Recently someone asked me what trails in Colorado I would recommend if they had a week in the late summer to see/ride as much as they possibly could. This is a difficult question, because it depends on what type of trails you want to ride, what you want to experience, and to some degree your fitness and skill level. There are are hundreds of trails in the Centennial State, with true mountain biking-specific destinations such as Steamboat Springs or Durango, where you could spend more than a week and still not sample every trail. It was difficult to give a recommendation with so many to choose from, but I carefully suggested, starting from Denver DIA, to consider a loop that spanned the central part of the state.
Day 1
From DIA take I-70W to US 285 and drive about 2.5 hours to Salida, a relatively hidden gem in the heart of Colorado. I would hire a shuttle to the Monarch Crest Trail (MCT) in order to descend the Green’s Creek cutoff. Snow is often present on the MCT until July, and afternoon thunderstorms make early morning starts mandatory. If you can’t do this trail, there are scores of others around Salida that will be open. By taking Green’s Creek, you will avoid the full Epic 33-mile MCT and only climb about 800ft over 7 miles (at 11,000 feet), but then descend nine miles with -2,500 vertical feet! This white-knuckle, scenic trail starts above timberline and is steep and rocky like a downhill run, then transitions into more gentle aspen groves before crossing several creeks, with a short pedal back to your vehicle. Park along Hwy 50. Accommodations are inexpensive in the quaint town of Salida, and there are camping options galore near Methodist Mountain. Be sure to check out Amica’s for some tasty local microbrew.
Day 2
To experience more of Colorado’s awesomeness in summer, I would make the 90-mile journey west along US 50/135 to Crested Butte, and start with a morning ride on the iconic Trail 401. If you are lucky, wildflowers will be peaking, which will make the long 2,700ft climb up to Schofield Pass that much more worth it, as tall flowers and skunk cabbage slap you in the legs. I recommend knee pads. Primitive camping is free along Gothic Road, and if you have enough energy left in the afternoon, hit the Snodgrass trail for a relatively easy spin while looking over at Mount Crested Butte and the resort.
Day 3
Save your legs, because the next trail I recommend, Doctor’s Park, starts with a brutally-long 2,900ft climb to access quite possibly one of North America’s best descents. Shuttle this if you can; the climb will take hours. The descent starts at 10,300 feet and ends at 8,000 feet, a high velocity ride that is reminiscent of the Scout speeders on the moon of Endor. This trail has a little of everything: fast rocky switchbacks, incredible speed through undulating aspen forests, and a technical finish over decomposing granite boulder fields. You will remember this trail for the rest of your life, but you’ll have plenty of time to think about it, because you need to get in your car and drive 150 miles along Hwy 50 to Grand Junction/Fruita.
Day 4
There are skeptics that will warn you to avoid the Western Slope in the summer because of the heat, but I respectfully disagree. This area is one of the premier riding destinations in the country, and is a must-do on my recommended “loop o’ fun.” Just be smart about when you ride, and take extra water. I would recommend starting at 18 Road in the morning and hit Zippity Do Dah, PBR, and MoJoe. Give your legs a break and head to the popular Hot Tomato in Fruita for pizza and beer, then shuffle main street with some cold coffee and check out bike shops. In the late afternoon, head a few minutes west on I-70 to the Loma exit and ride Mary’s loop/Horsethief, and add on the masochistic Moore Fun if you have the juice.
Day 5
Ride Grand Junction. Period. Fruita trails often get the most notoriety, but chances are the trails in Grand Junction are better than any trail you’ve ridden before this trip. I would recommend starting with the Ribbon in the morning. Pay a local shop to shuttle you up Little Park Road and point you in the right direction, because you will start off by riding down a slab of granite for half an hour at speeds close to 40mph near the edge of 300ft cliffs. Choose your lines carefully, and remember that there is a lot of climbing before this ride spits you out on Monument Rd at the Lunch Loops parking area. Grab some chow at the tasty Dream Cafe in downtown Grand Junction, then return to this parking lot in the afternoon for more punishment and fun.
The Lunch Loops area, known as Tabeguache, is a network of trails ranging from easy to insane. If you enjoy technical riding, I recommend climbing Pet a Kes and riding Holy Cross, then linking Lemon Squeezer, Pucker Up, or Free Lunch. This will put you and your bike to the test with big drops, gap jumps, and technical rollers. If you want something more mellow, do Miramonte Rim and coast down Andy’s loop back to the lot.
Now, that’s five hard days of riding, and hopefully you built a day or two of rest into your itinerary as well, with enough photos to keep your true Facebook friends jealous for at least a couple of days. But, maybe you are a monster. Perhaps this was just a warm up for you. If so, there are plenty of trails to explore along the I-70 corridor as you make your way back to DIA, contemplating how you want to quit your job and relocate to Colorado. Trails en route to Denver that are worth investigating include the Boy Scout Trail in Glenwood Springs, the Pool/Ice Rink trail in Eagle, and the popular Apex trail in Golden (where Yeti tests bikes). There are dozens of other trails, but you can’t do them all in just one week.
Hopefully if you visit Colorado you will have the opportunity to experience these trails and more. As I mentioned, there are other destination cities along the Front Range, Western Slope, and in the the heart of the Rockies which would also be a great place to spend a week on a mountain bike. Pick your poison, and repeat as often as you can. Above all, keep the rubber side down, have fun, make memories, and practice proper trail etiquette. Happy trails!
Your turn: what are your favorite trails in Colorado? Do you have a favorite destination spot?
26 Comments
Mar 5, 2015
I heartily second the nomination of Green's Creek--easily the rowdiest and funnest descent off the mighty Crest.
I still need to hit Doctor's Park which looks nothing short of spectacular.
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Mar 5, 2015
You've just completed my Southern Colorado must-do trifecta there. Canyon Creek, Doctor's Park and Agate Creek.
Mar 5, 2015
Mar 10, 2015
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Mar 5, 2015
Late September is actually the best possible time to ride Colorado. The worst of the summer heat has passed so the low altitude rides are enjoyable and the snows haven't moved in, so the high country is also rideable. Pretty much everything is wide open then. Also, after Labor Day weekend, the crowds disappear and you can have otherwise popular trails all to yourself on weekdays.
To answer your question directly, there may be some snow in the high country, but it's likely nothing will be off limits. The desert (Fruita) may still be a bit hot, but I also wouldn't call it off limits, especially if you ride in the morning and evening and avoid midday.
Really prime stuff would be the inbetween stuff. Cortez and Durango would be worthwhile destinations, but I wouldn't pass on Fruita/Grand Junction, especially since those will be the easiest for you to reach from Zion. There's also great riding above Fruita/GJ on the Grand Mesa and the Uncompaghre Plateau, giving you some additional altitude and cooler air.
Breckenridge is stellar in September--and relatively cheap as that is off-season for them falling between summer and ski season.
You could do a great loop from Zion entering CO on 491 to 160, hit Cortez (Phil's World) then Durango, pass by Gunnison (Hartman Rocks) and possible detour up to Crested Butte, then 285 north to Salida which will be positively prime in late September, then grab highway 9 through Breckenridge and on to I-70 where you will pass through Vail then Eagle, and on down to Grand Junction/Fruita before the last leg back into Zion.
Much like the route in this article, that will give you a perfect sampling of the variety of riding Colorado has to offer. And you're coming at the best possible time to have the best chance of enjoying it all.
Mar 5, 2015
Mar 5, 2015
1. The diversity. You cover everything from high-alpine riding to low desert--Colorado has it all!
2. It's a relatively-easy loop. Sure, you jog out of the way a bit to get to Crested Butte, but all in all the driving and route finding for this trip will be easy--and very scenic. I've put together road trips before with extremely convoluted routes, but this one? This is cake, which should make focusing on the great riding THAT much easier.
3. The trails. These are some of the best trails the state has to offer. Definitely not ALL of the best trails, but this will already have your week packed end-to-end with great riding!
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Mar 5, 2015
This route is designed to give you a taste of this area...and a very fun alternative to the all day MCT. Advising anyone to start their week of riding with one of the most difficult IMBA Epics in existance would be nothing short of...incredulous.
Mar 10, 2015
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Mar 10, 2015
Most of the complaints about elevation, or climbing in general, are due to lack of fitness. (this coming from a sea level dwelling clydesdale)
I would still never recommend that anyone cut short the MCT unless they had severe issues with altitude.
Mar 10, 2015
I submit Singletracks' own Jeff Barber as an example. He lives at basically sea level in Georgia, but still stomps me on any and all climbs on my home turf in CO, many of which are at 10,000-12,000 feet. So yeah be cautious, but I'm tired of hearing people use the elevation as a cop out when I see people like Jeff just slaughter climbs, no matter where they live.
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Mar 9, 2015
Now, I do think John makes a great point that exactly which descent you take off the Crest depends on what you want out of the ride. I wouldn't recommend Green's just to shorten the Crest ride, but I WOULD recommend it if you're looking for a super gnarly, extended descent that's more AM and less XC. But if you want more XC and less AM, stick to the classic Crest route.
Mar 9, 2015
"Seriously, blown out legs from 3K of climbing in a net loss ride?"
That 3K of climbing is WITH the shuttle. If you don't shuttle, there's over 7K ft of climbing, so the shuttle will indeed be a must for most folks.
As for whether or not to do Greens or the standard IMBA epic, it depends on what you want out of a ride. If you want to brag around the water cooler on Monday morning, then the full epic is the obvious choice. For many, however, the fun factor on Greens Creek descent surpasses that on the Silver Creek descent. The "bang for the buck" is better, which is what many will look for on a "whirlwind" tour. The MCT is world famous and needs no introduction. Anybody who wants that experience will pursue it regardless of what this article says. As such, it's good to point out an alternative for those who may wish to save some leg.
Mar 5, 2015