Colorado Hikes: Iowa Mine Trail

Old mining equipment and plaques explaining the history dot this kid friendly trail

What: Colorado Hikes
Where: Iowa Mine Trail, Airport Road, Breckenridge, CO 80424
Length: 1.2 miles roundtrip
Rating: Moderate
Directions: Drive north for one mile on Hwy 9, left on Valley Brook Rd., right on Airport Rd. for .25 miles. The Iowa Hill Trailhead is on the left, directly north of the Public Works facilities. Limited parking available; drive up the dirt road to the second Iowa Hill trail sign.
Photos: For more photos, visit the Iowa Mine Trail Virtual Tour.

Hydraulic mining was popular in Breckenridge and used to wash away the hillsides to find gold.

This is a great short hike for non-hiking kids. It’s short, the action starts at the very beginning and there is lots of old mine equipment every few feet to draw the kids along. If you’d like to visit the Iowa Hill Boarding House, take the guided history hike through the Breckenridge Heritage Alliance. We opted to do this hike on our own and peeked in the windows, but didn’t go in. The trail itself is well marked and easy, but there is quite a bit of elevation, which is probably why they marked this as a moderate hike. This was my eight year old’s favorite and especially great for a history buff. This is a great hike to do in combination with a visit to nearby Country Boy Mine.

Along the hike you can see where the mountains were washed away for their gold and still haven’t recovered.

This miners boarding house showcases how miners lived. To go inside, take the guided history hike through the Breckenridge Heritage Alliance.

Here are more family friendly hikes in Breckenridge…

No Pressure: Three easy hikes from downtown Breckenridge

Colorado Hikes: Gold Run Trail (Preston Mill Ghost Town) 

Colorado Hikes: Boreas Pass 

Colorado Hikes: McCollough Gulch Trail

Colorado Hikes: Sawmill Creek Trail 

Colorado Hikes: Rocky Mountain National Park  (This one isn’t in Breck, but it’s amazing)

Visit our other posts on Traveling in Colorado with Kids 

Breckenridge