Breckenridge is Colorado's oldest Victorian mountain town, with nearly 100 restaurants and nightspots, and literally hundreds of shops and boutiques for year round fun. Whether it be Breckenridge skiing which includes four interconnected ski mountains, with over 160 separate trails covering over 2,258 acres of skiing served by 29 lifts and a gondola or enjoying a Jack Nicklaus designed 27 hole public golf course, Breckenridge has it all.

 

In the winter, Breckenridge comes alive with outstanding alpine and Nordic Skiing, as well as snowboarding an snowshoeing. The Rocky Mountain winters offer an ideal locale for ice skating, sleigh rides, snowmobiling and more. Imperial Express provides spectacular views of mountain ranges atop the tallest high-speed chairlift in the Northern Hemisphere. It takes riders to the top of Peak 8 at an elevation of 12,480 feet offering 550 acres of in-bounds, double black and extreme terrain. For the more adventurous, climb even higher by foot to 12,998 feet to the Summit and see views of Copper Mountain while being challenged by the far out bowls and extreme terrain of the many chutes. In addition to the high alpine terrain, award-winning grooming across acres of rolling intermediate terrain and a great beginner area, Breckenridge is home to five terrain parks and four half-pipes. 

 

When the snow melts learn why the locals say, "I came for the winter but I stayed for the summers." With outstanding hiking, biking, fishing, golfing rock-climbing and kayaking all nearby it is easy to see why Breckenridge is your year round destination.

 

Base Elevation: 9,600 feet, Summit Elevation: 12,998 feet Vertical Drop: 3,398 feet, Longest Run: 3.5 miles, 300 inches of snow per year and 300 days of sun per year, Resident Population: 3,101.

 

HISTORY

 

The Name Breckenridge

The town of Breckenridge was formally created in November 1859 by General George E. Spencer. Spencer chose the name Breckinridge after the United States' Vice President of the time, John C. Breckinridge of Kentucky in the hopes of flattering the government and gaining a post office. Spencer succeeded in his plan and a post office was built in Breckinridge, it was the first post office between the Continental Divide and Salt Lake City, UT. However, when the Civil War broke out in 1861, the 40-year-old former vice president sided with the Confederates (as a brigadier general) and the pro-Union citizens of Breckinridge decided to change the town's name. The first i was changed to an e, and the town's name has been spelled Breckenridge ever since.

History

Prospectors entered what is now Summit County during the Pikes Peak Gold Rush of 1859, soon after the placer gold discoveries farther east at Idaho Springs. Breckinridge was founded to serve the miners working rich placer gold deposits discovered along Georgia Gulch. Placer gold mining was soon joined by hard rock mining, as prospectors followed the gold to its source veins in the hills. Gold in some upper gravel benches north of the Blue River was recovered by hydraulic mining. Gold production decreased in the late 1800s, but revived in 1908 by gold dredging operations along the Blue River and Swan River. The Breckenridge mining district is credited with production of about one million troy ounces (about 31,000 kilograms) of gold.

 

Town Size:

  • 7 miles long 2 miles wide

  • 13.93 square miles

  • 2,200 developed acres

  • 1,100 undeveloped acres (30 percent town-owned land has been set aside for open space) 95 percent build out

  • 400 acres of town-owned parks

Climate

Breckenridge's climate is considered to be high-alpine with the tree line ending at 11,500 ft. The average July high and low are 73 °F and 39 °F respectively. The average January high and low are 31 °F and 0 °F respectively. The record high is 89 °F set in July, 1939; the record low is -46 °F set in December, 1924. The city receives in excess of 300 inches of snowfall per year, causing the valley basin to have only 30 frost-free days each year. The highest average precipitation occurs in July with 1.75 inches; the average low of 0.78 inches occurs in October.

Booking your activities "Free of Charge" at Breckenridge Activities Center

Make the most of your visit to Breckenridge by booking your activities and diner reservations through the Breckenridge Activities Centers. our friendly, professional, knowledgeable staff of locals know the best places for whatever suits your fancy. We can help you with:

 

Dining, including diner reservations and family dining recommendations, shopping recommendations, snowmobiling, dog sledding, sleigh rides, and more.

 

For more information, or to book your activities or diner reservations, call or visit us at our two convenient locations:

 

Breckenridge Welcome Center

203 S Main St. (Blue River Plaza)

 

Daniel's Cabin

309 N Nain St.

877-864-0868

 

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