The Mohawk Lakes sit high in alpine valley beneath craggy mountain slopes, and surrounded by wildflower meadows above treeline. To get there, follow this moderate hike among waterfalls and mining ruins to reach the pristine lakes.

An easy trail just south of Breckenridge, Blue Lakes is a great place to enjoy Colorado’s mountain scenery and wildlife with very little work. A dirt road leads along Monte Cristo Creek to nearly 12,000 feet elevation, above treeline, where wild mountain goats are common, and where two alpine lakes shimmer in blue beneath white-capped peaks. The lakes are popular for fishing and paddling in the warm months. In winter, the closed road is good for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing.

Peaks Trail travels 8 miles in between Breckenridge and Frisco, Colorado through the verdant valley on the east side of the Tenmile Range. As either an out and back or a one way, it’s popular in the warm months for hiking and mountain biking and during the winter for snowshoeing and cross-country skiing. The gradient is slight but fairly constant, traveling steadily uphill from Frisco toward Breckenridge.

Quandary Peak (14,271 ft), just south of Breckenridge, is one of the more accessible 14ers in Colorado. It’s proximity to a road and relatively straightforward hike make it so, but the journey to the summit is not easy. It requires an elevation gain of nearly 3,500 feet in only 3 miles over rugged terrain, and exposure to potentially extreme weather. The challenge is worthwhile to stand on Quandary’s proud summit, and it makes a good introduction to the rigors of peakbagging Colorado’s 14ers.

Bald Mountain (13,684 ft) towers over Breckenridge, and the relatively easy hike up its northwest slopes grants some of the best views to be had of the area. The hike is simple to access from town and the trail is easy to follow.

Peak 10, at 13,639 feet, is the tallest of the five mountains that form Breckenridge Ski Resort. It is the southernmost of these, all part of the impressive Tenmile Range. It’s summit is therefore one of the best views around, and is understandably popular. Multiple routes reach the top, but the most straightforward is the service road that ascends from the ski area. This is the Peak 10 Trail, also known as East Ridge.

Of the many high-elevation basins in the Tenmile Range, Crystal Lakes are an especially rugged and beautiful set of tiered lakes among huge mountainsides. Nestled in between the east ridgelines of Crystal Peak and Peak 10 just south of Breckenridge, Upper Crystal Lake sits perched several hundred feet above Lower Crystal Lake, along the tumbling Crystal Creek.