Basecamp Colorado is Glenwood Springs Colorado

Porcupine Trail is a nice loop. Can be a 12 mile loop from town with not a lot of vertical as trails go around here. The majority of the single-track is built on an old irrigation ditch guaranteeing that it is level or slightly downhill. From Carbondale head out Prince Creek Road past where the pavemant ends, If you want a shorter ride or to combine it with some of the Prince Creek Trails you can park here. Keep heading up until you see a definite road come in from the left, the Crown Loop road. Will look like it is a flat road coming in from behind you about 2.5 miles past the gate. Turn left, for those who want can take the first single track immediately marked, that will be a windy, up and down trail that parallels the road on the high side. For those who want Porcupine take the road back into the draw and you will see the trail taking off to the left as the road starts gradually uphill. Take the trail and head back towards Carbondale. There are places where you can take single tracks down to the left if you want to catch the road sooner. All are fairly technical but allow you to link up with other trails on the uphill side of the road including Monte Carlo. For those who want to continue just keep following the trail around until you end up above Carbondale. Great Views, Moderate Ride. Lots of side trails.

Posted by Brett at 08:54 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Thompson Creek Road provides access for many hiking and biking trails including the following: South Thompson, Lake Ridge Lakes, Mid Thompson, South Branch of Mid Thompson and Dexter Park. This area is primarily used by bicyclists, horseback riders and hunters. It passes through aspen groves and crosses many small streams. In the lower region there is an extensive system of Cross country ski trails in the winter.

The road is accessible to two-wheel drive vehicles until reaching the stream crossing at Middle Thompson unless it is raining. Impassable when wet. Users will need a high-clearance four-wheel drive to cross the stream and for the road afterward. Continue driving 3.9 miles on road #305 until you reach a fork in the road. Take the right fork to access road #306 and Mid Thompson, the South Branch of Mid Thompson, Dexter Park and Lake Ridge Lake Trails. Take the left fork to stay on road #305 to access South Thompson.

Directions from Carbondale: From Carbondale follow road #108 west past the stoplight. Follow road #108 for 7.5 miles and turn left on to Mid Thompson Creek Road #305.

Seasonal Information:
Normally Accessible: May through September (NOTE: Snow may obstruct the trail during the Spring, Winter and Fall months.) .

Continue reading "Thompson Creek Four-Wheel Drive Road" »

Posted by Brett at 08:55 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Schofield was an old mining town and is now a ghost town with a number of old buildings still standing in a large, open meadow surrounded by the Majestic Peaks of the Elk Range. The first portion of the road passes through a narrow, steep canyon which contains a number of picturesque water falls. The Devil's Punch Bowl is a series of water falls ending in a deep pool of water. The East Fork Trailhead into the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness can be accessed from this road.

This route should be attempt only by VERY SKILLED and EXPERIENCED FOUR-WHEEL DRIVERS in jeep-type, short-wheel based, high-clearance four-wheel drive vehicles. There have been SEVERAL FATAL ACCIDENTS on this road. Most accidents occur on the descent from Schofield Park to the Devil's Punch Bowl. One danger is due to drivers not drying out their brakes after a deep creek crossing before the steep descent to the Punch Bowl. Bikers pay attention to this deep water crossing, could be swift and dangerous early in the year. A snow bridge, formed by winter avalanche deposition, crosses the road about half way between Crystal and Schofield Park. Some years the snow bridge does not melt sufficiently to allow passage for motorized vehicles, but bikers and hikers may enjoy the cool hike across. The segment from Schofield Park to Schofield Pass is easy, as is the drive from the pass to Crested Butte, Gunnison County Maintains the road from the summit of the pass down to Crested Butte through Gothic. The entire route is popular with hikers and mountain bikers as well as four-wheel drive enthusiasts.If you are a biker Start at the top of Daniels hill outside Marble, and this is a two hour ride to Crested Butte or a little more. The Crystal side of this ride is rocky. At the Summit of Schofield pass look for the trail that heads up on the south side of the road. This is the 401 Trail, the best Single track in Colorado, it will drop you in to Gothic.

Directions from Carbondale: From Carbondale travel south on Highway 133 approximately 22 miles to road #314 toward Marble. Continue driving on road #314 through Marble and past Beaver Lake. Here the road begins to head uphill and passes over shale rock. About one mile east of Marble is a fork in the road; take the right fork. The road immediately heads downhill and on to Crystal City. After Crystal City take the right fork of the road to Schofield Pass Road #317. Emerald lake is on the south side of the summit.

Seasonal Information:
Normally Accessible: May through September (NOTE: Snow may obstruct the road into the Summer months.) .

Continue reading "Schofield Pass Four-Wheel Drive Road" »

Posted by Brett at 08:02 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The trail is fairly steep the first half mile, then moderate to the ridge top. From the ridge to Middle Thompson Creek it is downhill with a steep section from the stream crossing to the road. Recommended route for bicycles is to ride from the Middle Thompson trailhead to the Perham Creek trailhead. The trail starts 200 feet north from where roads 305 and 306 fork. This trail follows large stands of Piñon and juniper with lots of oakbrush. The heighth and Majesty of Mt. Sopris is very evident in the views from this ride because of the proximity to the base you will be able to se how steep it is.

Directions from Carbondale: From Carbondale travel south on Highway 133 for 10 miles. The trailhead is 100 ft from mile marker 58 (they get smaller towards Redstone) on the right side. The entrance is marked with two large metal gates. This trail was made possible by Pitkin County Open Space Board. They purchased the land for the parking area all the way to the National Forest boundary.

Continue reading "Perham Creek Trail" »

Posted by Brett at 07:15 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

You travel through aspens and meadows with some wild flowers. Cattle graze in this area, so please leave gates in the position that you find them. Horses use the area all year long, especially during the fall hunting seasons. Please be considerate of other types of users.

Directions from Carbondale: From the Forest Service office in Carbondale, travel west past the stoplight, and follow road #108 for 7.4 miles. Turn left onto a dirt road that immediately heads downhill. Go 2.5 miles to a stream crossing, then uphill for about a mile to a pass. In another half mile take the right fork onto road #306. At the end of the railroad grade the road goes uphill a short distance to a parking area where you will want to park. Hike up the road a couple hundred feet to the trail on your right side. It is about 100 feet before the stream crossing.

Seasonal Information:
Normally Accessible: Memorial Day Weekend through October (NOTE: Snow in the Spring, Fall, and Winter months prevent access to this trail.) .

Continue reading "Mid Thompson Trail" »

Posted by Brett at 04:07 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The Crown Trail is a four wheel drive road that is a 8 mile loop that has incredible views.
From Carbondale head out Prince Creek Road past where the pavemant ends, 1.5 miles on the left you will see a gravel road come in from the laft behind you. This can either be the start or finish to the loop. To go counter clockwise has a steeper shorter climb with a longer smoother downhill. Either way you will have incredible views of Sopris and the Elk Mountains and the whole roaring fork valley. This is an easy short Four Wheel Drive loop but there are a couple of other loops off of the main road. Not much more technical.

Posted by Brett at 03:27 PM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

The first part of the trail travels through aspens and oak brush from the ridge top to South Thompson Road. The lakes are on the south side of the trail just before the ridge top. This trail has some great views of Mt. Sopris and surrounding areas. It makes a tough, but good bike loop.

Directions from Carbondale: From the Forest Service office in Carbondale, travel west past the stoplight, following road #108 for 7.4 miles. Turn left onto a dirt road that immediately goes downhill. The road travels for 2.5 miles to a stream crossing, then uphill for about a mile to a pass. In another half mile take the right fork onto road #306. This is a good spot to park for a loop ride. You are now on an old railroad grade. At the end of the grade the road heads uphill and crosses Middle Thompson Creek. Travel about 1.5 miles to the trailhead sign on the left side of a meadow.

Seasonal Information:
Normally Accessible: Memorial Day Weekend through Mid-September (NOTE: Snow at high elevations prevents access to this area in the Spring, Fall, and Winter months.) .

Continue reading "Lake Ridge Lakes Trail" »

Posted by Brett at 10:03 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Lead King Basin four-wheel drive road passes very close to the boundary of the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness and affords some spectacular views of mountains, meadows, and canyons. The basin is a great place to view a variety of wildflowers during the late summer. Three trailheads into the Maroon Bells-Snowmass Wilderness are located along this road. The old bridge over the Crystal River between Crystal and Lead King Basin is not maintained by the forest service and located on private land. Please respect the privacy of these landowners.

For Bikers this is a loop from the top of Daniels hill. Park where legal and possible. For those who choose to do this in a clockwise fashion you will have one of the funnest downhills in the state, smooth four-wheel drive road with lots of rollers. Then a rocky section dropping into Crystal City where you will be awarded the most photographed ghost town in America, Crystal City and it's mill. One of the best trails to see fall foliage in Colorado.

The segment from Marble along Lost Trail Creek to Lead King Basin should not be traveled when it is wet! The road is built on slick shale and slopes towards the valley bottom. Four-wheel drive is required. From Lead King to Crystal City the road is very narrow and extremely rocky. There is a very steep drop-off into the Crystal River Canyon. There are few pullouts on this road and drivers may be required to back-up for considerable distances when another vehicle is met. A high clearance four-wheel drive vehicle is required for this segment. A loop can be made from Marble by traveling along the Crystal River to Crystal City, and then returning to Marble via the Lead King Basin road.

Directions from Carbondale: From Carbondale travel south on Colorado Highway 133 for 22 miles to the Marble turnoff. Go east on the Marble road, through Marble, and past Beaver Lake. The four-wheel drive section begins just past the Gold Pan Gallery. The road begins to head uphill and passes over shale rock. About one mile outside of Marble there is a fork in the road; take the left fork (Forest Road #315). the road immediately heads uphill.

Seasonal Information:
Normally Accessible: May through September (NOTE: Snow may obstruct the road during the Spring, Fall and Winter months.) .

Continue reading "Lead King Basin - Crystal City Four-Wheel Drive Road" »

Posted by Brett at 08:21 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This is a maintained highly used trail system that starts right accross Hwy 82 from Carbondale, all single track. You start out with a twenty five minute technical uphill and once on top there are multiple loops depending on the workout you want. To keep it simple head up Striped Edge to Mushroom Rock and then backtrack just a little to Rollercoaster for bank turns down.

Blue Ribbon is the main trail, the way down, and will take you up to Mushroom Rock too.

To add anothe half hour to your ride take Faiery Loop at the bottom of rollercoaster. This will drop you down the other side a little bit on a nice single track, past the clubhouse and then a gentle but technical climb back on top.

If you would like more athletic workout add the Elk traverse on to your loop. This will add another 6 miles north towards Cattle Creek. Technical SIngle Track out and back.

Trails are marked, lots of hikers and dogs, alert hikers to your presence, and EVERYBODY pick up after your dog!

Highlights: A well-maintained trail with beautiful singletrack and great views of Mount Sopris and the Roaring Fork Valley; good for a quick workout, with the option of doing laps for more mileage or reversing direction for variety. Tread: 2.8 miles on paved and dirt roads and 3.3 miles on singletrack.

Posted by Brett at 07:52 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

This is a loop that will take you from the top of the Prince Creek Road across the base of Sopris Mountain, towards Snowmass against the Elk Mountains. Drop in to Old Snowmass and then dirt road it back. Park at the parking lot where Prince Creek Road meets Dinkle Lake Road. Ride to Dinkle lake and take the single track towards Thomas lake. After a mile of climbing and take the left fork to Hay park, another mile of gentle climbing through the gate in the saddle. Follow the trail until you hit a trailhead parking lot on the other side and drop down the dirt road to Old Snowmass. Go down until the pavement forks and go left again, over into Emma and then left again up to the parking lot.

This can also be an out and back to the saddle, for those who are adveturous, after passing the gate in the saddle, go to the next fence go through, and then follow the fence up and keep going till you find the trail, turns in to old road, after a mile and a half take the well traveled single track down to the right.

If you are less adventurous you can also find the single track going back take a right after the water hole and follow to Dinkle lake.
Highlights: A fantastic, highly scenic ride with awesome singletrack, summer wildflowers, and spectacular fall foliage. Tread: 5.0 miles on singletrack and 3.8 miles on double-track.

Continue reading "Hay Park" »

Posted by Brett at 07:40 AM | Permalink | Comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)