Have you ever wanted to travel to a place that can show you all 4 seasons in one trip?! Well Breckenridge is the place for you! In a matter of days we experienced tank top weather all the way to an almost blizzard, and it couldn’t have been more perfect! Keep reading to hear about our trip and our Breckenridge Couple’s Guide!

Last year we got an inquiry from a past client’s cousin, As I was scrolling through the inquiry I noticed the location.. Breckenridge! I knew this was going to be the most perfect elopement, so I responded right away! Carly (the bride) and I got to planning right away! We scoped some epic spots and Carly + Paul had the elopement of a lifetime!

Whenever we book travel elopements/sessions, we always are sure to schedule a few days to ourselves to really get to explore and experience the destination! This time was even more perfect because our cousin Sammy lives in Denver, which is right on the way to Breckenridge!

We headed to Budget/Avis Rental to pick up our car ( I had booked a jeep wrangler, of course) and we were surprised when the rental person said he had a gladiator in stock that we could have. Clearly we had to take him up on the offer, and now we are riding in CO in STYLE!

First stop// Denver, CO

We left Indiana early on Thursday morning to get to Denver at a decent time. Luckily we were able to stay with Sammy + we got to experience life with a cat (which is interesting HA!). We went out for Mexican food (clearly a favorite here!) in the cutest little mountain town, Golden! Table Mountain Grill + Cantina had some of the best food + of course drinks! It’s only a short distance from Denver and has such a fun vibe! What I loved about Golden was that we were able to sit outside and see the ALL THE VIEWS! Which were mountains by the way 😉 We will defintely have to head back to Golden!

Another benefit of staying in Denver on the first night is to help us get acclimated to the altitude. Altitude sickness can effect anyone and it’s always good to stay off the mountain for a night before going in! It’s always helped us! Between staying a night in Denver, drinking LOTS (and I mean LOTS) of water, and eating lots of carbs/salty foods, you should be good to go! If you want to read more about how to avoid altitude sickness, check this blog out!

Next Stop// Loveland Pass, CO

The next day we decided to get an early start to Breckenridge to scope out a popular Colorado elopement spot. Loveland Pass is about halfway to Breckenridge from Denver and you CAN’T NOT stop here! The views as you are driving up the road are just indescribable. Once at the top, you literally can walk from the parking lot to a variety of hikes (easy and not so easy). When you step onto the trails, it’s easy to see why this is such a popular elopement spot! (Sidenote the fires in colorado were very scary this year! Remember to keep CO safe + follow all of the local fire bans!)

Bryt and I were ready to stretch out legs and breathe some of the fresh CO air, so we of course had to hike a little bit! We headed across the road to go up to the tallest point we could see and climbed for a bit. It was so fun to see all of the doggos on the trail with their owners. I’m still trying to convince Bryt we can fly with our smallest dog 😉 We finished a little hiking and ran out of water so we were ready to head to Breckenridge for our adventure session with Carly + Paul. Keep on reading to see more from our Breckenridge Couple’s Guide!

Arrival in Breckenridge, CO

As we were on our way to Breck, our amazing Airbnb hosts messaged to tell us that our condo was ready EARLY! Folks, this never happens! It just happened to be perfect timing (and on the way) so we were able to stop and freshen up before our session.

Our airbnb was seriously so perfect. When I was looking online, I wanted to find something that was near some hiking trails and not right downtown in the hustle and bustle (Bryt is a serious introvert LOL). So this spot was perfect! It was a ground level condo, with two king beds, and tons of space! It was about 10ish minutes from Downtown and was right on our way to Breck from Denver.

The hosts were always on top of things, and even messaged us ahead of time to make sure we knew how to check in! It honestly was one of the most “homey” feeling airbnbs we have ever stayed in. Also, did I mention they provided COFFEE? This was a definite plus in our books! HERE is the link to the condo! It was super affordable and if you have another couple staying with you, it literally is like $100 a night. You can’t beat that!

Blue Lakes//Breckenridge Couple’s Guide

After freshening up and lacing up our hiking shoes, we went and got a quick lunch at The Canteen. Bryt thought it was good, but it def. was not my cup of tea! We shared appetizers + chugged some water, and headed out!

We got started to our adventure session location. The drive up to Blue Lakes is quite a trip! And it isn’t for the weak LOL! It’s a pretty steep climb but the views… oh the views. They are worth it! When we got there, it was pretty cloudy and there was honestly hardly anyone around. It was so cool to have the place to ourselves and experience all that Blue Lakes has to offer! Hiking trails, fishing, gorgeous views, and did I say a WATERFALL?! Easily this is one of my most favorite places in CO! Once we finished their session we decided this was where they would elope, so we were more than excited to go back on Saturday for Carly + Paul’s wedding!

The time change hit us quickly and we headed back for some sleep before the wedding the next day! Keep on reading to view more from our Breckenridge Couple’s Guide!

Wedding Day// Blue Lakes

We decided to get a big breakfast before Carly + Paul’s elopement at the cutest little place called Columbine Cafe. One thing I love about Breck is that there is so much outdoor seating. (Maybe this is because of COVID but I don’t think so!) We sat outside, enjoying the crisp morning air, and had some of the best latte’s ever! Coffee lovers, you def. have to visit this spot! Plus the breakfast burrito was the size of Bryt’s arm!

We then headed back to Blue Lakes for their wedding and it honestly was the most perfect October Day! See picture below!

After their wedding, we decided to find a cute spot to go get dinner! I searched a bit and found a highly related Italian place so we decided to give it a try! Giampetro’s seriously did not dissapoint. It was SO GOOD. I got a huge slice of pizza + Bryt got a spicy Penne dish that was AMAZING. So I pretty much ate half of hers LOL. We headed back to our Airbnb to get some rest because we knew we were going to be hiking and shopping the next day!

Sally Barber Hiking Trail// Hiking Time

Bryt’s cousin Sammy joined us for our last few days in Breck, so we knew we had to go hiking with her! She found a couple of trails that her friends had suggested and we picked what we thought was the best one! The Sally barber Hiking Trail was a pretty easy trail (more like a small inclined dirt road the whole time) but it led to some pretty beautiful views! Once at the top, you truly felt like you were on top of the world. Plus it was so cool to see how the old mining equipment. Once there, there was a huge rock you could go stand out on, so clearly we had to take a picture!

After our photo op, we were ready for more hiking so we decided to try a trail that we knew nothing about. Pro tip: You should probably never hike a trail that you have no idea how long it is. OOPS! Anyways, we started hiking and about a mile in (it was a little bit harder than the one we first did) we decided to check our favorite App (All Trails) to see where in the world we were going. It was then we realized we were on the Nightmare on Baldy Trail… that really had us thinking haha! We realized that after hiking switchbacks for about a mile, we had about a mile still to go still.

None of us really had breakfast that day (Pro tip #2, Always eat breakfast before a hike!) so we decided to just turn around. The climb down much much easier (it always is haha) and a little slick with all of the loose rocks. As we were hiking down the mountain, it started to snow and get even colder. Nothing like seeing snow blanket the trees on a hike though!

Downtown Breckenridge//Shopping

We got back to our car in perfect timing because it was getting realllllly cold. We opted for more Mexican (see a trend here?!) and decided to check out the daiquiris and chips/queso at Mi Casa in Breckenridge. Def try the pineapple avocado margaritas here! Sounds weird, but so good!

We then headed out on the town to do some shopping! We pretty much went into almost every boutique and cute store there was, and spent a little too much money. Meanwhile it dumped about a few inches of snow on us and helped clear the crowds! After shopping for a while we went to Cabin Coffee Co. and enjoyed some of the best lattes that we have ever had! Def recommend!

We went back to the bnb and rested a bit before our dinner plans at The Blue Fish, a local Japanese restaurant. This place seriously did not disappoint (food or drinks!) We stayed until close and it was the perfect way to end our last night of our trip.

Time to Leave// Adios Breck//Breckenridge Couple’s Guide

We had to checkout by 10AM so we left for breakfast before our flight. We stopped at the cutest place in a town on the way to the airport named Bread + Salt. In order to drop off your car in time, you have to at least arrive 2 hours early to the airport. The security check point is a little crazy at Denver, so it is def. important to get there early!

And that sums it up folks! We hope you enjoyed reading about our trip to Colorado and a Couple’s Guide to Breckenridge! Click here to read about our latest trip to the Great Smokey Mountians!

XOXO,
Sam + Bryt