GET YOUR SIGNED COPY! After 2 seasons of research, and one year of a lot of writing and editing, Backcountry Ski & Snowboard Routes: Colorado, was released in October, 2017! Published by Mountaineers Books, a foreward by Chris Davenport, and featuring 102 routes, we think you're sure to enjoy it. Buy your copy here and we'll personally sign it for you!
Like other trails built with mountain biking in mind, the new trails purposefully seek out fun and interesting terrain features, weaving in and around rocky outcrops. The crushed granite and sparse trees riding reminded me mostly of Hartman Rocks in Gunnison,
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The rules are pretty simple: Only singletrack counts. So, roads – even dirt roads – don’t count toward the 700 miles. Chairlifts cannot be used to access trails which count toward this mileage. And similarly, shuttles will be minimized, keeping shuttlable miles to 15% or less of my total singletrack tally. Last, all of the miles must acquired during calendar summer which is June 21st through September 22nd.
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I have camped many times at Highline Lake State Park, but I have never actually biked there. I actually didn’t even know that there was a fair bit of singletrack there – enough trial to even hold an 18-hour race there. Research revealed that this course was around 11 miles, and it was easy. So, Natalie and I decided to check it out.
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It was a fun float rafting Little Gore Canyon of the Upper Colorado River and interesting to check out another section of this mighty river. I’ve often thought about getting rafting gear and taking up that sport more seriously, but then I realize it would take too much time away from skiing and biking in the spring/summer. Still, rafting is fun, and I’m looking forward to exploring more places through the water again someday!
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After the Ledges trail, you would normally go to the Stinking Springs trail if you were doing the big loop, but the trail goes through private property so it is closed right now. So we skipped that and found ourselves on the crown jewel of Phil’s World- Rib Cage.
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There are many trails that make up the Buzzard Gulch Trails system. They range in length from 0.1 miles to 1.3 miles. There are so many trails that sometimes making choices can be difficult. But, the main Buzzard Gulch is the easiest trail and is for true beginners. A couple of trails like Vulture Rim and Mail box are more difficult. The rest are largely at an “advanced beginner” level.
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Since the mountains are still buried in snow, we were looking for somewhere a bit drier, but we also wanted to go somewhere we hadn’t been to a bunch of times already, like Fruita. So off we went to Cortez, mostly to check out Phil’s World. Phil’s World was a blast (especially Rib Cage), but we were able to ride basically everything in a day so we decided to go up to Dolores and ride the new McPhee Overlook trail, along with the other trails at Boggy Draw.
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Our first featured Mountain Biking 101 ride belongs to the Rustlers and Wranglers trails out of Loma, Colorado, just west of Fruita. Many people refer to these as part of the Kokopelli Loops which are known for their beautiful views into the canyon of the Colorado River. Rustlers and Wranglers Loops share these amazing views, but are much less technical for riding.
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For some reason, many people feel that mountain biking is a relatively safe activity, especially compared to backcountry skiing. And perhaps it is. But, accidents on mountain bikes happen. A lot. And the injuries can be a lot more serious than people realize sometimes. When you are miles deep in the backcountry in a place where cell phones won’t work, will you know what to do to help a fallen friend and riders? That’s where Backcountry Lifeline comes in – first aid for mountain bikers, by mountain bikers.
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