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Tags:
Level: Intermediate
Length: 3 mi (4.8 km)
Surface: Singletrack
Configuration: Other
Elevation: +279/ -271 ft
Total: 69 riders
Mountain Biking Maxwell's
#266 of 1,392 mountain bike trails in Colorado
this trail is tough... be prepared
First added by alvin.santoy on Jan 1, 2003. Last updated Aug 31, 2021. → add an update
Before you go
- Drinking water: no
- Lift service: no
- Night riding: yes
- Pump track: no
- Restrooms: yes
- Fat bike grooming: no
- E-bikes allowed: unknown
- Fee required: no
This trail information is user-generated. Help improve this information by suggesting a correction.
go to the road directly south of hughes stadium and ride west on it to the base of the foothills. from there ride north directly along the foothills, if you notice yourself going east at all you are going the wrong way, but it is easy to find your way back. continue on the trail as it climbs up the foothill onto a saddle a bit below the highest part of the hill. once there follow the trail as it curves south (left) up through a grassy meadow. the trail will eventually turn left and dissapear over the edge on the hill. the next .25 miles are in every way nice... downhill, rocky, on this trail you will leave some flesh behind. anyway, after the downhill turn right to run back to town, or turn left back onto the trail you started on. i suggest going left and looping the trail 6 or 7... hundred times. i do, have fun.
The incompetent City of Fort Collins turned another trail into a stroller path. Admire all the rocks piled next to the trail. You used to ride over them, but no more. Fun=0.
| ThankSuper fun and rocky close to CSU
| ThankGreat trail nice and rocky. Closed due to mud on 10/4/17
| ThankNear town, easy after work ride. Often crowded with hikers. Much less crowded if you head over the ridge on foothills trail.
| ThankA fun trail, especially coming down. Unless you're great at trials you'll have to hike your bike through one or two spots, but nothing major. Coming down is a blast with tons of flow potential.
| ThankA fun little trail for before or after work. The rock garden at the switchback is a good test of your balance and power.
| ThankJust finished Maxwells. Awesome trail, a bit chunky in spots. More so then I'd like (I'm learning it's the norm for the area). I would give it 5 stars straight away if it wasn't for the chunk factor. In the trails defense I am not riding a dual suspension bike which would obviously make a huge difference. As always, make sure you, your gear, and your bike are tip top. All in all an awesome fun trail to ride (sans hikers). Can't wait to conquer it once I upgrade my bike!!!
| ThankNice stretch of trail if you're looking to get a quick ride in. You'll climb through a technical stretch of trail (not overly, but enough to keep you on your toes) up to a road. I crossed the road and rode down some trails that hug the reservoir (non-technical singletrack, fun), then at the swimming parking lot, turned around and rode up a trail that hugged the road, then rode back down Maxwell, which is where you get to ride that fun technical stuff down.
| ThankShort but fun. You can carry some speed coming down if it is not too busy with hikers
| Thanksomewhat of a difficult climb. Momentum momentum, the downhill was great. with moderate obsticles. beware of all the hikers.
| ThankThis climb is short, ~400ft, but intense. There are numerous steep/technical sections (rockgardens with steps, and some very narrow slots between the rocks). Every section is rideable on the way up, but very few people can link it all together for for a clean climb. It's lot of fun on the way down. Mistakes tend to lead to endos.
| ThankEarlier this year, trail maintenance removed the single toughest obstacle, a very narrow crack between rocks that took some careful timing to keep from hanging a pedal.
The trail can get crowded, avoid peak hours or get over it.
You can link onto a nice trial network at the top of the climb. * Review edited 8/22/2012
This is a technical climb and downhill with a few sharp switchbacks. Very fun short ride, I ride it after work mostly. Lots of traffic on the trail so blasting the downhill is hard to accomplish, but it still rocks at a good pace.
| ThankJake and Brandon are mis-informed. This is NOT the "A" Trail, nor is it closed. The "A" Trail was the best and most challenging trail in northern Colorado. I loved it... drop-offs etc. it was great. It got too eroded, so they closed it. You can't even get close anymore. However, Maxwell is the next best thing nearby. They have done work on it in the last couple years, making it easier (boo!), but it is still a challenge. Follow the loop in the previous review to Michaud Trail. For more challenge, add the loop at the top of Michaud and ride back to decend Maxwell. Beware of snakes, dogs, horses and joggers. They all have the right-of-way!
| ThankThis is a quality trail that is highly accessible. Right on the edge of town, it provides enough climb and technical challenge to be entertaining, but not so much as to scare most folks away. I talso offers reasonable hookups to other, longer rides. This is a great place to bring someone looking to improve MTB skills and have fun in the process.
| ThankAbsolutley great ride, loved the trails. You can enter from the end of horsetooth road as well. Once you get in the meadow you can just pick random trails and enjoy. We like to ride around the lake a couple times about a 1.75 mile RT but well worth it and fun. ENJOY!
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