Ten Mile Recreational Pathway, Summit County

Intersecting Main Street and Summit Boulevard at several points is the Ten Mile Recreational Pathway. This 50 plus miles of paved path stretches from Vail to Frisco and Dillon and from Keystone to Breckenridge. Bikers, hikers, Nordic skiers and in-line skaters make the trail a year-round playground, but residents and visitors also use it to stroll around Frisco.

For fat tire fans, the surrounding area is a mountain bike mecca with trails ranging from beginner to expert. So don't forget to bring your bike or choose from a wide variety available at local rental shops.

The Ten Mile Basin encompasses that portion of Summit County,
Colorado that extends from the Gore Range on the north to the Lake County line (just north of Fremont Pass) on the south. The east and west boundaries are a portion of the Tenmile Range and the Eagle County line respectively.

Located in the southwestern portion of the county, Ten Mile Basin includes the Town of Frisco and Copper Mountain Ski Resort. It encompasses an elevation range of from 9,017 feet at Lake Dillon to a high point of 13,951 feet at the summit of Fletcher Mountain in the Tenmile Range.

The Tenmile Basin has had a rich and diverse history that extends back at least 6,000 years and has witnessed different phases of human activity and occupancy. Ute Indians occupied and hunted in this area, as evidenced by archaeological findings of hunting camps in the vicinity of Vail Pass.

The gold rush of the 1800's brought the arrival of white settlers to the Basin, and resulted in the flowering of a mining industry that defined the area for a hundred years. During that time, hundreds of gold, silver and copper mines sprung up across the mountainsides.

In the first half of the twentieth century, development activity in the area quieted and the once prosperous mining towns were abandoned.

It was not until the opening of the ski areas, including that of Copper Mountain in 1972, that development resumed in earnest in the Basin and tourism became the economic driving force of the community. Since that time, development of Copper Mountain, as well as lodging and commercial uses at the base of the mountain and in the Town of Frisco has continued.