Tag Archives: quandary peak

Colorado, Travel

Breckenridge in Hiking Season

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We took a break from things and spent a couple nights in Breckenridge. Breck (as it’s called in Colorado) has a lot more to offer than just skiing.

A man and a teenager stand together smiling in a forested area, surrounded by tall trees and a clear blue sky.
A mountainous landscape featuring rocky terrain, scattered coniferous trees, and patches of snow on the peaks under a blue sky with white clouds.
Scenic mountain landscape featuring rolling hills, dense forests, and snow-capped peaks under a partly cloudy sky.
A young man standing on a mountain trail wearing a gray sweatshirt with a humorous warning label, blue jeans, and orange sneakers, surrounded by a picturesque landscape of snow-capped mountains and blue sky.
A man standing on a hiking trail with mountains and a clear blue sky in the background, wearing sunglasses, a short-sleeved shirt, and cargo pants.
A smiling person wearing a cap and sunglasses poses for a selfie in a mountainous outdoor setting, surrounded by trees and blue sky with clouds.
A close-up of a gray bird standing in dry grass, surrounded by green blades and a natural landscape.
A person standing on rocks near a flowing river, surrounded by trees and cloudy skies.
A river otter swimming in calm water, with ripples reflecting the sunlight.

As you can see, we went hiking on the Quandary Peak trail which is about six miles south of Breckenridge. It was a nice day hike for the morning with no real intention to summit since it’s still early in the season and the weather changed to snow just as we left the trail.

We did get to about 12,000 feet and halfway up the trail. Evan and Shelley are new to 14er hiking and it’s important to work your way up to the challenge. Next time we’ll go further. I have another post and video of the full hike to the top of Quandary Peak on the blog.

Afterward we had a nice lunch at a pizza place called Fatty’s Pizzeria. We had entered two other places nearby but didn’t find the vibe right (they are next to and across the street from Fatty’s). Fatty’s was chill and had great pizza and drinks.

Afterward we walked around the town. We stayed at the Marriott Mountain Valley Lodge where I had two free nights to use with Bonvoy Points. The location in town is great and it’s right by the ski slopes in winter (although my Bonvoy Points won’t cover the price in the winter).

In the pond next to the hotel Shelley and Evan saw a beaver. Somehow I missed it but the did get a photo!

Colorado, Hiking

Quandary Peak Trail

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This past August weekend I decided I needed to do a bit of Colorado mountain hiking before the short season ends. August is the prime month for 14er hikes since the weather is warm and the snow cover has almost entirely melted off of the peaks.

I didn’t have time to make a multi-day trip so I decided to return to a peak that I hiked back in 2018: Quandary Peak. Quandary Peak is located just south of Breckenridge and is the 13th highest peak in Colorado at 14,265 feet. It is probably the most climbed 14er in Colorado due to its accessibility and relatively short 6.5 mile round-trip trail distance, but its still a good challenge with a 3300 foot elevation gain.

The last time I did this hike there were numerous mountain goats nonchalantly hanging out near and on the trail. The presence of the goats is another factor in the trail’s popularity. Unfortunately on this hike the mountain goats were nowhere to be seen. Pikas, however, were abundant, as you can see in the photos below.

Also, having completed six 14er hikes now, I’ve never encountered wind as strong as what I encountered on this hike. A very strong westerly wind was blowing right down the trail and really added to the difficulty. The prior time I did the trail the wind was minimal and it was much easier, even if a light snow was falling at the summit.

Quandary Peak Trail