In a nut shell, the Peaks Trail is a cross country mountain bike trail that is constantly climbing or descending. The “trail follows an old mining road from the 1800’s and has a section that runs alongside an aqueduct that was built by miners to funnel and sift water containing precious gold and silver,” according to Mark Grattan on BestOfBreck.com. As you can imagine from such a description, this 9-mile route isn’t a ripping descent, which automatically causes some enduro-oriented mountain bikers to check out and skip over it.

That said, if you’re willing to pedal up repeated climbs, the Peaks Trail will reward you with a high-caliber sub alpine mountain bike ride through the Colorado High Country! As the Peaks Trail makes it’s way across the flanks of the Tenmile Range from Peak 1 to Peak 10, the trail stays "mostly in the lodgepole pine forest along with some aspen, spruce and fir forests,” according to the US Forest Service. This moderate altitude (by Colorado standards) makes this trail very approachable for intermediate riders who may be scared off by the big climbs and serious exposure of the above-treeline trails in the area. Also, while it’s always good to be aware of the weather and the danger of lightning and thunderstorms in the high country, staying down in the trees reduces your exposure to danger.

Despite being characterized as an up-and-down cross country trail, don’t expect the trail tread to be buttery smooth. SummitDaily.com characterizes the Peaks Trail as "a rocky, rooty, adrenaline-pumping route that connects Breckenridge to Frisco, with diverse singletrack on flowy terrain.”

Prepare for climbs and prepare for chunk, but most of all, prepare to have a good time!

Sources: https://www.bestofbreck.com/peaks-trail-overview/ https://www.summitdaily.com/news/sports/summit-daily-bike-guide-peaks-trail-video/ https://www.fs.usda.gov/recarea/whiteriver/recreation/recarea/?recid=40691&actid=24