Granby Ranch has a full range of both lift serviced downhill trails and cross-country trails.
For $36 (in 2017) you can ride the chairlift all day but if you're in training you'll find good climbing singletrack to take you up the almost 800 vertical feet to the summit of the bike park. Or if you're looking after the kids there are easy trails down low.
Unlike Steamboat Ski Resort the downhill trails are not restricted to chairlift ticket holders. These downhill trails are good - well designed and feature rich with oodles of jumps, bermed corners, rock gardens, wooden structures and other challenges for skill levels ranging from intermediate to expert.
Cross-country riders should pick up the free map from the friendly people in the big base building where you'll also find rest rooms, an ATM, a grill, and a great bike hire depot with a full range of bikes at reasonable prices.
My pick of the cross-country trails is Fraser Canyon which starts at the top of the chair-lift and is mainly down-sloping as it goes the long way back to the base with nice views over the Canyon - actually just a deep valley. It is suitable for intermediate riders.
So what's not so good at Granby Ranch? Their trail grades seemed a little eccentric to me and tended to understate the level of difficulty. The soil is silty in places - just in places! - where it tends to soften up. And finally, thunder storms can stop the chairlift for extended periods - not uncommon in summer afternoons.
There's more useful information on the park website which is here http://www.granbyranch.com/bike-granby-ranch/bike.html
This description updated in July 2017 by Jim Cummings
This bike park has a nice aura! The staff are all friendly and the trails are too! The free map is great, there are signs where you need them, and you can even get a drink of ice cold water before you hop on the chairlift. It's a very visitor friendly place. Great riding too, no matter your skill level or weather you prefer cross-country or downhill...
| ThankLove this place, riding is top notch and the attitude is chill
| ThankThis area is now called Granby Ranch, and the trails are much better labeled. I don't use chairlifts, but there are a couple different ways up the trail (natures way, or get on at Sweet Nancy off the Fraser to Granby trail). Great after work ride.
| ThankWe went there to ride the XC trails. We rode up Nature's Way to Cabin's Club and back down to the resort. Nature's Way is a great climb with rideable switchbacks the entire length. It is about a 1,000 feet of elevation gain. A new section of Nature's Way has been cut in this year at the top. We then came down Cabins Club which was just cut in this year as well. Fun trail with berms that make the trail flow nice. At the bottom of Cabin's Club there is a kiosk that shows additional trails in the area. We took the singletrack to the north (starts with a Y) and it was sweet. Tight singletrack with a mix of rocks, roots and great scenery. The trails are not well marked but they are supposed to be getting that problem fixed soon. Stop in the base store before you go and ask for a map, it is helpful.
| ThankWe were interested in the xcountry trails, not the downhill side, so we road up Nature's Way, but immediately took a wrong turn, and ended up on the Fraser to Granby Trail. Were completely lost on various dirt roads, until we finally went up and got back to a kiosk under the power lines. Kiosk didn't even tell us "you are here", so we weren't sure where we were. Headed east on the green Rabbit Run and made it to the top, where the xcountry trails had better markings. Then back down Sweet Nancy to Low Road, which had some construction on it, so nasty. Then back down Nature's Way.
| ThankThese trails really need someone to track them, so you won't get lost like us. And Bike Granby needs better markings on the west end! They also need to indicate dirt roads vs singletrack. Additional roads should also be indicated on the map. You can find a trailmap at http://www.granbyranch.com/assets/pdf-files/Bike_trailmap_final.pdf. Nature's Way is also not a green, but climbs pretty briskly in spots; technically intermediate as well. Plenty of better trails in Winter Park and Fraser; suggest not riding this until a map is uploaded.
Sol Vista is a favorite of mine out of all the lift access mountains I've ridden. For what little mountain they have there, they have made very good use of it. The runs range from smooth and full of flow, to technical yet still plenty fast. The positioning of their hits is near perfect, and usually large enough to get some adrenaline pumping. If you are looking for "world cup dh" runs that you can sprint the entire mountain, this is a great place to be, but if you're looking for a little more lax downhill jump session it would be best to go to a larger resort with longer runs. Biggest plus in my book is that they cater to Downhillers and dont have a commercialized resort feel, at least yet.
| ThankWhat they lack in vertical, they make up for in technical. The addition of the buff, high speed, Silky Johnson this season has made this park a complete day of gravity riding. Unless you are on a first name basis with a two wheel drift, you should go early in the season though. Towards the end of the long dry summer most of the corners turn to moon dust. The dusty corners really put a damper on the place. If they can do something about those corners, it will be the best lift riding in Colorado.
| Thank