This is a great single-track trail west of Crested Butte. It can be ridden as a loop, which will make for about six miles of single-track and nine miles of road. The trail starts out near tree-line, descends thru conifer forest for a mile or so, and the remainder is in ancient aspen forest. The first few miles are great; you have lots of twisty turns down thru forest and meadows. The ride is fun, the scenery is great, the wildflowers are as good as you will find anywhere in the Crested Butte area. Some of the stream crossings have steep banks, so be prepared to get off and walk. After about three miles there is also a short section of steep climbing as you round the end of the Dyke ridge and then you coast the rest of the way down to the road. In the fall the foliage is stunning. If you like to camp there is plenty of camping in and around the Lake Irwin campground. The road can be a real drag to ride, especially if the weather has been dry since it will be a dustbowl from all the cars going by. If you donít want to chew dust for nine miles a shuttle wouldnít be a bad idea when there has been prolonged dry weather.
Awesome singletrack down through Aspen groves. Slightly technical in some sections but fun and rewarding. We rode it down to the road and decided to thumb it back up to the car. Apparently this is a pretty normal occurrence and we had no problem finding a ride. You can ride it out and back, but the climb back out was more than we wanted in a day.
| ThankGreat trail but don't do it as a loop. The 6 mile or so grind back up was painful. We camped at Lake Irwin and didn't realize the elevation change. Other than that I loved this trail. Some stinger climbs. The final single track downhill will be remembered forever. I'm taking a shuttle back up next time.
* Review edited 4/10/2012
| ThankWith more road miles than trail miles for the loop (road miles being steep, punishing and dusty from excessive vehicle traffic) this wasn't my favorite ride. Yet, the monster aspen groves, scenery and occasional stretches of sweet singletrack balanced things. A cool trail, but not my favorite.
| ThankSo i finally got to do this trail after two summers, don't know what held me up. I went with a friend who has done it a hundred times. We leave town and head up Kebler pass. I'm pushing pretty hard, cause whats on my mind it to get off this road and on to singletrack. I finally get to the trailhead and think yes!!! no more climbing! Man was i wrong, i had no idea about the trail i just kept cranking. after the first 4 power climbs my buddy says; " oh yea, there are a few more of these." man was it worth it, I truly love to climb but the downhill section was technical but you could cruise down it! Then back up the other side of Kebler. Climbing is so rewarding!
From town it was 28.18 miles with avg speed of 9.9mph
* Review edited 9/2/2011
| ThankMake no mistake, the Dyke trail is a difficult ride, especially if you're traveling from anywhere near sea level! Also, unlike many Rocky Mountain rides, the Dyke trail doesn't have a long climb to begin and a long, relaxing descent at the end. On this ride you are constantly going up and down... and doing so steeply. I spent a lot of time pushing my bike. Some of that has to do with the elevation, and some of that has to do with the sheer steepness of the trail and difficulty of the ride. Add in the fact that the ride finishes with about a 5 mile climb and you have one tough route on your hands.
Also, this trail sees heavy horse use since it is near a “horse ranch.” This makes it delightfully technical in spots and down right brutal in others (mainly the creek crossings). Hold on to your horses—this trail is one wild ride!
| ThankMy wife and I parked at Horse Ranch Park at the bottom and climbed up the road to Meridian Lake Reservoir. I hate riding on the road, but it was worth it when we got to the top. We hopped on the trail and had over 6 miles of teeny-tiny singletrack and tough little climbs throughout. The last 1.25 miles down to Horse Ranch Park is incredible, though! Super-technical, grin-inducing descent. It's a great day before or after ride if you're riding the classic 401 Trailriders Trail.
| ThankThe Dyke Trail can be an awesome ride. I've done it a few different times of the year and I think September is the most impressive. The wildflowers are nice in the spring but if you're looking for flowers there are better rides (401). September is the peak of the Aspen change and the Dyke trail is in the heart of one of the biggest Aspen groves in the world!
The trail is a mix of steep boney climbs and great descents through Aspens with sharp switchbacks. There are a few challenging stream crossings that require some serious speed...
I usually do the road ride at the beginning, otherwise the temptation to hitchhike is too great.
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