Francie's Cabin Snowshoe

Trail Length: 4.8 miles RT
Elevation: 10,380ft to 11,264ft
Elevation gain: 896ft

Francie’s Cabin is part of the 10th Mountain Division’s hut system. It was built in 1994 and sits at 11,294 ft. It sleeps twenty in both summer and winter. On this date, low hanging clouds and periodic cascades of snow destroyed the views but not the cardiovascular benefits of the trail.

To get to the trail, head up Crown Drive, which is 2.1 miles from the middle of Breckenridge (Skill Hill Road). Don’t take the new Hwy 9 bypass if you want to track this mileage. Crown Hill Road becomes Spruce Creek Road. Follow this until it dead ends at the trailhead. On the left is the Mohawk Lakes trailhead and sign. Don’t go this way. Continue up Spruce Creek Road itself. You should see track at the far end of the parking area.

The trail begins in the trees and then opens up at the intersection of the Wheeler Trail at 1.3 miles. From this point the trail traverses meadows and hillsides with views to the south. There are two gates to pass along the way. It is 0.8 miles beyond the Wheeler Trail junction to the junction of the Crystal Creek trail, which comes in from the right. You are getting close at this point. The trail makes several sharp turns all the while heading upwards. You can see the cabin in the distance half way up the last slope. You’ll smell the wood smoke long before you see it.

Overall, the trip is not as exciting as many of the other trails in Summit County, and you can not take dogs anywhere near the cabin itself. Because of this we were unable to get close enough to the cabin to report on its layout or interior. Still for something different, it is worth checking out; just leave the dogs at home.