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Colorado Trail Mountain Bike Tour Dates:

July 30th thru August 3rd, 2012
August 6th thru 10th, 2012 (tour a go)
August 28th thru September 1st, 2012

Our Colorado Trail North Pass to Telluride Mountain Bike tour is a backcountry mountain bike ride that travels along the Continental Divide as it passes through Southwest Colorado.

The bike tour is guided and vehicle supported and offers one of the Ultimate Mountain Biking Experiences in North America.

The San Juan Mountains are among the wildest, most stunning and inaccessible mountainous areas in the lower 48 states.  The trail crosses high mountain passes, beneath numerous unnamed waterfalls and traverses fields of verdant wildflowers at elevations that rarely drop below 10,000 feet.  Large fauna of most every-type inhabit this landscape.

The tour’s accommodations include three nights of camping and one night of hotel lodging.

Lizard Head Cycling Guide’s bike tours offer out of the ordinary mountain biking vacations.  Our tours aim to deliver cyclists into a backcountry setting far away from accessible trailheads.  Rarely will one see another person let alone another cyclist.

“Out of the comfort zone, but not into a panic zone”

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Morning Meeting: Tours meet on Monday mornings with a 7am in Montrose, Colorado.  Cyclists fly into either Montrose or Grand Junction, Colorado.  

 

Day 1:
The Monarch Crest Trail
31 miles of the best singletrack you may ever ride

The Monarch Crest Trail offers singletrack that is both smooth and long.  This truly is one of the best trails in North America.  The rides starts on Monarch Pass (11,312 feet/3448 metre). The views are spectacular and the there is over 4,ooo feet of descending to enjoy…giddy up!

After the Crest Trail riders meet the shuttle for a transfer to camp on remote Cochetopa Pass.

Day 2:
Cochetopa Pass to Cebolla Creek
35 miles of backcountry double track road

Day 2 winds a stunning route into the foothills of the San Juan Mountains to a streamside camp on Cebolla Creek.  Although this is not a big singletrack day (it offers 5 miles of singletrack), previous tour riders have mentioned this day among their favorite.

Tonight enjoy grilled chicken, vegetables, and salad with your feet in the creek while drinking a cold keg beer.  Tomorrow cyclists enter into the high San Juan mountains.

Day 3:
Cebolla Creek Camp to Creede, Colorado
17 miles of singletrack:
10 miles of double track

From Cebolla Creek camp riders climb to Slumgullion Pass (11,530 feet), traverse to Spring Creek Pass (10,898’), and then climb singletrack steeply for 2 miles and 1,242’ feet to the spectacular 360 degree views of Snow Mesa (12,240’).  At this point in the tour cyclists will be pedaling on the spine of continental divide while being treated to an above treeline landscape with views stretching to the horizon.  To the northeast rises 13,383 Baldy Cinco and to the south the expansive views of the headwaters of the Rio Grande watershed unfold.

The trail crossing Snow Mesa is approximately 4 miles in length with little elevation change (the high point is 12,350’), this is an above treeline mesa with expansive views.  Once across the mesa riders should prepare for a singletrack descent of 10 miles and 3,300’ feet of the Miner’s Trail Creek to an elevation of 9,040’.

Tonight’s destination is the historic mining town of Creede, Colorado (pop 400).  Riders will enjoy a hotel room, shower, and meal out in the wild, wild, west.   Along with the requisite saloons and eateries, Creede boasts a repertory theatre.  The town was established as a mining outpost over 100 years ago.   Miners in the town’s mining heyday would head into Creede for “drinkin’ and whorin’”.   Although the sex cribs long ago faded into history prior to World War II, plenty of whiskey remains to be drunk in the town’s historic cowboy bars.

Dining in Camp

 

Day 4:
Creede to Pole Creek Camp
28 miles of alpine singletrack

After a morning shuttle from Creede the riding begins on Spring Creek Pass.    This is the tour’s Queen Stage (the longest day with most climbing) offering spectacular high elevation riding, challenging climbs, and unparalleled 360 degree views of the Rio Grande’s remote headwaters.

From Spring Creek Camp the route travels a little used double track road for 6 miles before becoming singletrack trail and reaching the highest point of the entire 450 mile long Colorado Trail, Coney Summit at 13,200 feet.

Upon reaching Wager Gulch riders descend 1,500 feet to Lost Trail Creek.  After this descent a challenging ascent to Lost Trail Creek Pass begins.  If the weather is threatening, we’ll turn and descend seven miles and 2,000 feet to camp on Pole Creek.  If the weather is benign, riders can opt to continue riding another mile to swim in 12,082 foot high Cataract Lake.  If the lake is free of ice (or even if is isn’t), the lake is the definition of refreshing.  One will not forget a swim in Cataract Lake.

Diner tonight may be the local miner’s favorite of Slumgullion stew.  Fly-fisherman will revel in the opportunity to fish secluded holes at the intersection of Pole Creek and the headwaters of the Rio Grande.  Previous fly-fisherman have called this area “the best” fly-fishing they have ever done with trout that “may have never before been hooked” fighting on the line.

A few miles from camp are the remains of Bear Town, once a thriving mining town at the turn of the 20^th century.  The classic book, Stampede to Timberline, depicts the life and work of the miners who once inhabited this remote section of the high and lonesome.   The hard life these men endured is in stark contrast to our self-imposed cycling adventure while enjoying fresh vegetables, local meats, and cold cerveza.

 

Day 4 on the trail

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Day 5:
Pole Creek Camp to Telluride
37 miles of mining road: including the 12,650 foot Stoney Pass & 12,840 foot Black Bear Pass
5,900 feet of climbing
7,700 feet of descending

 

On this final day of the tour cyclists will cross the Continental Divide for the 5th and final time of the tour, descend 3,600 feet to the mining town of Silverton, climb 3,900 feet to the stunning alpine pass of Black Bear and finally descend 3,800 feet to Telluride, Colorado.  This is a huge day with great rewards for the cyclist.  A shuttle option from Silverton to Black Bear Pass removes 2,000 feet of climbing for those who seek a reprieve.

From camp riders follow Forest Road 520 six miles and 2,000 upward to 12,650 foot Stoney Pass, the historic stage coach route on the Santa Fe Trail to the mining town of Silverton.  The views from Stoney frame the steep terrain cyclists have delivered themselves over the course of the past four days.  From the Pass cyclists begin a steep 3,300 foot, 12 mile mining road descent to the town of Silverton, Colorado.

From Silverton riders earn vertical quickly for eight miles while climbing 2,000 feet on Highway 550 towards Red Mountain Pass (11,018 feet).  From Red Mountain Pass cyclists follow the Black Bear Pass mining road another 1,800 feet above the trees and into the clouds until they reach 12,840 foot Black Bear Pass.  This is a cycling route that mere words provide a pale description.  The climb to Black Bear Pass provides views of multiple waterfalls, shoulder high wildflowers and mountains, mountains, and more mountains……

From Black Bear it is all downhill (except for the uphill) to Telluride 3,800 feet below.  The descent passes old mining structures and literally drops out of the sky into Telluride.  Cyclists will marvel at the ingenuity of the miners who struggled in these high mountains 100 years ago to strike it rich.  On the descent cyclists will pass just 30 feet from the top of the 125 foot Ingram Falls and directly under 365 foot Bridal Veil Falls, the largest waterfall in Colorado.

Cyclists will ride onto Telluride’s streets in late afternoon.

WELL DONE!

Colorado Trail: Tour Beta

Meeting Place: Montrose, Colorado
Fly into: Montrose or Grand Junction, Colorado
Cost: $1395- per person (includes all meals, shuttles, vehicle support, hotel, & guide service)

The tour is capped at twelve riders.  Riding alpine singletrack is one of mountain biking’s peak experiences. The air is cool, the views are 360 degrees, the wildflowers, which can be handle-bar high, blur the eyes with color.

Campsites high in the Rockies offer unparalleled views and deep sleep.

The experience we aim to provide leaves the established trailhead far behind to reach remote areas where route finding and logistics are key to the experience. A fully equipped support truck makes camp-life comfortable as the guides prepare delicious meals each day. Clients are free to relax and simply ride their bikes.

PLEASE NOTE: Although these tours are for advanced riders, they are NOT death marches. They are well planned guided adventures into the backcountry that are within the ability of experienced riders.

In reality many riders who are capable of riding and enjoying these tours self-select themselves out of participation because they feel the tour will be too hard. If you would like to join us and have a question about your ability, please call.

For more information or to make a reservation, contact us:
970.728.5891 or Info@LizardHeadCyclingGuides.com

Riding above treeline on the Colorado Trail (12,800 feet)