Level: Advanced
Length: 12 mi (19.3 km)
Surface: Singletrack
Configuration: Out & Back
Elevation: +4,315/4 ft
Total: 25 riders
Mountain Biking Colorado Trail: Mount Princeton to Avalanche Trailhead / Collegiate Peaks Wilderness
#409 of 1,345 mountain bike trails in Colorado
#3,998 in the world
This section of the Colorado Trail begins with a heinous climb up the Mount Princeton 4x4 road before returning to singletrack running along the flanks of the massive Mount Princeton. This section of the trail is generally rolling, with some climbs thrown in and some fast, flowy, beautiful singletrack sections!
The descent off of Mount Princeton down into Cottonwood is fast, loose, rocky, and raucous! Hold on for an awesome time, but be sure to make all the turns!
Once down in the Cottonwood valley/gulch, the singletrack climbs once more, steeply in spots and gradually in others, for a few miles as it makes its way up to the Avalanche Trailhead. This section of singletrack is not nearly as well traveled as the one going across Mount Princeton, but despite being a bit overgrown it's still easy to follow.
Once at the Avalanche Trailhead, there's only a half-mile or so of bike-legal singletrack until you reach the Collegiate Peaks Wilderness boundary.
First added by Greg Heil on Jun 9, 2014. Last updated Apr 28, 2020. → add an update
Before you go
- Drinking water: unknown
- Lift service: unknown
- Night riding: yes
- Pump track: unknown
- Restrooms: unknown
- Fat bike grooming: yes
- E-bikes allowed: unknown
- Fee required: unknown
This trail information is user-generated. Help improve this information by suggesting a correction.
Start at the base of the Mount Princeton road.
This trail has pretty decent flow in comparison to other sections of the Colorado Trail. It also does not see very heavy use due to the somewhat remote location. I rode it on a Saturday from 9am to 12pm and saw four hikers, one group on horses, and zero mountain bikers. There are several sections that you may need to dismount due to steep and dusty trail. This being the CO Trail, the path is pretty well maintained (I even came across a trail crew during my ride). I rode this as an out-and-back from Cottonwood Pass and had a great time.
| ThankThis is a great section of the Colorado trail that dishes up a bit of everything: Dry, wet, dirt, rock, gravel, flow, climbs, tech, descents... you name it, this section probably has it!
| Thank