Recently someone asked me what trails in Colorado I would recommend if they had a week in the late summer to see/ride as much as they possibly could. This is a difficult question, because it depends on what type of trails you want to ride, what you want to experience, and to some degree your fitness and skill level. There are are hundreds of trails in the Centennial State, with true mountain biking-specific destinations such as Steamboat Springs or Durango, where you could spend more than a week and still not sample every trail. It was difficult to give a recommendation with so many to choose from, but I carefully suggested, starting from Denver DIA, to consider a loop that spanned the central part of the state.
Day 1
From DIA take I-70W to US 285 and drive about 2.5 hours to Salida, a relatively hidden gem in the heart of Colorado. I would hire a shuttle to the Monarch Crest Trail (MCT) in order to descend the Green’s Creek cutoff. Snow is often present on the MCT until July, and afternoon thunderstorms make early morning starts mandatory. If you can’t do this trail, there are scores of others around Salida that will be open. By taking Green’s Creek, you will avoid the full Epic 33-mile MCT and only climb about 800ft over 7 miles (at 11,000 feet), but then descend nine miles with -2,500 vertical feet! This white-knuckle, scenic trail starts above timberline and is steep and rocky like a downhill run, then transitions into more gentle aspen groves before crossing several creeks, with a short pedal back to your vehicle. Park along Hwy 50. Accommodations are inexpensive in the quaint town of Salida, and there are camping options galore near Methodist Mountain. Be sure to check out Amica’s for some tasty local microbrew.
Day 2
To experience more of Colorado’s awesomeness in summer, I would make the 90-mile journey west along US 50/135 to Crested Butte, and start with a morning ride on the iconic Trail 401. If you are lucky, wildflowers will be peaking, which will make the long 2,700ft climb up to Schofield Pass that much more worth it, as tall flowers and skunk cabbage slap you in the legs. I recommend knee pads. Primitive camping is free along Gothic Road, and if you have enough energy left in the afternoon, hit the Snodgrass trail for a relatively easy spin while looking over at Mount Crested Butte and the resort.
Day 3
Save your legs, because the next trail I recommend, Doctor’s Park, starts with a brutally-long 2,900ft climb to access quite possibly one of North America’s best descents. Shuttle this if you can; the climb will take hours. The descent starts at 10,300 feet and ends at 8,000 feet, a high velocity ride that is reminiscent of the Scout speeders on the moon of Endor. This trail has a little of everything: fast rocky switchbacks, incredible speed through undulating aspen forests, and a technical finish over decomposing granite boulder fields. You will remember this trail for the rest of your life, but you’ll have plenty of time to think about it, because you need to get in your car and drive 150 miles along Hwy 50 to Grand Junction/Fruita.
Day 4
There are skeptics that will warn you to avoid the Western Slope in the summer because of the heat, but I respectfully disagree. This area is one of the premier riding destinations in the country, and is a must-do on my recommended “loop o’ fun.” Just be smart about when you ride, and take extra water. I would recommend starting at 18 Road in the morning and hit Zippity Do Dah, PBR, and MoJoe. Give your legs a break and head to the popular Hot Tomato in Fruita for pizza and beer, then shuffle main street with some cold coffee and check out bike shops. In the late afternoon, head a few minutes west on I-70 to the Loma exit and ride Mary’s loop/Horsethief, and add on the masochistic Moore Fun if you have the juice.
Day 5
Ride Grand Junction. Period. Fruita trails often get the most notoriety, but chances are the trails in Grand Junction are better than any trail you’ve ridden before this trip. I would recommend starting with the Ribbon in the morning. Pay a local shop to shuttle you up Little Park Road and point you in the right direction, because you will start off by riding down a slab of granite for half an hour at speeds close to 40mph near the edge of 300ft cliffs. Choose your lines carefully, and remember that there is a lot of climbing before this ride spits you out on Monument Rd at the Lunch Loops parking area. Grab some chow at the tasty Dream Cafe in downtown Grand Junction, then return to this parking lot in the afternoon for more punishment and fun.
The Lunch Loops area, known as Tabeguache, is a network of trails ranging from easy to insane. If you enjoy technical riding, I recommend climbing Pet a Kes and riding Holy Cross, then linking Lemon Squeezer, Pucker Up, or Free Lunch. This will put you and your bike to the test with big drops, gap jumps, and technical rollers. If you want something more mellow, do Miramonte Rim and coast down Andy’s loop back to the lot.
Now, that’s five hard days of riding, and hopefully you built a day or two of rest into your itinerary as well, with enough photos to keep your true Facebook friends jealous for at least a couple of days. But, maybe you are a monster. Perhaps this was just a warm up for you. If so, there are plenty of trails to explore along the I-70 corridor as you make your way back to DIA, contemplating how you want to quit your job and relocate to Colorado. Trails en route to Denver that are worth investigating include the Boy Scout Trail in Glenwood Springs, the Pool/Ice Rink trail in Eagle, and the popular Apex trail in Golden (where Yeti tests bikes). There are dozens of other trails, but you can’t do them all in just one week.
Hopefully if you visit Colorado you will have the opportunity to experience these trails and more. As I mentioned, there are other destination cities along the Front Range, Western Slope, and in the the heart of the Rockies which would also be a great place to spend a week on a mountain bike. Pick your poison, and repeat as often as you can. Above all, keep the rubber side down, have fun, make memories, and practice proper trail etiquette. Happy trails!
Your turn: what are your favorite trails in Colorado? Do you have a favorite destination spot?
As you say, the possibilities are limitless for a week in Colorado. I could come up with at least a hundred different itineraries which would have noting but 5 star rides every day and this looks as good as any.
I heartily second the nomination of Green’s Creek–easily the rowdiest and funnest descent off the mighty Crest.
I still need to hit Doctor’s Park which looks nothing short of spectacular.
John, have you done the Agate Creek descent yet? If not, we need to make that happen next summer… you should definitely get in on this action too, Paul 🙂
Greg,
You’ve just completed my Southern Colorado must-do trifecta there. Canyon Creek, Doctor’s Park and Agate Creek.
John, that’s a perfect long-weekend MTB trip right there!
There are at least 3 things I love about this road trip idea:
1. The diversity. You cover everything from high-alpine riding to low desert–Colorado has it all!
2. It’s a relatively-easy loop. Sure, you jog out of the way a bit to get to Crested Butte, but all in all the driving and route finding for this trip will be easy–and very scenic. I’ve put together road trips before with extremely convoluted routes, but this one? This is cake, which should make focusing on the great riding THAT much easier.
3. The trails. These are some of the best trails the state has to offer. Definitely not ALL of the best trails, but this will already have your week packed end-to-end with great riding!
I rode Phil’s World just outside of Cortez in early October and it was a ton of fun. Added bonus was that I got to check out Mesa Verde and Telluride to weave in a little site seeing
Phil’s World may not be the most challenging place in the world but the FUN factor is thru the roof. It’s my pick for best ever trail system design. I go there every year when I’m in Durango.
This is the exact route I took when I went to Colorado last August except we also went to Moab, Phil’s World, and Buffalo Creek because we had more than a week. The western front is hot but even 90 degrees doesn’t feel bad compared to 80 degrees in humid Georgia where I’m from just carry enough water. Like you said, I honestly felt like I could have spent a week in Crested Butte or Salida, but this gives you a scenic sample of all of Colorado. Also the drive you get beautiful scenery from each of these places is subpar to none. Definitely do the primitive camping on Gothic Road, I still dream of that place it’s absolutely gorgeous. I promise anyone who does this that you will immediately fall in love with Colorado. I plan on going back during my two week college break in August again to try more trails.
My sister is getting married in Arches National Park at the end of Sept. Planning to take a week around Colorado while I’m out there. Can anyone comment on the weather that time of year? What areas would be prime vs. what areas would be off limits? Thanks
markader,
Late September is actually the best possible time to ride Colorado. The worst of the summer heat has passed so the low altitude rides are enjoyable and the snows haven’t moved in, so the high country is also rideable. Pretty much everything is wide open then. Also, after Labor Day weekend, the crowds disappear and you can have otherwise popular trails all to yourself on weekdays.
To answer your question directly, there may be some snow in the high country, but it’s likely nothing will be off limits. The desert (Fruita) may still be a bit hot, but I also wouldn’t call it off limits, especially if you ride in the morning and evening and avoid midday.
Really prime stuff would be the inbetween stuff. Cortez and Durango would be worthwhile destinations, but I wouldn’t pass on Fruita/Grand Junction, especially since those will be the easiest for you to reach from Zion. There’s also great riding above Fruita/GJ on the Grand Mesa and the Uncompaghre Plateau, giving you some additional altitude and cooler air.
Breckenridge is stellar in September–and relatively cheap as that is off-season for them falling between summer and ski season.
You could do a great loop from Zion entering CO on 491 to 160, hit Cortez (Phil’s World) then Durango, pass by Gunnison (Hartman Rocks) and possible detour up to Crested Butte, then 285 north to Salida which will be positively prime in late September, then grab highway 9 through Breckenridge and on to I-70 where you will pass through Vail then Eagle, and on down to Grand Junction/Fruita before the last leg back into Zion.
Much like the route in this article, that will give you a perfect sampling of the variety of riding Colorado has to offer. And you’re coming at the best possible time to have the best chance of enjoying it all.
I assume you’ve already ridden Moab? I only ask since you’re going to be right there at Arches. It’s not my favorite place but it definitely has plenty of riding options for you. Fruita and Grand Junction are also in easy striking distance and once again, you could easily spend a week there riding different trails every day.
Thanks for the input. Been to Colorado several times in the winter, but never been in the summer. The wedding is in the middle of the week with the reception the following weekend in Denver. So, probably flying into Denver on Saturday then road trip around the state, ride, and camp for a couple days winding up in Arches for the wedding. After the wedding road trip it back to Denver for the reception. Way too much stuff to do so little time.
Great article. I need to branch out of Durango (where I can stay for free with relatives) and try some of this stuff. I “monitor” several MTB sites but the articles on this site inspire me to get out to new places and ride more than any other website or magazine. Crested Butte, Monarch Crest and Buffalo Creek have been on my wish list for a few years now. Unfortunately, I despise camping and would prefer not to travel alone, I have a core group of friends that ride but only a few will travel to ride and even fewer still (like a total of two) will take a week or more off to go ride.
An alternative might be you connecting with locals for rides if you did a trip. I know guys in our group are plenty friendly and willing to ride with people and show them the area.
Good list, but when I see ‘avoid the full epic’ and ‘shuttle’ the writer immediately loses credibility.
Loses credibility….how? Do the full epic if you want, but you’ll still need a shuttle for the full 33 mile MCT, and you’ll burn your legs out on day 1 of your epic trip, especially if you are coming from a lower altitude.
This route is designed to give you a taste of this area…and a very fun alternative to the all day MCT. Advising anyone to start their week of riding with one of the most difficult IMBA Epics in existance would be nothing short of…incredulous.
I’ve not found it to be a problem to start with MCT in a couple of trips to the area. Seriously, blown out legs from 3K of climbing in a net loss ride? The whole point of epics is to do the whole ride, not to cut them short. I’m no rock star pro racer, I live near sea level, and I still would never recommend that someone cut this ride short.
ACree
“Seriously, blown out legs from 3K of climbing in a net loss ride?”
That 3K of climbing is WITH the shuttle. If you don’t shuttle, there’s over 7K ft of climbing, so the shuttle will indeed be a must for most folks.
As for whether or not to do Greens or the standard IMBA epic, it depends on what you want out of a ride. If you want to brag around the water cooler on Monday morning, then the full epic is the obvious choice. For many, however, the fun factor on Greens Creek descent surpasses that on the Silver Creek descent. The “bang for the buck” is better, which is what many will look for on a “whirlwind” tour. The MCT is world famous and needs no introduction. Anybody who wants that experience will pursue it regardless of what this article says. As such, it’s good to point out an alternative for those who may wish to save some leg.
In regards to the Monarch Crest followed by thexse rides in CB, I actually did a pretty similar trip to this one way back in 2008… and I did it after over 2 weeks of not riding due to a concussion. Seriously, I hadn’t ridden in weeks so I wasn’t in great shape, yet I knocked out the FULL Monarch Crest, followed it up with a 30ish-mile loop on Reno/Flag/Bear/Deadman’s the next day, then did the full Trail 401 loop the day after that. Granted, a took a rest day on day 4 and drove 10 hours to Jackson, WY, but all that to say… if you want to do those full routes, they’re quite doable even if you’re not in stellar shape.
Now, I do think John makes a great point that exactly which descent you take off the Crest depends on what you want out of the ride. I wouldn’t recommend Green’s just to shorten the Crest ride, but I WOULD recommend it if you’re looking for a super gnarly, extended descent that’s more AM and less XC. But if you want more XC and less AM, stick to the classic Crest route.
Acree I think what you’re missing is that as locals we see plenty of people come from lower altitudes and get in over their heads quickly here. I had four riding buddies join me in Moab 3 years ago and we only climbed 1000ft up Burro Pass from 10,000 to 11,000ft. They were light headed, maxed HR, nauseous and ready to quit. Once we got down to Hazard they were fine. There are also plenty of people who do fine at altitude too. I also have had two other buddy’s just ride at 5000-7000ft and throw up from lower levels. So the idea of maximizing fun for people from lower altitudes by cutting short a ride isn’t a cop out. If you’ve got the legs and lungs do the whole thing. Not everyone does or can.
Commenting on wilsonm73’s post….I’m a SoCal rider and live at sea level, 6 miles off the coast. The 1st time we rode at Brian Head, we did the shuttle up to the top to take the Dark Hollow run. From where the van dropped us at 11300 feet, we had to climb maybe 1/4 mile tops and I was literally gasping for breath for about 30 seconds. It felt like I wasn’t getting any oxygen and I was seconds away from telling my son to call 9-1-1. Luckily, once we crested that little hill and I started to coast a bit, the issue subsided but that was probably the worst feeling I ever had while mountain biking. We rode the nest 3 days up there and it never happened again but I’ve never forgotten it.
K2rider, Paul and I have a buddy who’s a big time racer here in CO. He’s repeatedly told us don’t max your heart rate over 10,000ft because you can’t recover. Glad you’re ok but you’re experience certainly makes my point.
As far as elevation goes, I think it’s really about being in shape, knowing your body, and knowing your limits.
I submit Singletracks’ own Jeff Barber as an example. He lives at basically sea level in Georgia, but still stomps me on any and all climbs on my home turf in CO, many of which are at 10,000-12,000 feet. So yeah be cautious, but I’m tired of hearing people use the elevation as a cop out when I see people like Jeff just slaughter climbs, no matter where they live.
Exactly Greg.
Most of the complaints about elevation, or climbing in general, are due to lack of fitness. (this coming from a sea level dwelling clydesdale)
I would still never recommend that anyone cut short the MCT unless they had severe issues with altitude.
Greg I wasn’t attempting to encourage people to co out but agreeing that people need to know themselves well enough to gauge what they can do. Like I said some people don’t struggle with it at all and for them they should ride the whole thing. I would say Jeff Barber is probably well above average in fitness and capacity and there are plenty of people like him too. For some people having never ridden at altitude they don’t know how they’ll respond until they do it. Two of the guys that felt terrible at Burro Pass raced in the TWE Enduro the next day and finished in under 2.5hrs. They were fit and unprepared for what they’d experience. But that first day helped them for the second day for sure. I agree altitude exposes lack of fitness. Some people think they are fit but have never experienced the thin air and the amount of climbing we can do together. I think that’s group we’re talking to. These are below average fitness and riding experience folks. Not the majority of riders.
First of all, I’ve ridden with Jeff at sea level and at 11,000 feet and he is a monster, well above average of most riders I know, tall, lean, and very, very fit. He is the perfect example of someone who can do what most people cannot. Most people, with even moderate fitness, can do the full MCT although in 3-4x the time it would take someone like Jeff. Longer if they have a musculoskeletal problem, asthma, or are get altitude sickness. However, for those people, *most people*…do the whole MCT, then take a break. What I suggested is an introduction to riding the Rockies, and I would add this: the MCT is a long, beautiful, epic ride with scenery that will make memories to last a lifetime. But the Green’s Creek is faster and lot more fun. In fact, it makes the whole MCT seem a little boring and obsolete unless what you want is what one commenter suggested: XC distance and bragging rights. It’ll be a long time before I do the full MCT again, when, in less time, I can shuttle to Monarch Pass, ride up Greens, have the time of my life coming down, the do the same with Agate or Fooses Creek and still beat folks on the 33mile slog across the CT. But that’s me, what I suggest, and why I wrote the article. I’ve brought a lot of riders from sea level over the years to places like the MCT, and my suggestion still stands: if you want the most bang for your buck, climb the MCT to descend Green’s.