Barton Gulch to Peaks Trail-Breckenridge to Frisco

This route starts with a modest climb along a creek whose character depends on the time of year. Photographers will pass through several distinct zones on this moderate hike that ends in the town of Frisco. 

Rating: ***

Best for: Catch morning light angles (start from the Breck side for forest shots), changing scenery-especially the first few peaks of the Tenmile Range

Drawbacks: The hiker will encounter a stretch of tree-thinned forest-but this does, in this case, open up some opportunities to view scenery along the Tenmile Range

Alltrails Link

Waypoints (see AllTrails Link):

Trailhead: Barton Road (Breck), Miner’s Creek (Frisco), Second Avenue (Frisco)

Trail Length/ Vertical Gain (Gross): 6.79 mi (Point-to-Point-Barton to Miner’s Creek), 607’ (Barton to Miner’s Creek)

Trail Access: Barton-South Trail #9022, Peaks Trail #45,

Recommended Gear: Tripod, wide-angle and several zoom and telephoto lenses, to capture unique angles and perspectives of the Tenmile Range, ND and Polarizing filters for long-exposure shots of water.

This entire frame is a reflection in a pond near the trailhead!

Start this one early. On the way to the trailhead, check out the pond just after the final turn -this pond is still as a statue early in the morning during the summer, and catches some good, soft light (See waypoint/link above.) Play around with some reflection shots, and some unique compositions (the image below is 100% reflection.) These warm-up exercises will help the (potentially foggy, early in the morning) phtographer’s brain get ready to capture some unique shots and compositions, particularly early-on with this hike.

The first half-mile of the route contains almost all of the vertical climbing (to seasoned hikers, it’s not much to worry about;) get ready for a smooth sail towards Frisco, effort wise. Soak in the landscape!

A typical sunny day will allow for some shots of the early morning light filtering in through perfectly-spaced Lodgepole to the east (See photo at header), and some dramatic shadows, with photogenic green ground covering. I even experimented with some ICM (Intentional Camera Movement) “panning” shots: I liked the perfectly rigid, vertical lines these trees made, with their distinctive green-on-bark color schemes.

Further down this trail, the landscape will illustrate some of the environmental impacts plaguing Summit County now: namely forest thinning projects mitigating damage from the Pine Bark Beetle.

The well-intended photographer will take this as an opportunity to enjoy the sunshine, or if it’s a cloudy day at this point, perfect! Look for compositions of the Tenmile Range that are impossible to see outside of this vantage point.

The perfect time to hike this route, as a photographer, in my opinion, would be a partially sunny day in order to catch some unique compositions/lighting in the morning in the forests, and get some quality soft light during the latter portions of this hike, with more exposed views of the Tenmile Range. Some clouds would also aid in getting some long-exposure shots of Barton Gulch and Miner’s Creek. I recommended bringing a long lens on this hike because the route doesn’t involve a ton of vertical commitment, and this type of lens will allow for some tighter shots of the Tenmile Range, perhaps with some compressed interpretations of single trees (or other subjects of interest) in the distance? Photographers can let their creative instincts run wild on this route with opportunities to experiment with shots in different lighting conditions- without having to climb a half mile of vertical just to get started. That’s what raises this route from two stars to three, in my eyes.

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