TR: Needle Creek Reservoir MTB- Left Hand to Dutchman trail

(Last Updated On: July 19, 2017)

The Crested Butte and Gunnison area has over 750 miles of singletrack, according to the local tourism association. The thing is, though, that most visitors miss out on the vast majority of them. If someone looks around and ask their friends that have visited Crested Butte what they should ride, they’ll get the same responses over and over: 401, Strand, Doctor’s, Reno/Flag/Bear/Deadman’s and that’s about it. Which is a shame, because while those are all good rides, we have so much more to choose from. Anyone who has ever looked at my comprehensive mountain bike guide knows that there is a lot more out there.

Enter Trailquest. Trailquest is the Tourism Association’s idea to get more people off the crowded and perhaps even overused trails like 401 and onto some of the hidden gems out there. The idea is simple- the first person to ride the 750 miles wins. If ever there was a bike contest designed just for Brittany and I, this might be it. We love exploring, we have somewhat flexible schedules, and we’re not afraid of tough trails that might require a little hike-a-bike. We’ve been doing pretty good so far:

So, since we’re on a mission to ride lots of obscure miles, we found ourselves down by Needle Creek reservoir, east of Gunnison in the Cochetopa Hills. It’s an area that I haven’t been to all that often, or all that recently. In fact, I couldn’t even remember how I accessed the Flying Dutchman downhill the last time I was there 15+ years ago. The area is steep, rugged, poorly marked, and mostly the home of ATV’s and dirt bikes. But off we went, with Tomichi Dome in the background:
left hand trail needle creek

We decided to give Left Hand creek a shot, which started off nicely enough:
left hand creek gunnison colorado

After a few unmarked intersections where we had to give it our best guess, we ended up on one of the loosest steepest hike a bike sections I can remember.
hike a bike


Eventually the trail relented and we had a short enjoyable section:
left hand trail cochetopa hills

We still had the occasional hike a bike with the added benefit of mosquito swarms to keep us moving, but thankfully we had some sections that we could actually ride.
mountain biking near needle creek reservoir

Finally, near the Colorado Trail, we were going to get to go downhill:
cochetopa hills co trail

If Brittany were writing this report, she’d probably tell you how much she hated this downhill. Steep, loose, rutted, and rocky just isn’t her thing. Me? Well, I got the nickname “hotstepper” while skiing since I seem to be able to magically float through rock gardens without really hitting anything. This kind of riding is sort of similar- I just get light on my feet and the bike just floats around on all those moving rocks beneath me. I’d be lying if I said I didn’t enjoy it as a change of pace to buffed out hero dirt. But it’s definitely an acquired taste.
dutchman trail needle creek

flying dutchman trail near gunnison

Brittany:
descending steep loose mtb trail

dutchman trail gunnison colorado

After a long downhill, the Dutchman trail came to an end and it was time to loop back to the car. I had a vague memory that the exit from Dutchman kind of sucks. Yeah, I kind of blocked that out a little bit because the exit really really sucks- more hike a bike on steep gravelly roads. At least it wasn’t hot. And it was actually really pretty:
doyleville

So there you have it- Left Hand Creek to Flying Dutchman by Needle Creek reservoir. If you’re thinking, “yeah, I think I’ll stick to 401”, you might be right. It’s fun, but it’s definitely type 3 fun. And you have to throw in a little type 3 to truly enjoy type 1, right?

Frank Konsella

Frank loves snow more than anything... except his wife.  He ensures his food is digested properly by chewing it 32 times before swallowing.He is a full-time real estate agent serving Crested Butte and Gunnison and would be honored to send you his monthly newsletter.

Latest posts by Frank Konsella (see all)

Summary
Article Name
TR: Needle Creek Reservoir MTB- Left Hand to Dutchman trail
Description
Mountain bike trip report from the Cochetopa Hills near Gunnison Colorado, featuring left hand and dutchman trails
Author
14erskiers

Frank Konsella

Frank loves snow more than anything... except his wife.    He ensures his food is digested properly by chewing it 32 times before swallowing. He is a full-time real estate agent serving Crested Butte and Gunnison and would be honored to send you his monthly newsletter.

Got something to say? We love your comments!