Peak One

May 26th, 2025

It is Memorial Day, 2025. The U.S. Forest Service Campsite where I have been for the last week is beginning to empty. Most campers who have come up for the holiday weekend are packing up and heading back onto I-70 for the trip through the tunnel and back down to Denver and other front range cities and towns. By this evening it will be much quieter.

Peak One Campground is named after the 12,805 foot mountain directly to the west. It is still covered in snow. Between the campground and the peak is the town of Frisco. The town is squeezed between the range to the west and Dillon Reservoir, a large impoundment to the east. Interstate 70 passes the town on the north as it traverses Summit County on the way from Denver to Grand Junction and Utah. A turn to the south from Frisco would bring you to the popular town of Breckenridge and the famous ski area that stretches along the eastern front of Peaks Nine through Twelve. Back towards the eastern end of Dillon Reservoir are the twin towns of Dillon and Silverthorne and little further east is Keystone and Arapaho Basin Ski areas. Given all of that, you might be able to guess why the area is called Summit County. It is the high country backbone of Colorado.

From my campsite at Peak One CG, I can see snow covered peaks in every direction. At this time of May, it is still early spring. Temperatures at night go down to near freezing and during the day rise up into the low 60s. Most days are sunny, and since the elevation here is near 9,000 feet, the radiant heat from the sun makes it feel much warmer than the actual air temperature.

There are hiking and and bicycling trails in every direction. A main branch of the Transamerica Bicycle trail enters the valley from the south over Hoosier Pass (11,539 feet), passing by Breckenridge and Frisco on it’s way north towards Grand Teton and Yellowstone National Parks. There is also boating on Dillon Reservoir and trout fishing on the Blue River. This is an outdoor person’s Mecca.

Main Street in Frisco is an excellent place to take a walk. You can park by the Marina on the east end and walk westward past small shops, restaurants, and coffee shops, historical attractions, and follow Ten Mile Creek to the west end of town. I particularly like to visit the Butterhorn Bakery and Cafe for breakfast. Another good destination is the walkable town of Breckenridge.

There is still one more jump in elevation to make before I reach my main destination for the summer. That is the 2 hour trip on I-70 to Copper Mountain Ski area, followed by a turn to the south and a drive over Fremont Pass ( 11,286 feet) and down to Leadville near the head of the Arkansas River Valley. Leadville at 10,200 feet is the highest incorporated city in North America. There I will spend several weeks hiking, paddling, and fishing amongst the deer, elk and hummingbirds. I may even participate in some whitewater rafting in Brown’s Canyon of the Arkansas River.