I have been planning a trip to Colorado and was wondering where the best place for powder and climbing is. Been to cooke city, mt plenty of times and the bighorns and looking for somewhere new.
Thanks
Thanks
Best mountain riding in Colorado?
- Thread starter druff7
- Start date
Coming from north dakota
Just across the border is Snowy Range, WY. Close to you and has great pow and climbing. Ride out lodging or stay in Laramie at a cheap motel. Grand Lake, CO has some huge mountains too. Rabbit Ears, huge meadows and deep powder. Grand Mesa is fantastic. Crested Butte, Wolf Creek Pass, etc etc. Long list here.
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I'd vote for crested butte. Exactly the kind of riding you expect in CO, big mtns, and basically the best of most types of riding you want to do from big meadows, to big climbs, to technical trees... Also, less people than most of the other places you'd end up at. Grand mesa, Grand Lake, lots of other places to go, but if I had to choose one, it'd be CB.
Funny, the guy asks about CO, and people suggest WY???
Funny, the guy asks about CO, and people suggest WY???
I don't think it's ride in-out anywhere down there, but it's literally 1 minute from town, if that. If you stay at a hotel in CB, you're looking at about 5 min max from sitting in the truck to getting back out.
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fitler
Active member
Really depends where the snow goes this year and where it snows before you get here. Check in closer to you departure. Storms in CO typically will either hit the Northern or Southern or Central mountains but normally dont hit all at of them at once. All of the places mentioned are awesome but if you want the fresh you will have to wait and see.
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skyler.hager
Member
Anybody ever ride Vail Pass? Rabbit Ears? Those are the two places i've heard about going, but would like some input as to the type of riding i'll find there. I just moved to Denver from Bozeman, MT.
I don't know about Vail Pass, but the Ears has some of the best tree riding I have ever done, even a little bit of hills, but not much, it is a fun place to ride no matter what you like doing.
Hope this helps,
Ryan
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stingray719
Well-known member
Skyler, Vail Pass is usually very busy. Have had to wait an hour to get in the lot. AND, expect some problems with skiers and snowboarders.
I would suggest going farther down the road to Grand Mesa as it will remind you of West Yellowstone kind of riding. Main trail is somewhere around 100 miles long. There are 4 lodges up there, three of them ride outs, and we go several times a year and prefer Grand Mesa Lodge. If curious they have a webcam.
I would suggest going farther down the road to Grand Mesa as it will remind you of West Yellowstone kind of riding. Main trail is somewhere around 100 miles long. There are 4 lodges up there, three of them ride outs, and we go several times a year and prefer Grand Mesa Lodge. If curious they have a webcam.
Vail pass has some good riding areas but is crazy busy on the weekends. Rabbit ears is great with lots of area and types of riding. RE gets a lot of good snow. Other good areas are grand Mesa, corona pass, gore, Jefferson.
Crested Butte is great. Its ride out of the cabin if you know guys with cabins up there
. Otherwise there are some nice places to stay in town. The ski area some nice hotels too.
It is not as developed as many other places, but the riding is great. I lived in Gunnison (30 minutes away) for college, then worked in Crested Butte for a year. Big terrain with an awesome avalanche center! There are several trailheads, Kebler Pass being the most popular with the fewest restrictions on where you can ride and lots of variety. Heading up toward Paradise Divide then into Poverty Gulch (drive out Slate River Road) gets you into some less popular but still awesome riding. There's a nice sled swallowing ravine getting into Baxter Basin
. They usually get all the snow that the Mesa does with more vertical. A cat skiing operation by Lake Irwin posts pretty honest snow reports that are relevant to the riding areas (unlike the main ski area, they are very dry compared to the backcountry): http://winter.irwincolorado.com/ Few years back I talked to some guys that came in from what I thought was an area with great riding, they said they think the long drive is worth it for the lack of people and the incredible terrain. They said the CB backcountry is like a mini BC for them.
It is a haul from Denver, especially if the roads are ****ty, and the nearest Doo dealer is 90ish miles. There is a Cat dealer and a Poo/Yami dealer in Gunnison.
The lodging on the Mesa makes that area very appealing. I've never heard a bad thing about the riding there, or the accommodations. I ride the Snowies these days, and while fun, the Western Slope just doesn't get that nasty (constant) wind that the Front Range of the Rockies gets.
. Otherwise there are some nice places to stay in town. The ski area some nice hotels too. It is not as developed as many other places, but the riding is great. I lived in Gunnison (30 minutes away) for college, then worked in Crested Butte for a year. Big terrain with an awesome avalanche center! There are several trailheads, Kebler Pass being the most popular with the fewest restrictions on where you can ride and lots of variety. Heading up toward Paradise Divide then into Poverty Gulch (drive out Slate River Road) gets you into some less popular but still awesome riding. There's a nice sled swallowing ravine getting into Baxter Basin
. They usually get all the snow that the Mesa does with more vertical. A cat skiing operation by Lake Irwin posts pretty honest snow reports that are relevant to the riding areas (unlike the main ski area, they are very dry compared to the backcountry): http://winter.irwincolorado.com/ Few years back I talked to some guys that came in from what I thought was an area with great riding, they said they think the long drive is worth it for the lack of people and the incredible terrain. They said the CB backcountry is like a mini BC for them.It is a haul from Denver, especially if the roads are ****ty, and the nearest Doo dealer is 90ish miles. There is a Cat dealer and a Poo/Yami dealer in Gunnison.
The lodging on the Mesa makes that area very appealing. I've never heard a bad thing about the riding there, or the accommodations. I ride the Snowies these days, and while fun, the Western Slope just doesn't get that nasty (constant) wind that the Front Range of the Rockies gets.
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