Frisco, Colorado
December 2022
I hit a milestone this year. I turned 70. Some say you’re elderly at this age, well I’m still standing as Elton John sang.
To celebrate my birthday, I wanted to get out of town and play in the snow. Even though I live in Colorado, this time of year the snow is up in the mountains. I decided going to Frisco, Colorado would fit the bill since it’s only a two-hour drive from where I live.
Why should you consider visiting this small, charming town?
Frisco is a laid-back mountain town located right off I-70. It’s a great base camp for outdoor activities year-round. The town is close to Copper Mountain (7 minutes), Breckenridge Ski Resort (15 minutes), and Vail Mountain (30 minutes). In Frisco there are plenty of shopping, restaurants, and coffee shops.
The Dillion reservoir borders Frisco, Silverthorne, and Dillion. The reservoir has more than 26 miles of shoreline and provides lots of recreation activities. Boating, fishing (even ice fishing), and cycling are a few of the activities around the freshwater reservoir.
Frisco: 3 nights
Frisco Inn on Galena http://www.friscoinnongalena.com
A small hotel located off main street. Depending on the room you choose, you will get a continental breakfast or a free full breakfast in the more expensive rooms. There is an evening aperitivo with wine included. The food is not the reason to select this hotel. It’s good just not great.
The rooms are clean and comfy. The biggest bonus for staying here is the hotel is walking distance from Main Street.
My only complaint was there’s no thermostat in your room. If you want the temperature adjusted, you must call the front desk. This isn’t easy to do when it gets too cold in your room in the middle of the night.
Adventures:
- Frisco Wassail Days
A fun celebration sponsored by local businesses which offer you a taste of their unique wassail recipes. You have a card (we got ours from the hotel we stayed at) and walk to participating businesses, sample their wassail and get a stamp on your card. Once you have collected 12 stamps you can redeem it at the Frisco/Copper Information Center for a commemorative Frisco Wassail Days mug.
- Hiking North Tenmile Trail
The trailhead is close to downtown Frisco at the end of Main Street, north of I-70. The name is for the river that runs along the trail.
This is a 6.7 mile out and back hike. The first mile is steep (you can hear me panting in the video), but then levels out. There was snow and ice on the trail, so we wore our spikes and used poles for stability.
We only hiked two miles (my husband had slipped on ice the night before and hurt his knee which was still bothering him). We want to go back and do this hike again at another time.
Tips:
- The parking lot is small so get there early.
- Hiking poles are helpful with the steep part of the trail and the rocks.
- Miners Creek Road Trailhead
After a night of snow, we had to put on our snowshoes to do this hike. We have friends who live part of the year in Frisco and recommended this hike. We hiked with them. Thanks Tom and Karen for going with us.
This is a 6.8 mile out and back hike. It was a moderate hike since there weren’t any steep climbs for the section we did. If I stopped, took photos, and rested, the hike was not too hard for me. I’m not a strong hiker.
We met people on the trail that had seen moose. We weren’t that lucky. I really liked this hike and would do it again, but I’d pack a picnic lunch and go farther than we did. We hiked about 2 miles in and called it a day.
- Mayflower Gulch Trail
Even though I didn’t get to hike this trail due to weather, I plan on going back. The trail is near Copper Mountain. It is a 6 mile out and back hike. My friends say the views are spectacular, so you need a clear day to see them.
- Two Below Zero Sleigh Rides
My husband and I booked the dinner sleigh ride with this family-owned business. It is located at the Frisco Adventure Park.
The dinner sleigh ride includes a beautiful 20-minute sleigh ride away from town through snow covered pines to a large warm canvas lodge for dinner and entertainment.
It had been snowing most of the day so we knew the sky wouldn’t be clear. The awesome part is there was enough snow for the sleigh ride. The sleighs are pulled by mules. Before you board your sleigh, you are given time to pet the mules and take pictures. Then you are assigned to a sleigh. They provide heavy blankets to wrap around you. I loved riding through the snow-covered pines and listening to the bells around the mules’ necks jingle.
At the heated canvas lodge, you are assigned a table that has carafes with hot chocolate. Adults are offered a complimentary shot of Peppermint Schnapps for their hot chocolate. The meal was good. We had a southwestern soup, sirloin steak, chicken breast, baked potato, and apple pie for dessert. The mule drivers are your servers, and they are super.
The only part of the event I didn’t care for was the entertainment. They had an older country western singer named David Peel. Maybe he was good when he was younger, but he was just bad at singing. Hopefully he will be replaced soon. Unfortunately, I can’t recommend this experience until they get new entertainment.
We were lucky when we headed back to the Adventure Park. It had quit snowing and a full moon was glistening on the snow. Watch my video.
Tips:
- Take your own blanket to sit on in the winter. The seats are cold.
Meals:
- Butterhorn Bakery (breakfast & Lunch)
- Ein Prosit
This is a Bavarian beer bar with a sausage-focused menu. Share a pretzel when you visit.
- Ollie’s Pub & Grub https://www.olliespub.com
Good place to grab a burger
- Sauce on the Blue (Silverthorne)
Pizzeria & Italian Eatery. Go for Happy Hour which is 2-4:30 every day.
- Rocky Mountain Coffee Roasters https://rmcroasters.myshopify.com
We dropped in one cold afternoon and had a delicious hot chocolate. This is a locally owned shop. It has a laid-back vibe. Very friendly staff.
Tips:
- Frisco is a tourist town so even though it’s small you will probably need dinner reservations.
Frisco, Colorado is a place you should visit any time of the year. It’s surrounded by public lands that have great hiking trails (winter you can cross country ski or snowshoe), an adventure park, a Nordic center, and events such as Wassail Days which we got to participate in. It’s a great base camp for skiers since it’s located near several ski resorts.
https://www.townoffrisco.com/things-to-do/frisco-adventure-park
- If you want to go tubing you’ll need reservations way in advance.