| Gunnison mountain biking has many excellent,
but underrated mountain bike trails
snaking through the surrounding
terrain, mainly in the Elk and
West Elk Mountains to the north.
This little-known hide-away area
of Colorado lives quietly in the
shadow of its more famous neighbor,
Crested Butte. Though only 30
minutes from Crested Butte, the
Gunnison mountain biking season
lasts much longer due to its lower
elevation. Often biking will continue
deep into October. The best variety
of Gunnison mountain biking rides
are to be found at Hartman's Rocks,
located just south of Gunnison
airport. Bikers will find themselves
amused and challenged for hours
on end, tackling the more than
25 trails in the area. This area
with its variety of short to mid-length
trails, is a great place to adjust
your body to the altitude before
heading into the mountain trails!
Another trail in the Gunnison
mountain biking area, is the Deadman
Gulch Trail. This advanced 20
mile loop is a challenging trail
with many steep segments. It makes
for excellent high altitude riding,
with a lot of variety in terrain
flashing by! For more advanced
Gunnison mountain biking, you
can try the Deer Creek Trail.
This 29 mile loop, taking 3 to
5 hours to complete, offers some
fantastic views of the Elk and
West Elk Mountains. You will encounter
some really difficult ascents,
but to balance things out you,
will enjoy miles of easy riding
through impressive aspen groves.
An intermediate Gunnison mountain
biking ride is the Wager Gulch
Mountain Biking Trail, a round
trip of just under 10 miles. This
trail consists of a rough four-wheel
drive route leading to Carson,
a well preserved ghost town in
the San Juans. After Carson, the
trail continues up to the Continental
Divide, where you can do further
mountain biking in just about
any direction! The Strand Hill
Trail is a short 8 mile loop ride.
It consists of a few steep sections
through some stunning Gunnison
mountain biking terrain and groves
of aspen. An intermediate trail,
the Lost Canyon Mountain Biking
Trail of 24 miles, takes 3 to
4 hours to complete. Climbing
from Gunnison town along a spur
of the Colorado Trail, it offers
a variety of riding options. Steep
rocky climbs will test your technique,
followed by mesa-top riding through
aspen groves. The McIntosh Loop
Mountain Biking Trail includes
advanced Gunnison mountain biking
along its 35 miles. This is a
beautiful trail, through a variety
of terrain types. It follows old
jeep roads, and offers great views
of the Gunnison Valley and the
West Elk Wilderness. Once you
get to Gunnison, be sure to get
a good map at a local bike shop,
to help you make the most of Gunnison
mountain biking! For more information
visit Best-Mountain-Biking.com
Rika Susan of Article-Alert.com
researches, writes, and publishes
full-time on the Web. Copyright
of this article: 2006 Rika Susan.
This article may be reprinted
if the resource box and hyperlinks
are left intact. |
