Three New Bike Trails at Crested Butte Mountain Resort
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The short summer arrived and quietly left. The rainbow colors of wildflowers have been replaced by the fabulous hues of the changing aspen leaves. While the seasons progressed, CBMR was hard at work. The result? – There are three new bike trails at Crested Butte Mountain Resort. And three great ones at that. Here’s a spotlight on each of the trails.
Captain Jack’s
Captain Jack’s is an expert trail, truly meant for downhill riding. It is accessed from the top of the Red Lady lift by taking a right when off loading the chair and heading toward Westside. Beginning on a start block and immediately rising to a tall bridge crossing over Upper Westside Trail, Captain Jack’s then continues through a particularly steep and rocky section in the forest. Once that is cleared, Captain Jack’s continues traveling through the forest, swooping steeply through tight trees, rocks, stumps, and roots. It’s a fun trail. Somewhat intimidating, Captain Jack’s is adequately ridebable by those riders used to tackling techy downhills. Here’s some Captain Jack’s photo stoke:
The bridge over Westside near the start.
The steep rocky section in the forest. Frank.
Me.
Tight trees.
Stumps and roots.
Hot Dogger
Hot Dogger is a beginner trail that has many fun banked turns and small jumpy features. It is accessed from the top of the Red Lady Lift by turning left as you off load from the chair. The start is right there. Hot Dogger was a needed addition to the existing trails at Crested Butte Mountain Resort, as there was previously really only one beginner route down the mountain (although it combined three trails – Primer, Awakening, and Downtime). Hot Dogger is a fast trail with lots of fun banked turns and small jumpy features. It is a great trail for all levels of riders.
Hot Dogger crosses under Avery with the aid of this new bridge.
Flowy.
Fun corners.
Deer Park
Although a short trail, Deer Park is a worthy addition to the backside of the ski area. It’s about a half mile long, and it connects Prospector to Lower Meander. Deer Park is ranked as an intermediate trail, but it could even be a beginner trail. It makes a nice shortcut for if you descend Meander and want to climb up Prospector (or vice versa). Or, you could even just make a short loop between Lower Meander, Deer Park, and Prospector.
The beginning of Deer Park from Prospector.
Deer Park is a cross-country style trail.
The trail crosses the Prospector Road under this bridge.
As it cuts through the grass, Deer Park intersects with Lower Meander.
Lower Meander.
September Riding
September is one of the best times to ride at Crested Butte Mountain Resort. The dirt is typically tacky “brown pow”. The colors are fabulous. The crowds are non-existent. And the lifts run Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays. If you don’t want to ride the lifts, there’s plenty of trails for you too. Don’t forget about our Crested Butte Mountain Resort Biking Guide which can help you plan your bike route(s) in advance!
With a couple of weeks still left of riding at Crested Butte Mountain Resort, it’s time to get out to enjoy these new trails. Or, enjoy some of the ones that were already there. Like these, some of our favorites:
Avery:
Crusader:
- Mount Buckskin (17 May 2020) - May 28, 2020
- Horseshoe Ski (14 May 2020) – The mountain whose journey nearly killed me - May 27, 2020
- Sayres X-Rated Ski (10 May 2020) - May 19, 2020
