CRESTED BUTTE, CO
Physical Exertion: Advanced / Technical Ability: Intermediate+
What to expect in Crested Butte: Long rides, BIG climbs with long descents, and beautiful high alpine singletrack
Crested Butte is truly a mecca of mountain biking, and according to some it’s where it all began. Dating back to the 1970’s, the town of Crested Butte has been at the forefront of the sport, and today it’s at the top of everyone’s bucket list. With hundreds of miles of trails, almost all accessible from town, there’s enough here to keep even the most avid mountain biker busy for weeks. Some of the more famous trails are the 401 Trail, Doctor Park, Teocalli Ridge, and Strand Hill.
Crested Butte has two things going for it that make it so unique: first is the town itself. One of the last true remaining “locals” towns in Colorado, Crested Butte exudes character and personality from the moment you pull up to the 4-way stop. There are no traffic lights and you’ll typically see more bikes in town than cars. Secondly, Crested Butte sits at the intersection of several mountain valleys, which allows you to link trails together very easily. By doing this, you can do a simple 10-mile ride from downtown, or you can link together multiple trails to create an all-day 30 mile epic ride. By partnering with Colorado Backcountry guides, we’re able to put together amazing itineraries that will have you licking your lips for more. But beware, the climbs in Crested Butte are for real!
Airport Options: Gunnison (35 min) – Denver (4 hrs)
INTERACTIVE CRESTED BUTTE TRAIL MAP
Expected Itinerary
Day One: Arrival Day! On the first day of our trip, plan to meet at our designated lodging around 5-6pm that evening. We’ll do a quick introduction, followed by bike setups, a welcome dinner and drinks. The first night is meant to be social and relaxing, as we’re getting ready for four big days on the bike!
Day Two: Lupine to Lower (AM) and Strawberry Loop (PM). Today we’re going to “ease” you into things by doing two smaller loops at lower elevation to let you get used to the bike, the thin air, and the CB terrain. The morning ride will start from our condos on the mountain and end in town with lunch at our guides’ house, and the afternoon will have a bit more of an extended climb along with a fast, rowdy descent (and a shorter flowy one too!).
Day Three: Reno Ridge to Doctor Park. This has been a Chasing Epic special for years: we’ll combine the already-famous “Reno Flag Bear Deadman’s” loop with Doctor Park to give you three big descents over the course of 25 miles. You’ll get a bit of everything today: big climbs, huge descents, tech, flow and never-ending aspens.
Day Four: Crystal to Star Pass, Trail 400 and More. This is a new ride for 2024, and we’re stoked on it. We’ll get up to 12,300′ today (on Star Pass) with some incredible high-alpine riding, and then come ripping down Trail 400 into Brush Creek… an incredible descent that goes on forever. Strand Hill will be an optional add-on today that’s totally worth it if you’ve got the legs and lungs!
Day Five: Trails 403 and 401. Today we’re putting together our “804” ride, which combines the world-famous 403 and 401 trails. We’ll start off with a shuttle up to the 403 trailhead, followed by a short (but steep) mile-long climb before we hit the goods down 403. Once we hit the bottom, it’s a steady climb to Schofield Pass and beyond, to the top of 401. Once we reach the top of 401, you’ve got 5+ miles of sweet, flowy singletrack all the way down to the vehicles. Once we’re finished with this morning’s ride, we’ll head back to our lodging to get everyone checked out. The trip (sadly) will end in the early afternoon on the last day, in order to accommodate everyone that has to drive home or catch a flight.
