Masontown/Mount Royal

Masontown/Mount Royal

The trail to Masontown is a pleasant family hike. A side trip to the east of town can provide fun exploring the area for mining relics. The hike from Masontown to Mount Royal and farther up to the ridge of Mount Victoria is strenuous but passes more mine and cabin ruins. The upward grunt is worth the climb for the views, especially the straight-down, birds-eye view of Interstate 70 in Tenmile Canyon. Limber pine, which grow in harsh conditions, live on the ridges. Four different hikes along these trails make the area well worth exploring during several visits. While walking along the paved recreational path toward the Mount Royal Trail, imagine the sounds of the old trains which steamed along here. Two railroads served Frisco. The first, the Denver & Rio Grande (D&RG), came from Leadville down Tenmile Canyon, arriving in town in summer 1882. The Denver, South Park & Pacific, later called the Colorado & Southern (C&S), chooed and chugged down the recreational path from Breckenridge arriving in Frisco in July 1883. At mile 0.3 the depot for the C&S once stood. Across the field you can see the tailings from the Frisco Tunnel, which operated into the 1930s. The D&RG ended service in 1911, while the C&S ran until 1937.

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