Frisco, Colorado
About
Frisco’s history began with the Ute people, Colorado’s first and longest remaining inhabitants of the region now known as Summit County. The first American and European men to come through this area were known as “mountain men” who trapped beaver for their fur in the high mountain lakes from 1810 into the 1840s.The 1870s ushered in the mining industry, inspiring Frisco’s founding in 1873. By 1882, the permanent population reached 250 people with two railroads, many businesses, hotels and saloons. The mining boom lasted until 1918.
Today Frisco is a vibrant mountain town which attracts visitors to ski areas and its own tubing hill, terrain park, and Nordic Center in the winter and to its trails for hiking and mountain biking in the summer. The Town is also bordered on one side by Dillon Reservoir which is used for boating, sailing, and paddling. Walkable, energetic, and framed by dramatic views of Mount Royal and the Tenmile Range, Frisco’s Main Street serves as the heart of this small mountain town and is lined with locally-owned shops and restaurants.
Frisco’s commitment to maintaining its small town feel and to sustainability, recreation, and community shines through with its DarkSky efforts, which the Town started to pursue in 2024 after being approached by a group of passionate locals. Frisco has implemented ongoing night sky monitoring, installed educational signage in local parks, and launched a robust community outreach program to raise awareness about the importance of dark skies. Educational initiatives included local school STEM activities, presentations on bird migration and light pollution, solar viewing events, stargazing and constellation programs in the Frisco Historic Park, and informational booths at community events.
Frisco also adopted outdoor lighting regulations that align with DarkSky International standards, requiring fully shielded fixtures, warm color temperatures, lighting curfews, and limits on light output. Town-owned lighting was upgraded to feature shielded, dimmable streetlights along Main Street, with more upgrades to come in the next five years.
In addition to the world-class recreation opportunities nearby, the Town of Frisco includes multiple local parks that are great for stargazing, free to access, and open to the public, such as the Frisco Bay Marina, Walter Byron Park, and the Frisco Adventure Park. The Town is also surrounded on three sides by federal open space lands that provide excellent stargazing opportunities.
Area
4.895 km²
Designated
2026
Category
International Dark Sky Community
Address
300 East Main Street
Frisco, CO 80443
Google Maps
Contact
Emma Heth
Planner II
(970) 668-4581
[email protected]
Nico Cruz
Sustainability Coordinator
(970) 668-4578
[email protected]
Documents
Application
Announcement
Annual Reports
