Road Bike Around Lake Dillon

The Breckenridge Welcome Center is sharing favorite local bike trails and rides. This road biking loop around Lake Dillon is popular for good reason — it’s one of the best road rides in the county, and it’s almost all on bike paths.

Description: This ride heads north from Breckenridge and passes through the towns of Frisco and Dillon to make a complete loop around Dillon Reservoir (commonly called Lake Dillon). The route climbs Swan Mountain Road, which has been used several times in the USA Pro Cycling Challenge.

Ride it: Park in one of Breckenridge’s gondola lots and hop on the paved bike path, located between the lots and Main Street. Ride downhill to Frisco and take one of the (right) turns into town – Miner’s Creek Road is one of the easiest turn-offs to follow and will lead downhill to a stoplight where riders cross Highway 9 and continue north along the bike path to the Frisco Marina. Stop for a photo or continue through marshlands, along the shore and over the dam. Beyond the Town of Dillon, riders cross a bridge and should take the right to continue into Summit Cove and along the path, which climbs through the woods (careful at the highway crossing!) and eventually leads to Sapphire Point. Take some time to explore, snack and grab photos – the rest area offers expansive views of the Tenmile Range and the 3,233-acre reservoir. Descend on the road, cross Highway 9 at the light, and once back on the bike path, veer left to complete the gentle climb into Breckenridge. For more Lake Loop specifics visit: http://www.summitbiking.org/area_rides/around_lake_dillon.html

Distance: This classic ride involves some 31 miles (mostly on paved bike paths) and 1600 feet of climbing.

Average Time Needed: Road cyclists accustomed to the altitude and climbing can comfortably ride this loop in about two hours, but give yourself much longer (a half day or more) if you’d like to take your time, stop for snack breaks, and hit all the popular photo opportunities.