50 Historic Hiking Trails near Breckenridge, Frisco, Copper Mountain, Keystone-Dillon in the Ptarmigan Peak Wilderness and the Gore Range Wilderness,in Colorado. Popular Colorado author-historian Mary Ellen Gilliland introduces hikers and winter recreationists to mine camps, ghost towns, stagecoach tracks and narrow gauge railway routes, each resonating its own gold rush history. Scenic nature hikes, peak climbs, alpine lakes and waterfalls are destinations for the hikes. Added feature: special hikes for children. Popular Colorado author Mary Ellen Gilliland introduces hikers and cross-country skiers to alpine Summit County's great outdoors, with fifty trails to mine camps, ghost town sites, historic high passes, lakes and waterfalls. Trails follow 1860s pack train paths, 1870s stagecoach tracks and 1880s narrow-gauge railway routes. Nature hikes, peak climbs and trails selected for spectacular mountain scenery invite all kinds of walkers, from families with young children to advanced hikers with mountaineering skills, to explore Summit County's exciting high country terrain. Larry and Mary Ellen Gilliland together walked and skied the guide's trails, carefully compiled driving directions, researched each locale's history and worked closely with the U.S. Forest Service to produce an accurate, up-to-date guidebook specifically for Summit County, Colorado. The New Summit Hiker serves as a companion to Gilliland's lively Summit, A Gold Rush History of Summit County, Colorado. Mary Ellen Gilliland not only shares information on scenic trails but helps readers to find and understand evidences of the past all around us...Rebecca Waugh, Museum Administrator, Summit Historical Society An avid hiker, cross-country skier and snowshoer, Mary Ellen Gilliland has spent 30 years in the splendid back country around Summit County, Colorado. She knows each lake and wildflower meadow, each wildlife valley and hidden ghost town. That, and an ability to communicate her love of Colorado's majestic high country, combine to create a guidebook that's not only an engaging read but a highly useful trail handbook. Gilliland is well-loved by her readers: The New Summit Hiker is Summit County, Colorado's best-selling book ever, according "Between the Covers," a best-seller list generated by regional bookstores and published in area newspapers. As a historian, she notes every cluster of cabins and mine ruins, telling hikers the rich details of their mineral rush history. Gilliland has become a familiar personality to thousands of visitors and outdoor lovers. She appears frequently on regional TV shows. A seasoned researcher and punchy writer, she maintains the position of Summit County, Colorado's chief historian, with five books on the 1800s mining mecca. Gilliland is a former New York City magazine editor who has lived in the Colorado mountains since 1969. "...Very helpful trail statistics...historical background on the vicinity of each trail...maps and photos with each offering. -- Joan McCoy, Travel Editor, The Rocky Mountain News, July 10, 1983 "Very thorough in its approach," said sports columnist Steven Weinmeister in the Denver Post. "A 'must' for hikers and cross-country skiers." -- The Denver Post, Jan. 25, 1989 "Whether you're looking for a 15-minute stroll or an eight-hour hike, a newly released guidebook to Summit County hiking trails is ready to help you find your ideal path. "The new Summit Hiker by Mary Ellen Gilliland offers trails into the area's gold rush past, as well as scenic treks through the wilderness." -- The Summit Sentinel, July 31, 1992 Good tips on where to go in high country: Just as gardeners begin looking through seed catalogs at the first sign of spring, so do Coloradans start searching for guidebooks to the state'' back country. "The Summit Hiker" (Alpenrose Press, Box 499, Silverthorne, CO 80498) describes 40 historic trails in Summit County which can be covered in anything from a 15-minute walk to an all-day hike. Compiled by Summit County historian Mary Ellen Gilliland, the guide rates hikes by difficulty of terrain, gives time, distance and elevation gain of each trail and includes U.S. Geological Survey maps. Gilliland tells where to start and describes mileposts to watch for as well as points of interest along the way. She suggests exploring the old mill on the Mohawk Lakes trail, for instance, or watching for famed Methodist minister John Dyer's Warriors Mark mine on the Indiana Creek route or hunting wild mushrooms on Red Buffalo Pass. This book is laminated and pocket-sized, and has a spiral binding to make it easy to carry on a hike. Moreover, in winter it becomes a guide to cross-country skiing. -- Historian Sandra Dallas in The Denver Post, Sunday May 6, 1984 The New Summit Hiker ...Mary Ellen Gilliland's guide to hiking trails in Summit County has been updated and expanded with the addition of 11 trails and seven ski tours. Among the most interest is "Mail Run.' It wa