This section of the Colorado Trail climbs steeply up from Highway 50 to the top of the nearby ridge, featuring quite a bit of hike-a-bike along the way. Once up top, the trail rolls along quickly through a beautiful pine and aspen forest, with views of the several massive 14ers (and other massive peaks) looming directly above the trail.
The trail drops steeply down to the Angle of Shavano Campground, and then climbs steeply back up the other side of the ravine, before arriving at the Mt Shavano Trailhead.
While there are some very technical sections, the main difficulty in this section of trail lies in the steep climbs straight up the ridge sides.
This trail was absolutely gorgeous, challenging, and thrilling... but I have to say that all of the strenuous hike-a-bike climbs got old after a while. Yes, in the end the descents and fantastic views were worth it, but not enough to give this 5 stars.
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