Rarefied Air, Pt. 2 of 2
The beauty and majesty of the Rocky Mountains
After spending a couple days in Frisco and becoming somewhat acclimated to the high altitude, we attempted a ride I’d long been looking forward to. Let me back up. Two summers ago we had planned a camping trip near Leadville, Colorado only to have to cancel due to wildfires. On that trip, I had mapped out a ride from Frisco to the top of Vail Pass on a paved trail that parallels I-70. On the outbound leg heading southwest, it’s a fairly viciously uphill, but coming back is mostly a easy downhill coast. With our newly purchased ebikes, we had the confidence to try it. However, nature had other plans and we ended up switching gears and camping (and riding) at Hermit Park near Estes Park instead.
Well… on this long weekend trip to Frisco, Greg suggested riding to Copper Mountain. It took a few minutes until it sunk in that this was essentially the same trip I had planned for that fateful summer. Only now it was late into autumn and it was happening spur of the moment. The only change was that we would ride up to Copper Mountain about 10 miles away instead of to the top of Vail Pass 15 miles away. That sounded perfect to me since I’d noticed my heart rate remaining pretty high since we’d arrived. No need to push it!
We relaxed and prepared our gear at the house until mid-morning, waiting for the temperature to get up to something just past bone-chilling. With our layers on and our bikes packed, we headed out at around 10 a.m. when the mercury had risen to just above freezing. It was a beautiful, clear blue sky day. Or as people here like to say, a “bluebird sky”. I do slightly bristle at the misuse of that term since the actual definition refers to a clear sky the DAY AFTER a storm. First world problems, let’s move on.
We set out the same way as we rode into town the day before. We took the Dillon Reservoir Recpath to downtown. Then, we went all the way west to the end of Main Street and got on the Tenmile Creekpath at the trailhead off of Forest Drive. It was very easy to find. From here, it’s only about 6.5 miles to Copper Mountain.
As we headed southwest, we had a small stretch of sunlit path, but it was quickly swallowed up by the shade of the north facing mountains. I realized then that time of day could make a big difference on this ride. It was chilly, for sure, so I wanted to come around a bend and find some sunshine. Which we eventually did. There was only one TINY patch of snow on the trail (like 30 feet) and it was easily navigable. It was more like a dusting. As we rode, our body temperatures rose and we stayed comfortable and enjoyed the breathtaking views.
Speaking of breathtaking, this trail heads uphill all the way to Copper Mountain, but it’s fairly gradual most of the way. There are no huge uphill battles. The total elevation gain was around 700 feet. I did engage my e-bike motor a few times to take the edge off. It should be mentioned that only Class One e-bikes are allowed on this trail. It’s a shared path with walkers.
If you don’t own an e-bike or are not feeling super-human, you can get a shuttle to Vail Pass from Rebel Ski and Bike on Main Street in Frisco. It’s about $45 plus the purchase of a bike rental. They offer e-bikes and standard bikes. If you take the shuttle, you’re only cycling eastbound and down.
One of the first interesting things we saw along the ride was the abandoned entrance to an old mine. Apparently, there are several along the path, but this is the one we noticed. The Kitty Innes Mine was one of many silver mines in the area and was active as recently as the early 1900s. I didn’t have to leave the trail to get this picture. It’s right there!
At about the halfway point, we also came to some public restrooms, FYI.
Although the paved path parallels Interstate 70, it’s far enough away that traffic is not a concern. In fact, you have to look for it and I don’t recall ever hearing it. In some places you don’t see the highway at all.
We finally came out of the mountain shadows and enjoyed sunlight the rest of the way to Copper.
Once we arrived at Copper Mountain, we were able to ride our bikes right up to the base and watch skiers come down the ONE open run. Our family has spent many, many years skiing at Copper and it was definitely a different feeling to ride up to the chairlift on a bike.
We sat in the comfy Adirondack chairs and enjoyed a snack while we watched skiers and snowboarders make their first turns of the season on manmade snow. What a crazy juxtaposition to have just wheeled up on our bikes, now feeling warm from the exercise and sunlight. Penny behaved herself and appreciated that the sign was inclusive enough to speak her language.
The ride home was a thrill! 6 miles of pure downhill!! I topped out a max speed of 27 mph. FUN!
We only passed two other cyclists and one walker the entire time we were on the trail. That’s definitely owing to the season as I’m sure the trail is much busier in the warmer summer months. By the time we reached Frisco, we were burning up and had to shed layers.
Here’s a map of the trip out:
Very adventurous to ride in the mountains in mid-November!! Penny doesn’t looked as thrilled as you and Greg, though! 😂