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Print Friendly MapThe Denver, South Park and Pacific Railroad, a narrow-gauge line that once linked Denver with Gunnison, served much of the Colorado Mineral Belt as an independent railroad from 1872 to 1889. A major spur branched off from the main line at Como, crossing the Boreas Pass to Breckenridge and the Fremont Pass between Frisco and Leadville. Three connecting trails now occupy segments of this spur: the Blue River Recpath from Breckenridge to south of Frisco; the Frisco-Farmers Korner Recpath through Frisco; and the Ten Mile Canyon Recpath from Frisco to Copper Mountain.
Traveling adjacent to Tenmile Creek and within sight of the many peaks of the Tenmile Range, the Ten Mile Canyon Recpath offers breathtaking scenery that will make you forget Interstate 70 is never more than a couple hundred feet away. From Frisco, the paved trail is a gradual uphill trek southward to Copper Mountain. Fremont Pass, marking the beginning of the descent to Leadville, is several miles south of Copper Mountain in the mining village of Climax. Turn around and head north to Frisco if it's downhill riding or running you desire!
At Copper Road in Copper Mountain, pick up the paved Vail Pass Recpath to travel west along I-70 to Vail Pass and the eastern outskirts of Vail. In Frisco, seamlessly join the Frisco-Farmers Korner Recpath to access additional trails in the Summit County Recreational Pathway System.
In Frisco, park just off I-70 (Exit 201) at a parking lot at the southern end of Forest Drive. If the lot is full, try parking on-street in town.
In Copper Mountain, park at the trailhead at the northern end of the frontage road, which ends at the junction of Tenmile Creek and West Tenmile Creek.
This is a scenic ride. From Frisco it is a steady slow climb which, given the elevation, was a challenge for me (and many others). The views are worth it! Coming downhill was a blast!
My wife and I rented bikes from Pioneer Bike shop on Summit Blvd. in Frisco Co. We rode to Ten Mile Canyon Recpath from there. It was a little confusing to get to the path since there are numerous access points and there are numerous paths in Frsisco. Once on the path, it was a 10 ish mile and about 600 ft climb to Copper Mtn ski village. Glad my wife rented an E bike. It was a macadam trail. It was a saturday and a nice day. The path was rather busy. Riders going downhill ride rather fast. Must be alert as the path curves often. Wish we had more time to spend in the Ski Village. There was a festival going on.
7/21/14 - Trail has been extended on the East side of 10 Mile Creek to reduce traffic thru major trailhead.
New trail follows the creek south about 1.3 miles to an intersection with Highway. A bridge across creek near the Entrance to Copper Mountain has been built.
There is now a marked Bike Lane into the center of Copper Mt.
This is a five star trail, but it only gets four because of weekend traffic.
Labor Day Ride. Started at the Frisco end (exit 201) parking lot right next to the exit ramp coming from the West. Climbed all the way to the top of Vail Pass about a 1,600 ft. elevation change. Then enjoyed the great downhill back to start. A lot of other trail users, it was Labor Day after all, plenty of bikes, some skate boarders, and a few walkers. Paved trail is in decent shape but are a few sections to watch for when zipping downhill. They are doing some repair work on the section between Copper Mountain and Vail Pass. That section of trail will be great once completed. Wonderful scenery, trail follows along a nice stream and past a number of ponds. Downside – trail is not far from the interstate so get the noise from traffic on a good part of the trail. We noted the distance at 12 miles from Frisco to the Vail Pass rest area. Overall we enjoyed the trail and plan to tackle the other side of Vail Pass (Vail to Vail Pass) in the near future. Another good climb.
We took our bikes on the shuttle to the top of the pass, courtesy of Mountain View Sports. They will pick up at Keystone, Dillon, or Frisco. We paid $20 each in 2012. At the top of the pass it was a pretty long and steep downhill run and we were glad for good brakes. We had some difficulty finding our way through Copper Mountain (but just kept going downhill) and even more getting through Frisco (we started from Dillon). The views were terrific and the ride was great fun.
We spent three summers working at the campgrounds out of Frisco. There are many bike paths in the area. This was my favorite ride. It is gorgeous in October when the aspens turn. It is a non-stop cliimb to Copper, but worth it. Be sure to take extra clothes as it can rain, hail, turn cold at any time. Great trail for summer riding.
This is an excellent ride with terrific views of mountains and a stream along this paved bike trail. An intermediate resting or turn-around point is Copper Mountain Village about half way from Frisco to Vail Pass. The ride from Frisco to Copper is all gradual uphill. The ride from Copper to Vail Pass has some very steep sections and sharp curves. Shuttle services in the area will, for a fee, transport you and your bike (or a rental) to the top of Vail Pass for the easy ride down.
It was a long steady climb up to the highest point at Vail Pass, but a coast for the most part down. Even though you were between the lanes of the highway, it was not evident in most places. The scenery was spectacular. Had some problems finding my way through the resort of Copper Mountain. Stayed in Frisco and really enjoyed the town and the other trails around it.
Chris Bracknell September 24, 2008
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