Spruce Mountain Trail Upper Loop

I was concerned about taking this trail because the description mentioned black diamond. I normally do only moderate trails and below but felt this was a perfect fit for me!

I did see some new riders and they were having a difficult time going down the single tracks. For my descent I tried the service road mostly to avoid hikers. Right now there are a lot of ruts on the service road and it is really steep in some areas but I would say I was able to still ride down 99% of it. Someone who really wants to go down the hill super fast would definitively enjoy this!

I'm really glad I went because it's a great Trail will a terrific pay off at the top. Many options once you get up there also such as going to other peaks. The payoff continues with lots and lots of mileage getting burned off effortlessly and smoothly on the way down. .

I would say this Trail is super fun! Has only a few tough obstacles that takes just a few minutes of grit to get past. One of my new favorite trails.

The 1.6 miles of singletrack on the north side before the loop on top makes for a very nice climb and descent. It is fun in both directions. The 2.3 mi loop on top is double-wide trail and not the best riding, but it's okay. I highly recommend the service road that drops off the SW side. It is 0.5 mi. It makes for a fun downhill and a nice steep climb but definitely rideable. It is marked black on the trail maps on the trails, but it is not advanced riding imo ... intermediate due to the steepness. It definitely makes the entire ride more interesting. I highly recommending riding it in both directions. Though this is not a big system, you can mix things up and get in a moderate ride. I rode 18 mi today. If you ride on the weekend be ready for a whole bunch of hikers. You just have to accept it and make an effort to be a good ambassador for mountain bikers. Finally, as John Fisch mentioned below, there are no spruce trees to be found on this bluff/mesa. The name is definitely a misnomer. As John mentioned ponderosa pine is the dominant tree. There is also a ton of Gambel oak (or scrub oak). The tree that probably caused the misnomer is Douglas fir. There is quite a bit of Douglas fir throughout the park. Obviously someone long ago mistook Doug Fir for spruce and it stuck.

Really fun, flowing trail, with a ton of overlooks and a pretty loop at the top. A fairly easy ride that is a ton of fun.

One of my favorites due to the lack of people and the abundance of scenery. Easy ride but so good for your soul.

Really pretty to terrain. Fun for an intermediate rider. Take the loop to the left.

Did this trail by connecting spruce meadow and greenland open space. They are all within easy access of each other and regardless of where you start or park your car, you can connect them on a loop. Out of all 3 spruce mountain would have to be the best. The views are great once you get to the top and there are interesting switchbacks and technical portions. Although, in my opinion, the climb is the only part that can be considered "intermediate". The rest of the trail itself is beginner. Nothing tough or technical. Some sections even felt wide enough to ride side by side. The trail was a bit sandy when we started but we got a bit of rain while riding which helped pack it a bit. Overall, it is a fun trail but is not really challenging. An xc setup will be all you need here. Don't bother packing your full squish, you won't be needing it here!

This is a great trail that is pretty fast and smooth for the elevation gain. Make sure you do it when it's dry. It can get muddy.

This is one of my favorites. It is very well maintained, and is a great ride. There are signs to keep you on track. The ground is hardpack dirt which makes for a very FAST ride down. This trail has good flow. I started my ride here, did the loop, then came down a different trail from the top, ducked under Spruce mountain road., and then connected with Kipps Loop. Make sure to ride counter clockwise (on Kipps) to enjoy the better downhill of that route, then take Noe Rd. back to Spruce Mountain and then to your car. It's a great ride.

I like taking this trail counter clockwise. This way you get to go up the fireroad climb. If you're at least an intermediate rider and avoid some of the rain grooves you should be able to get up without taking a break. Once at the top you see some awsome views. Riding at the top and going down is fun singletrack with not much technical. You might want to do two laps to get a real workout.

There is a bit of a climb going in and a couple of rocky spots, but overall this trail isn't too technical. I take my daughter on it and I have taken complete beginners as well.

Watch for deer, I have seen one almost every time I've been.

On the backside, for extra cardio, drop down the fireroad and climb back up.

Boy, was this a surprise! Given it's prairie location, I expected it to be totally lame, but it turned out to be a great ride. Spruce Mountain is a beautifully forested bluff that rises abruptly from the prairie below (although I had a hard time finding any spruce as the bluff seems to be covered with ponderosa). There are two paths from the parking lot to the top. The right fork will cross some prairie at the base of the bluff before a relatively gentle climb to the top. The left fork is steep, switchbacking it's way right up to the top. After the two paths meet, there's more climbing before hitting the loop. Whatever direction you take, it's a great climb through a wonderful forest. Although there are a few rocks, there's nothing overly technical and most of the trail is wide enough to offer an easy line around the obstacles. This is a great place to bring a reasobly fit newbie. The last part of the lollipop handle has fantastic views of the valley below, the foothills behind, and Pikes Peak rising above all. Once on the loop, the trail loses much of its character as it turns into a service road wide path. There are some great overlooks along the way and rock formations to play on. When you complete the loop, that climb up becomes a super fun downhill. If only the interesting part was longer . . .

I really loved this ride! The switchbacks going up the mountain are great, the single track was great, the entire route is beautiful and the view from the top is about as good as you can find. Switchbacks are a little tight coming down, so have to pay attention. And when coming out at the bottom there are some jumps to finish off with some great air. If you haven't ridden this sweet route your are missing out.

I rode this looking to get in shape after two months of foot surgery rehab. If you want to evaluate your shape, keep right. This will lead you ALL the way around Spruce Mt. It gets a little more challenging after roughly 2.5 miles (once again, keep right!) You will encounter the "service road". An ungraded, semi-steep, losely graveled road. After that, the ride gets very scenic as you approach the top of Spruce Mt. Enjoy!

I rode this trail for the first time on Saturday, May 17, 2008. This was my first ride of the year for me, so I wasn’t pushing it too hard. I started the ride at the Spruce Meadow trail head and head south for 2 miles. This part of the ride is fairly flat and a good warm up. At the end of the 2 miles, I crossed highway 105, heading west and then north. At this point, I’m now on the Spruce Mountain trail.

I’m not sure how many miles I rode total, but probably somewhere around 9 miles total. The Spruce Mountain trail had a few climbs, but nothing too difficult. None of the climbs are long and most should be able to do these climbs. For an average rider there’s nothing too technical. But, for the beginner rider there are 2 spots less than 10 yards long that some may identify as technical, but most wouldn’t. I did the upper loop Clockwise and there were a few switchbacks (about 4) going up, but I believe they were not too bad. These switchbacks seems simpler than most switchbacks on other trails. I’m not great at switchbacks, but was able to navigate these.

The Spruce Mountain trail connects with Spruce Meadow trail. The complete Spruce Meadow trail is 8.5 miles. The Greenland Trail is less than 2 miles away and is 8.25 miles long and connect with Sante Fe trail.

This is by no means an epic ride, but a good ride that have beautiful views. The Spruce Mountain trail is very, very well maintained.
* Review edited 5/19/2008

Trail has been widen considerably! Clean ride with several sharp switch backs on the way to the top.

Good trail if you live in the area. Here is the map of the area:

http://www.douglas.co.us/openspace/documents/SpruceMtnPamphlet.pdf

After the land was donated, I believe a boyscout troop built the "black" section of the trail that connects the meadow to the top of the mountain. The ascent is steep with narrow switchbacks. In the afternoon, this trail can be plagued with horses that come over from Spruce Meadows Trail.

If you are looking for a longer ride, this connects to Spruce Meadow, and sorta connects to Greenland Open space and Kipp's Loop.* Review edited 6/3/2007* Review edited 6/3/2007