French Gulch Snowshoe

Trail Length: 6 miles roundtrip
Elevation: 10,280-10,880 ft
Elevation Gain: 600 ft
Difficulty: Easy


French Gulch (out of Breckenridge) is a lovely snowshoe whose gradual assent is suitable for both beginners and more experienced snowshoers looking to get their winter activities started. It seems to be used less than some of the other trails in Summit County and is off limits to snowmobiles, which is always nice and allows the peace of the forest to sink into the earth and settle our minds. This is of course why we brave the nefariously degrading I-70 traffic to Summit County.

The parking lot at the trailhead can accommodate around ten cars if people use their heads when parking. There is nothing worse than folks who take up two parking spaces in a tight trailhead lot as if their beat up vehicle was actually worth something. More cars can park easily along the road if it is well plowed.

The trail starts out on a wide road that provides access to several private cabins. Some of these are nice indeed. Waking up next to a nice trail like French Gulch would certainly get me out of bed a little early. A gate across the road provides an easy milestone and divides the lower from the upper part of the trail. Beyond the gate the trail continues up the left side of a willow encrusted drainage. Views of Bald Mountain on the right and Mt. Guyot on the left are stunning on a sunny day. When the snow is deep, bushwhacking in this open area is particularly pleasant. There is nothing like breaking trail in a wide meadow surrounded by peaks. It makes me giddy and girlish to plunge up to my chest in new powder.

The upper part of the trail crosses a very large avalanche chute to the left. This year the avalanche danger has been particularly high so our group was wary crossing this area. The trail was untrodden at this point too, which slowed the group down in an area you don’t want to linger in. Mt. Guyot has been the location of at least one avalanche related death. I recently learned that our wet October followed by a dry November and the continual snowfall since then has caused our dangerous snow pack. That initial unstable early snowfall created what is called “sugar snow” and reminds me of a layer of marbles under a blanket. It would not take much to get them rolling.


Awareness is the key to any outdoor adventure, so don’t let the fear of avalanches deter you from this pleasant outing, just stay informed and stay observant.