Dillon Nature Preserve 

The Dillon Nature Preserve is located on the Robert’s Tunnel Peninsula. Free parking is located just off US Highway 6 as it passes the lake traveling towards Keystone. The lot is on the west side of Highway 6 across from the historic Dillon Cemetery and west of the Summerwood Subdivision.

The Nature Preserve is open summer and winter for pedestrians, snowshoes and cross-country skiing. It features a large relatively-flat gravel road and two hiking trails: Meadow Trail and Ridge Trail Loop. Small footpaths descend to the Lake for fisherman and lakeshore exploration. Find beautiful mountain vistas, lake views and wildflowers. Dogs are allowed, but bicycles are not. A very family friendly hiking experience. The gravel road is plowed in winter. 

Directions: From I-70 westbound, take exit 205 toward Dillon. Follow Highway 6 past Dillon, turn right into the parking lot across from Cemetery Road.

 Lake Dillon Disc Golf Course

The Lake Dillon Disc Golf Course is a moderately challenging course with incredible views of the surrounding mountains and the Dillon Reservoir.

This free public amenity consists of 18 holes ranging from 235 feet to 535 feet in length, with a mix of up, down, open fields and narrow wooded shots. Most holes feature alternate basket locations indicated by map markers at each concrete tee pad. There are steep hills and some rocky terrain.

Plan on 1-3 hours to play the entire course, or for a shorter round and less of a hike, just play the back 9. It is roughly a 10 minute hike to hole 1. The Dillon Disc Golf Course also has a shorter kid friendly 12 hole family course affectionately known as the "Dirty Dozen."

The disc golf course is pet friendly, but please keep your dog on a leash and pick up after your pet. Trash receptacles are provided in the parking area. 

The disc golf course is a shared use area with bikers and hikers, as well as an archery range and motocross course in the vicinity. Please be careful and courteous of others. 

Directions: The Dillon Disc Golf Course is located off of highway 6 and Cemetery Road. From I-70 take exit 205 and head south towards Keystone. Turn left onto Cemetery Road and take your first right. You will dead end at the parking lot.  

Lake Loops - Multiuse Track

Looking for a new and exciting way to recreate in Summit County during the winter? Look no further! The Town of Dillon presents "Lake Loops" a winter multi-use track located on the frozen Dillon Reservoir. Whether you are walking, cross country skiing, skate skiing, snowshoeing or fat biking the Lake Loops offers a groomed course with stunning views of Peak One and Buffalo Mountain.  

The Lake Loops are groomed everyday (depending on staff scheduling.) To ensure the safety of our guests the Town of Dillon takes weekly ice measurements in order to judge the thickness of the ice around the track. Once the ice begins to melt and become unsafe for our grooming mechanism, the track will close and all markers will be removed. We expect the closing date to be the end of March depending on weather patterns. 

Directions: Parking for the Lake Loops is located on Lodgepole Street, at the Dillon Marina and at the Eagle Statue on the top of Tenderfoot and Highway 6. These are also the main points of entry for the track. 

Old Dillon Reservoir 

The Old Dillon Reservoir was built in the 1930s to supply water to the original town of Dillon, which is now covered by the Lake Dillon Reservoir. Water is supplied to the old reservoir via a diversion ditch out of Salt Lick Creek, above what is now I-70. The Old Dillon Reservoir is partially surrounded by lodgepole pine and willows, offering protection from the wind and sun. The protected environment allows for calm waters and provides good fishing opportunities in a relatively isolated location.

Directions: To reach Old Dillon Reservoir Trailhead from Dillon, take Highway 9 north for about 1.5 miles. Turn left onto Dillon Dam Road and follow it for approximately 0.7 miles. The trailhead parking lot will be on your right.

If you’re coming from Interstate 70, take Exit 205 for Silverthorne/Dillon. Follow Highway 6 east for about 1.6 miles until you reach the roundabout. Take the second exit onto Highway 9 south and drive for roughly 2.3 miles. Turn right onto Dillon Dam Road and continue for 0.7 miles to the trailhead parking lot on your right.

The parking area is spacious, but it can fill up quickly on weekends and during peak hiking seasons. Arrive early to secure a spot and enjoy a less crowded trail experience. Remember to display your parking pass if required and lock your vehicle before hitting the trail.

Oro Grande Trail

This trail starts at the Tenderfoot Mountain Trailhead. The road meanders through open meadows and stands of aspen as it crosses several hills. Just beyond a fence, at about 2.1 miles, you’ll come to a 4-way junction and an open area. To do the short, 6-mile loop, turn right. At almost 4 miles, near a small public shooting range and power station, you can return as you came, continue into Frey Gulch or loop back by turning right. Travel a short distance past the power plant and take a left on the single-track trail on the left. Cross the road in front of the gatehouse and take the single-track trail that begins next to the chain link fence down to Highway 6. To access Keystone, turn left. To complete the loop, turn right and descend along the highway a short distance. Cross the highway at the Swan Mountain Road stoplight and turn right immediately onto the paved recreation path. Follow the path back to Dillon. Turn right onto Lake Dillon Drive, cross HWY 6 at the stoplight, take a sharp right and travel back up to the trailhead to complete the loop.

Directions: To get there: Take the Silverthorne exit from Denver and head east on Hwy 6 toward Dillon. At the stop light at the top of the hill, turn left onto Dillon Drive and then an immediate right onto County Road #51. Park in the designated parking area and look for the trail head (approximately 1/4 of a mile from parking).

Sapphire Point Overlook

Sapphire Point Overlook sits between Keystone and Breckenridge on Swan Mountain Road, at an elevation of 9,500 feet. The overlook offers a stunning view of Dillon Reservoir, hemmed in by the Gore and Tenmile mountain ranges.

Sapphire Point is a non-exclusive day-use area that can be reserved for private gatherings. It is the only designated site where wedding ceremonies are permitted to take place on the Dillon Ranger District.

Directions: From I-70 take Exit 203, Frisco/Breckenridge, and travel south on HWY 9 toward Breckenridge. Approximately 4.9 miles south of I-70 turn left at the intersection of HWY 9 and Swan Mountain Road (CR1). This intersection is known as Farmer’s Korner. If you travel past the gas station on the right you have gone too far. Follow Swan Mountain Road up the grade for approximately 1.8 miles to the parking area, which will be on your left.

Straight Creek 

The trail parallels I-70 the entire way up to Eisenhower Tunnel and is an old double-track road. It will cross Straight Creek a few times as you climb gradually up the valley through a lodge pole pine forest. Straight Creek runs down from the Continental Divide at the Eisenhower Tunnel along I-70 and into the Blue River in Silverthorne. It is the main water supply for the town of Dillon.

Directions: 

Summit County Recreation Pathway System

Summit County maintains an extensive paved Recreational Pathway System, commonly known as the Recpath. User groups on the Recpath include dog walkers, runners, families with strollers, tourists riding to take in the views, professional riders training for an upcoming race, skateboarders and locals commuting to work. Over 200,000 trips are taken on the Recpath each year between May and October. 

The pathway is open to all passive uses, including walking, running, in-line skating, roller skiing, biking, and others. Please be courteous to all users with whom you share the Recpath. Remember to slow down in crowded areas, such as busy intersections near the marinas, campgrounds, and town parks. The Recpath is bidirectional and riders should anticipate users traveling in both directions. Stay on the right-hand side of the Recpath whenever possible and avoid crossing the solid yellow centerline, no matter what mode of transportation you choose to utilize. Passing is only permitted where it is safe to do so. Always signal to other users that you are passing by using a bell, calling out “on your left”, or following a similar approach.

Tenderfoot Mountain Trail 

2024 Dillon Trails Masterplan

Purpose of the Master Plan The Dillon Trails Master Plan is a comprehensive planning effort with the purpose to study and document the existing network of trails and provide recommendations for improvements. Dillon has a wide variety of trails, pathways, and connection throughout the Town and recreational facilities. These pathways include sidewalks, asphalt walkways, multi-use asphalt recreation pathways, improved soft surface pathways and unimproved soft surface trails. While walkability at each park or facility may be appropriate, connections between facilities and destinations within the Town may be lacking. Given the growth in tourism, visitation, and recreation, additional connections, pathways, and trails are expected. Likewise, connections to adjacent trail systems and other neighborhoods in Summit County are also anticipated.

Project Goals and Objectives: The following are the goals and objectives of the Trails Master Plan, and given the Town of Dillon’s unique layout and current status in trails planning;

1. Complete an inventory of the Town’s pedestrian circulation routes, ranging from soft surface trails, sidewalks, and recreation paths into a digital geographic information system (GIS) database

2. Analysis of existing trails and pedestrian infrastructure to inform maintenance of existing trails and the construction of new trails and pedestrian routes.

3. Identify gaps in the overall trails and pedestrian network and opportunities for new connections that will bring greater connectivity within the Town and to broader Summit County trails systems.

4. Provide recommendations for improvements to existing trail infrastructure and new improvements to the trails system, including new soft surface trails and paved pathways to better connect different areas of Town.

5. Provide recommendations for trailheads, parking, and staging improvements to improve the access to the trail system.

6. Identify locations for new signage kiosks, gateway elements, and landmark features that will improve way finding within the Town and create a unique aesthetic that is specific to Dillon.