Heading to Breckenridge

[paulndot]

ALL - heading to Breckenridge at the end of April. My wife is a bit worried about altitude sickness. We were thinking about hiking the McCullough Gulch Trail. Anyone here have any experience on that trail? We have some hiking experience in the Smokies & Appalachians, but nothing so far above sea level.

Any ideas on what to do & see there is welcome!

 

[CXS]

You're going from sea level to close to 10,000 ft so there will be adjustment time needed. How long depends on the individual, I have a friend that comes from FL once a year and we take it easy the first day so he can adjust. It sometimes takes longer. A lot depends on your physical condition but even pro athletes get winded more easily here. Hydrate yourselves, carbo-load and it'll help but you'll want to take it easy until you adjust. Hiking and suffering altitude sickness is bad news. You don't want to have to be rescued.

Good luck and enjoy the high country!

Edit: Visit the O2 bar there - never been myself but a friend mentioned it from her trip there. Kind of silly IMHO but what the hell. What do do? Google has plenty but it's pretty much a pass through town for me with the exceptions of a few 4x4 trails in the area.

 

[BrianSD_42]

I think it just depends on the person. I've lived at sea level my whole life and multiple times have hiked up to 10,000 even once 10,900 feet. One of these times i was even carrying a 40 lb pack. I've never felt altitude sickness. You both might be totally fine, especially if you are healthy and have good or even moderate cardio ability.

 

[Powder_Hound]

ALL - heading to Breckenridge at the end of April. My wife is a bit worried about altitude sickness. We were thinking about hiking the McCullough Gulch Trail. Anyone here have any experience on that trail? We have some hiking experience in the Smokies & Appalachians, but nothing so far above sea level.

Any ideas on what to do & see there is welcome!

You will probably want to bring your snowshoes! If I'm not mistaken the trailhead is 11'000'+ and there will be lots of snow still hanging around. Breck closes mid April 'cause they have too not due to lack of snow. March and April usually bring big snows to the mountains. Stay tuned to the weather, acclimate, and enjoy the off season in Breck.

 

[paulndot]

@CXS, [MENTION=65101]BrianSD_42[/MENTION], [MENTION=135766]Powder_Hound[/MENTION]

Thanks all for the info - really appreciate it. WE do plan to "climatize" the first day there, and try a trail on the second day. Sounds a bit more serious than we first thought. It's always good to get the real knowledge from a local. Happy Wheeling all.

 

[paulndot]

You're going from sea level to close to 10,000 ft so there will be adjustment time needed. How long depends on the individual, I have a friend that comes from FL once a year and we take it easy the first day so he can adjust. It sometimes takes longer. A lot depends on your physical condition but even pro athletes get winded more easily here. Hydrate yourselves, carbo-load and it'll help but you'll want to take it easy until you adjust. Hiking and suffering altitude sickness is bad news. You don't want to have to be rescued.

Good luck and enjoy the high country!

Edit: Visit the O2 bar there - never been myself but a friend mentioned it from her trip there. Kind of silly IMHO but what the hell. What do do? Google has plenty but it's pretty much a pass through town for me with the exceptions of a few 4x4 trails in the area.

Thanks! tried to mention you in my reply but it didn't work. Really appreciate the local know-how! I think the O2 bar will be interesting, I'll check it out.

 

[CoMtn4Runner]

Sounds like a fun trip yout have planned. I think most visitors have a harder time adjusting to altitude when they fly into denver and immediately drive up to the mountains (8.5-9k feet). If you are driving here, your body will adjust as you ascend and won't be as big of a shock. I would suggest keeping hydrated days before you arrive and continue to stay well hydrated when you are here. As already mentioned, most trails will most likely still have quite a bit of snow (especially as you approach 11-13k ft) and it will still get very cold at night. You may have better luck with drier trails at lower altitudes, which can be found 30-45 min drives from breck.

I'm sure you will have a blast. Breckenridge is awesome during off season.

 

[HOJeepster]

Drink plenty of water while here. It's a dry climate, and the altitude will dehydrate you.

 

[paulndot]

Sound advice from all. THANK YOU. Unfortunately we just have a few days there this go-round. Flying in to Denver, and driving up to Breck the same day, which from the sound of it, is not such a hot idea. We'll be in Breck about 2P and just taking it easy that night, maybe walk around town. The following day it's gonna be museums & local touristy stuff - a bit more walking around. The day after that was the planned hiking day.

I think I'll stick to the lower elevation trails as suggested. Any good ones recommended?

 

[AudiTech]

There's nothing wrong with driving straight up from Denver you'll be fine. The single biggest thing you can do to help yourself is staying hydrated, lots of water. There's a lot of research that shows Ibuprofen is effective in cutting down altitude sickness in most people.

My recommendation is on the drove up stop in Idaho Springs and hit up Beau Jo's (mountain pie style pizza, a staple of Colorado) an maybe stop next door for a beer at the Tommy Knockers brewery.

Breckenridge is awesome, that place literally looks like a Christmas card during winter. It will be the tail end of ski season so expect snow on the ground, high trails will be covered so plan accordingly. I don't really have much advise on hiking, I mountain bike up there a lot so all the trails I have experience with are long.

Frisco, the next town over, has my favorite restaurant Kemosabe. It's a sushi place, they open at 4, dinner only.

What type of stuff are you guys wanting to do? Honestly it's kind of an awkward time of year to come visit, ski season is finishing up but things haven't dried up enough for the spring/summer activities. That time of year the front range is really nice weather wise and there's a lot of trails and stuff that should be clear and dry.

 

[ndcent]

I would check out the local flora.