a Rocket Fizz candy shop, but a sign outside said they were moving to Breckenridge. Which, by the way, has chain restaurants like Bubba Gump right downtown.) Frisco has a small town charm and feels authentic. It has at least 6 major ski resorts within 25 miles: Breckenridge (8 mi), Copper Mountain (8 mi), Keystone (11mi), Arapahoe Basin (16 mi), Loveland (16 mi), Vail (25 mi), — and Beaver Creek is just under 40 miles away. It’s a really central place to stay when you’re skiing Summit County and because it’s out of the fray, it has maintained that real-town feel.
Frisco has my favorite Italian hole-in-the-wall restaurant called Peppino’s Pizzeria. Their calzones are easily spread over two-meals and to-die-for delicious!! This is not an exaggeration.
There’s also a great brewpub we always seem to visit in Frisco called Outer Range. It’s not downtown, but closer to the interstate. They often have live music and it’s a nice place to hang out for an evening. This time around we also checked out Highside Brewing where there was literally a dog (or two) at every table! Outer Range only allows dogs in their quasi-outside seating area, but at Highside they are encouraged everywhere. If you go, try the Cherry Mule - it’s a gose (sour beer) with black cherries and ginger. Very refreshing and not too sour at all. Highside is also a BBQ joint, but we didn’t try it because I was so eager to get to Peppino’s! We did enjoy their pinball machines before we left though.
On Sunday mid-morning, we put on lots of layers and headed downtown on our bikes. I had forgotten my thin beanie, so I had nothing on my head except my helmet. This was the only cold spot I noticed as we rode into town. Jamie’s place is really close to the western shore of Dillon Reservoir, so we took the paved trail called the Dillon Reservoir Recpath south toward downtown. It snakes past the marina and then you cross the highway (Hwy 9/Summit Blvd) to reach Main Street (see map below). If we had stayed on this trail, it would circle the entire reservoir and end up back in town about 19 miles later. That is an adventure for our next trip to Frisco.
We parked and locked the bikes and poked around downtown on foot for a couple hours before heading back to the house. Even though it was a Sunday, all the shops seemed to be open, which was nice. The weather had warmed a bit and it felt comfortable for the short ride back.
This was a great outing to prove to ourselves that we’re not just fair-weather riders. We can layer up and get out there in the cold! And that’s exactly what we did the next day when we rode to Copper Mountain. Stay tuned for Part 2!
For a peek at all the paved trails in and around Frisco, check out this map:
The blue trail is the Dillon Reservoir Recpath that took us to downtown and also circumnavigates the entire Reservoir. The green one that heads directly south is the one that Jamie and I rode in June to Breckenridge. And the orange one is the Tenmile Recpath that leads to Copper Mountain.