Trail Overview
This loop route travels through the high-elevation forests of the Golden Horseshoe, connecting with the surrounding network of backcountry routes near Lincoln Park. The route passes primarily through dense spruce, fir, and pine forest, with occasional openings that provide glimpses of the surrounding mountains. The surface is mostly dirt with sections of gravel and scattered rock. Fallen timber, low shrubs, grasses, young evergreens, and areas of exposed soil cover the surrounding forest floor. Portions of the route pass through areas where forest thinning or tree removal has created more open surroundings before returning beneath the dense tree canopy. The surrounding forest provides good habitat for a variety of mountain wildlife. Motorized summer travel is seasonally designated from May 21 through November 22, although lingering snow may affect accessibility early in the season.
Difficulty
The route has no major obstacles but includes scattered rocks up to approximately 6 inches, whoops, dips, potholes, and minor erosion. Several steeper sections and larger whoops may create breakover-angle concerns for lower-clearance, longer-wheelbase vehicles.
History
The Breckenridge area was heavily shaped by the Colorado Gold Rush beginning in 1859, when gold discoveries brought prospectors into the Blue River and surrounding gulches. French Gulch, Georgia Gulch, the Swan River, and nearby mountains became important mining areas containing placer operations, hard-rock mines, settlements, and eventually large dredging operations. Several settlements once existed throughout this backcountry. Lincoln City developed in French Gulch, where placer claims and later hard-rock mines operated, while Parkville developed near Georgia Gulch and briefly served as the first county seat of Summit County. Hydraulic mining later buried the remains of Parkville beneath mining debris. Many of the roads traveled through the area today follow corridors originally used to reach mines, settlements, and other operations that supported Summit County's mining industry.
