vail pass path

Make sure you and your party know the rules of bike paths before you start out on this ride. If you ride up from Copper Mt you will understand the steepness and the curves of this path. If you do the drop-off at the top - please make sure kids riding with you stay on their side of the path and know how to use brakes and how to get off the trail if they stop. It's dangerous to others if you do't know the rules, and lots of fun if you do. Ride Safe

The ride up/down vail pass on the rec path is a must do activity in the summer/fall. Breckenridge to Vail pass and back is 43 miles on a separate bike path all the way there (and back) - it goes via Frisco and Copper. There are also a bunch of cycle rental shops that as well as renting a bike will haul you to the top of vail pass and you just ride down hill. The down hill only is suitable for even novice cyclists- just need to be able to brake :-)For the more adventurous Breckenridge to Vail and back is ~ 75 miles with a 5000 foot elevation gain.I have done cycled Vail pass multiple times and highly recommend it - The other ride to consider is the Dillion lake loop - 30 mile loop from Breckenridge

The path basically follows the same course that the pros ride in the US Pro Cycling Challenge for the time trial. If you do choose to ride hard, be careful of the families on their rental cruiser bikes. The vail side is harder than the copper side. We rode from Breck over copper to vail and did the Triangle up near Leadville. A long day with lots of climbs.

My wife and I did the round trip from Breckenridge to Vail Pass, and then back to Breckenridge with our own (mountain-)bikes. This is about 46miles of biking at 9,000-11,000 feet, so maybe not something you want to do right after you arrived here from sea level.... With breaks I would give this 4 hours for the round trip - the most painful part for us was to bike back up to the house in Breckenridge as it's way up above town (and steep), whereas the well maintained bike path to Vail Summit is more gradual in nature. If you are in for the scenery, rather than the workout - take one of the many shuttle services and have them drop you at the parking lot up top. We found the temperatures to shift quickly - I advise to bring layers and something waterproof....we found out the hard way that our rain gear wasn't meant for rain and the descent to Frisco (not much pedaling at all) was pretty cold being wet. We compliment Breckenridge and the communities around for building and maintaining this amazing network of biking paths. If you haven't done so already, also look into the bike path around the reservoir (Frisco). If you rent bikes and you intend to do the climb: you don't need mountain bikes and you are much better off without their wide tires that create lots of friction.

Even if you are a novice bike rider this is a trip you need to take! The bike renental company in Frisco will rent you a bike and take you up to the top of the pass and you simply coast down only coccasionally will you need to pedal. I am 67 yrs old and ,y wife is 68 so don't miss this trip!

We rented bikes and helmets from Breck Sports and we were transported to the top of the mountain near the rest area on I-70. The ride from the summit into Frisco was wonderful with not a lot of peddling since it was a 3.5% grade going downhill. The aspens were starting to turn gold and the weather was perfect which made this ride so much fun. The ride from Frisco into Breckenridge was a bit more challenging since there is about 1000 feet of elevation change going uphill over the 9.5 miles. I felt like I had a workout after we were done. I encourage everyone to enjoy this trail.

What a fun way to get out & enjoy the views! It's seriously all downhill until you get to Frisco so it's easy enough for the whole family to do. It was so fun coasting! We continued on to Dillon & it was a little more peddling but nothing too strenuous. If you're looking for easy peasy, end your biking in Frisco.You will need a ride to the top so when you finish you can just hop in your car & be on your way. We used Mountain View Sports in Keystone for our shuttle ride.There is a restroom right where the trail starts and I saw a few stops along the trail too. Make sure to dress in layers as it is cold when you're cruising down and can start raining at any minute. I actually wish we would have had gloves because our hands were FREEZING!It was a great time! Definitely do it if you're in the area.

I took my own bike and did this twice. The first time my wife dropped me off at the rest area at Vail Pass, and I rode the trail back to our Condo in Breckenridge. It was about 23 miles (1 hr 20 min), mostly downhill and I found it to be very easy. From Frisco to Breck is uphill, but it was long and gradual. I bike 2 or 3 times a week, so it would have been more difficult for someone who doesn't regularly bike.The 2nd time I rode round trip from Breck to Vail Pass, and then back to Breck. This was 45 miles round trip (3 hrs), and much more difficult. I climbed from Frisco until Vail Pass, and it was the most climbing that I have ever done (I'm from Oklahoma); however, it was the best bike ride of my life. The scenery is beautiful and it was very gratifying to climb a mountain for the first time. It actually wasn't as difficult as I expected, and I can't wait to go back and try it again. It's going to be hard to ride in OK again, because we don't quite have the scenery that I experienced in Colorado :-)

Rented bikes at a place in Frisco and they brought us the 12 or so miles up Vail Pass and we rode back down to Frisco on a paved path. Awesome views, stopped at Copper Mountain on the way down and had a great time. Easiest bike ride ever. We had the bikes for the day so we road around part of Dillon lake and that also was flat and easy. Highly recommend. $43 a person with a web coupon that we did not have, we just had to tell them we saw it and they honored that.

After visiting Summit County for several years, we finally decided to tackle the downhill Vail Pass Bicyle ride. First...there is no tackling. It is sublime coasting downhill several miles as you enjoy a running stream and killer views. Sure the 70 is next to you, but you forget about it as you enjoy the stellar views. We took my 70-year-old father-in-law and our 9-year old down. They did just fine. The first part goes from the top of Vail Pass to Copper Mountain Resort. The temptaton is to go fast (because it's fun), but pull over (off the path of course, or you will get reprimanded from one of the locals) and take some photos. As you enter Copper, either pedal through, or stop for lunch. We went through b/c we were on a schedule. After you leave Copper, cross the highway and rejoin the path for a gentle downhill ride. Spectacular views of 12,000 and 13,000 ft high peaks through Ten Mile Canyon. Stop for a picture or two at the streams/ponds. Right as you get going (or maybe 25 minutes of easy pedaling) you can pull over to Main Street in Frisco. This is another Must Do in Colorado. The only caveat: You do need to watch out for regulars flying past you....most are courteous and say "on your left." Can't wait for next year. BTW...we hauled our bikes from Calif and had a driver drop us off, so I don't have recommendations on companies that shuttle you or rent bikes.