Minnie Mine Trail, Breckenridge’s Most Colorful Fall Hike
Short but sweet hike through reds, oranges, and golds with exceptional views of the mountain peaks while hiking through some of Colorado’s most historic remnants of mines.
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We wandered down French Gulch Road in search of a trail, ending up at the East entrance to Minnie Mine Loop.
Just across the road was a short hike to the historic Reiling Gold Dredge. After taking a peek at the restoration in progress we headed up Minnie Mine Trail.
FALL COLORS!
Just minutes into the hike we came upon mine remnants surrounded by Colorado’s distinctive golden aspens trees mixed in with bright reds and oranges.
Breckenridge is full of Golden Aspen Trees in the fall but the French Gulch area has the reds and oranges not found in other parts of Breckenridge due to the minerals left in the soil.
The easy-going trail soon became a single track along the mountainside. Views became exceptional as we went a bit higher up.
Please check out “What’s in Your Day Pack” for a list of recommended items anytime hiking. We never leave home without our backpacks! You never know when a trail will be along…
BEAUTIFUL FOREST
Although this hike is rated moderate we found Minnie Mine Loop an easy, peaceful trek through some of Breckenridge’s most beautiful forests.
We love fall in Colorado! The leaves were soft under our boots, occasionally a few leaves floated aimlessly by us and the air was so crisp and cool made for a perfect day.
LOVE HISTORY?
Minnie Mine trail is it! There is a network of trails throughout the French Gulch area to explore old mines and forgotten days.
Breckenridge Heritage Alliance offers the best-guided hiking and snowshoeing tours to discover the history surrounding Breckenridge.
Before World Class skiing and the amazing outdoor summer adventures Breckenridge is known for, the area started with the miners in the late 1850s
I’m all about the trees, nature, and hiking but my other half loved the adventure of finding history at almost every turn.
We found some unusual remnants associated with this interpretive sign! “Rose of Breckenridge”.
We managed to loop around by taking the X1OU8 Trail back to the car. (otherwise, you end up walking on the road back to your car). MTBproject.com has a great map of the trail.
There were a number of trails leading off this loop and at times we felt confused, but all trails seemed to lead to French Gulch Road so getting lost was not an issue.
TIDBITS
1.8 mile loop
Rated: moderate
Dog friendly
Family friendly
Hike, Bike, Snowshoe
Exceptional fall colors
Views of Breckenridge Ski Resort
A GENTILE REMINDER: Venturing off trails damages vegetation, leads to erosion, and impacts wildlife.
LOCATED
We started our hike 3 miles down well-maintained French Gulch Road past the B&B Mine Trailhead & across from the Reiling Gold Dredge.
HIKES NEARBY
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