Breckenridge Colorado Hiking, a complete guide to Black Powder Pass Off Boreas Pass Road

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One of the best things about Colorado in the summer, and fall is the hiking. What seems like endless amounts of trails through out the state, there’s always a new path to explore. I’ve always loved the history that the state has, including old mining history and historic buildings that are still standing. One of my favorite hikes that I’ve done so far is Black Powder Pass, just outside of downtown Breckenridge.

The drive to the trailhead on Boreas Pass Road is one of the best parts, especially in the fall! In this post I’ll be going over directions to the trailhead, what the trail is like, best times of the year to hike, where to camp, and what to expect. Cool, letsss goooo.

What’s the story behind Black Powder Pass

Originally Boreas Pass was part of a railway that connected Breckenridge to Leadville crossing over the continental divide, seen at the trailhead. However, by the late 1930’s with the decline of mining and the rise of cars and trucks, the railway became abandoned. It wasn’t until 1952, that a road was installed on Boreas Pass.

The group of small houses at the top called the Section house and Ken’s cabin were built in 1881 and served as the housing for workers who maintained the section of the Boreas Pass Railway. Today the Section house is a hut for back country skiers, splitboarders, and people who snowshoe in the winter

How to get to the trailhead

Depending on what direction you are driving from, you’ll want to turn onto Boreas Pass Road and take that all the way to the top until you hit a dirt road, with a parking lot on your left. The road overlooks the ski resort and town as you drive up. There’s a couple pull offs, so grab a few photos before you drive to the trail! (the drive and hike are great for photography).

This road is somewhat narrow, with steep drop offs, so drive carefully! AWD isn’t required, but it helps to have. As you start driving on the dirt road you’ll go around a couple corners before you come up on a group of aspens, from there you’ll go past Bakers Tank (A Giant Red water Tank) all the way to the top until you come up on a parking lot with an old railroad track.

The dirt road gets a lil bumpy towards the top, so drive slower.. Below I’ve listed major areas including downtown Breckenridge with distances and times. The two major highways you can take to get to the trail are either I70 or 285 South.

Trailhead Coordinates: 39.410310, -105.968420

Denver- 2 hours/87 Miles/140 km

Boulder- 2 hours and 20 minutes/96 miles/154 km

Downtown Breckenridge- 35 minutes/9 miles/14 km

Vail- 1 hour and 20 minutes/46 miles/74 km

Colorado Springs- 2 hours and 20 minutes/103 miles/166 Km

What should we pack

• Water Bottle- Stay hydrated, especially at high altitudes! I like Hydro Flask because they keep your water cold for up to 24 hours.

• Hiking Boots- There’s a number of uneven surfaces when hiking in the rockies. Having the proper support and grip when out on a trail is crucial. I personally like La Sportiva, they’re kind of a niche brand, but their stuff works for me.

• Sunscreen-If you’re outside in Colorado, especially at a higher elevation it’s important to protect your skin. I like Sun Bum, based out of California, because it is none greasy.

• Sunglasses- Often overlooked, if you plan on hiking during the day at high altitudes, you must have sunglasses.

• Hat- Always pack a hat when going for a hike!

• Backpack- I always like to hike with a bag to keep my water bottle, camera, and snacks for the trek, maybe even a beer or two for the top :) Burton makes amazing outdoor bags, backed with a lifetime warranty!

Any tips for hiking Black Powder Pass

• Be careful when driving to the trailhead as there are steep drop offs with no guardrail on the dirt road, AWD and vehicles with good tires is a plus.

• Bring a rain jacket and extra layers, even in the summer!

• Visit in the fall, mid to late September is one of the best times to be on Boreas Pass Road

• Avoid weekends if you can due to more vehicles and people

• Summer is a great time to catch the Wildflowers

• You are at a higher elevation (11,482 Feet) take it easy and drink plenty of water!

• Thunderstorms can pop up in the afternoon, however if the weather looks good, later afternoons in the evening are one of the best times to be on this trail!

Trail Stats

Trail Type: Out and Back

Distance: 3.4 miles/5.5 km

Difficulty: Moderate

Elevation Gain: 1,000 feet/305 meters

Dogs: On leash

Trail Time: Depending on speed and how long you stay at the top 2-3 hours

Is there parking and restrooms at the trailhead

There are no restrooms at the top, however there are two smaller parking lots on both sides of the road. Both lots are pretty empty on weekdays in the afternoon.

Any Wildflowers on this trail

There are! From July through early/mid August will be wildflowers, and I think Boreas Pass has some of the best areas for them in Summit County. About a half mile into your hike is where you will see a couple fields of them.

When is the best time to hike this trail

The best time to hike this trail is Late Spring to Early fall. Due to snowfall, Boreas Pass Road will close after the first parking lot at the top. You can still access the cabins in the winter by booking the Section House or Ken’s Cabin. I wrote a blog post on this, for your first time booking a backcountry hut trip.

The busiest time of the year will be on weekends during the fall when the leaves are changing. A lot of people will come up from Denver or the front range area to check out the fall foliage (leaf peepers). Try to come up midweek if you can, as the fall colors are one of the best times of the year to hike in Summit County.

My favorite time of day to hike this trail is in the late afternoon-early evening because you get really cool golden light surrounding the hike and the sun is also not as intense as a mid day hike.

What is the trail like and is the hike difficult

The trailhead starts where the continental divide is along with historic cabins mentioned above. The continental divide is the line that runs from Alaska to Mexico and on one side water drains into the pacific ocean and on the other side the Atlantic ocean. The trail itself is part of the White River National Forest, but as you look to the right when driving up towards the top, that is the Pike National Forest.

You’ll start your hike at the base of the Section House and is worth walking around and checking out! As you start hiking you’ll notice most of the trail is exposed with a couple of portions that walk through pine trees and dead tree stumps. The trail overall isn’t too strenuous and doesn’t take too much time either which is what I liked.

As you make your way towards the top, turn around and you’ll notice most of the ten mile range and next to it Mt Helen and Mt Quandary! It is one of the best views in the area in my opinion. Once above tree line, the trail itself is pretty straight to the top and you’ll be able to see Baldy Mountain to your left. Pack a lunch, snacks, or even a couple beers and enjoy the views at the peak.

At the peak you’ll also notice the backside of the mountain has views too, this portion overlooks the White River National Forest!

If you caught a good weather window and went up for sunset, you could get lucky and catch an awesome sunset on the way down

Is there camping in the area

Yep, it is all dispersed camping (free), but with numbered camp sites. First come, first served and no public facilities. Pack out what you packed in and make sure to check weather and fire restrictions ahead of time.

Is the Boreas Pass Overlook worth checking out too

Yep, If you are in Breckenridge I highly recommend driving up to Boreas Pass road, and walking along the road. You can do this regardless of the time of year. Winter can be one of the best times to head up to Boreas Pass, as the town and surrounding peaks are covered in snow. Park in the first parking lot you arrive at and walk the road. In the fall walk along the road while checking out the fall colors or hang out and enjoy a sunset view over the ski resort.

That’s it for the Black Powder Pass Trail. If you’re vacationing in Breckenridge or even just passing through, I highly recommend this hike! If you’ve done this hike before or having any questions, leave a comment below. Looking for more information on outdoor trips, hikes, tips, and gear information, feel free to subscribe to the email list below! Thanks for reading the blog and I’ll see you on the next post.

Looking for other Colorado Hikes? Check out the Ptarmigan Lake trail, just outside of Buena Vista.

Best Wildflower Hikes in Crested Butte Colorado, Hiking the Snodgrass Trail

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Known to be one of the most populated areas for Wildflowers, Crested Butte in Colorado offers some of the best hiking trails minutes from town. One of these trails is Snodgrass. Other than hikers, you’ll also find mountain bikers, trail runners, and even horseback riders. If you want to see wildflowers, well this hike is one of the best hikes for it in the summer time. I decided to hike it in the afternoon to catch the sunset at the end, and if you time it on the right night, the mountain views at sunset mixed with wildflowers are incredible. I haven’t experienced anything like it in Colorado.

In this post I’ll be going over how to get to the trailhead, where Crested Butte is in Colorado, trail information, and what to expect. Sickk lets get into it.

Where is Crested Butte and how to get to the trailhead

Crested Butte is actually really close to the town of Aspen (Even though there is no actual road to Aspen) and will be west of Denver (Around a 4 hour drive). To access the trailhead you’ll want to take Gothic Road up past Mount Crested Butte where the ski resort is, but keep driving until you see parking. There will also be signage, as you drive along Gothic road. To park, there will be a couple free day lots and parking along the road too.

Best time to Hike and Trail Stats

Late May through late August, weather depending. In the summer the best time to hike it would be mid June through Mid July because of the wildflowers. I hiked it right after the fourth of July and there were fields of wildflowers. Pretty amazing to be honest. This trail is actually on private land, but the owners are kind enough to let the general public hike it. By late August they close the trail for cattle grazing.

The best time of day is either early in the morning or late afternoon to avoid crowds and grab parking. Since the hike is longer, give yourself at least 4 hours if you plan on hiking the whole trail.

Type: Out and Back with a Loop

Distance: 5.8 Miles

Elevation gain: 1,594 Feet

Dogs allowed: Yes, but on a leash

Does the trail have a lot of Wildflowers

Yep, this trail is covered in Wildflowers from June through July, with Peak season being early-Mid July. I saw a lot of Arrowleaf Balsomroot (Yellow) and Silvery Lupine (purple)

What is the trail like

The cool thing about this trail is you don’t even have to hike it all the way for the best views. The best views are less then halfway through the hike as you make your way towards the top. Actually the top of the hiking trail has no views at all.

The trail begins and ends with a 360 scenic lookout of the town, Mount Crested Butte, and surrounding peaks such as Mt. Emmons and Teocalli Mountain. You’ll also notice horses off in the distance from the Horse Ranch down the road. The beginning part is where you will see the majority of the wildflowers.

Eventually there will be an area where the trail will start to Loop. I stayed to the right on Snodgrass Mountain Road then looped back around on Snodgrass Trail 590 on the way down. Hiking the road will take you through a wooded area of Aspen Trees until you reach the part of the trail that overlooks the ski resort and Mount Crested Butte.

Don’t feel like hiking the whole trail? Hike only to the area that overlooks Mount Crested Butte before turning around. I recommend not taking the road, but taking the actual trail if you plan on only hiking part way . If you keep going you’ll be walking through the woods with no views other then the surrounding pine trees.

The top of Snodgrass mountain will be a dead end at 11,142 feet. It’s probably one of the only hikes I’ve ever done without any views at the very top of the trail! No stress, the decent is pretty cool if you can time it for golden hour (evening).

On the way down stay to the right on trail 590 and you kind of walk through a field at one point of more wildflowers.

If you hiked this in the afternoon or evening, stay for sunset at the end of the trail and you won’t regret it! You might even get see the horses grazing as their is a horse riding business in the valley of this trail.

If you liked Snodgrass, consider hiking Teddy’s Trail

This is going to be a shorter and easier hike, that will also have a field of wildflowers. Great for kids and families the hike will only be a 1.8 mile loop with 300 feet of elevation gain.

What to pack

• Hiking Boots- Shop at your local outdoor store or REI to try the boots on in person. Every hiking boot will fit differently, therefore it’s important to see which pair will be the best for your feet.

• Rain Jacket- Afternoon Storms do pop up, so gotta be prepared

• Hiking Socks- Stay away from cotton. I like Smartwool.

• Hiking Apparel- Lightweight, breathable, and moisture wicking are what you want with outdoor clothing. Patagonia & Fjallraven make great outdoor clothing.

• Sunscreen and Bug spray- In the summer there will be mosquitoes as you hike, keep a bottle of bug spray on you!

• Extra Water- Pack a waterbottle! Hydroflask make some of the best water bottles as the bottle will keep water cold for up to 12 hours.

Looking for other outdoor activities in Colorado? Check out Buena Vista. It’s one of the coolest parts of Colorado and definitely worth spending 3-4 days exploring!