Riding your bike is fun. Riding your bike every day for 7 days straight with your honey is just simply fantastic. Add to that the fact that most of that riding was in new and previously unexplored areas.
Day 1 – Grand Junction
On our first day of vacation we met up with a bunch of mountain biking friends early Saturday morning in Boulder before heading west. The destination was Grand Junction and we only made one quick stop in Keystone to pick up yet another rider and to have breakfast. We arrived at the Tabeguache trail head around noon with the mission to ride the Ribbon.
It was hot, really hot. No wonder we were the only ones on the trails. We did OK, though, by seeking shade whenever available and by drinking plenty of water.
We played around on the rocks as we made our way up the trail.
This one particular step-up got extra attention.
We rode the road a little bit at the end of our climb to get to the top of the Ribbon. Oh to think, that the Falcon guide book have you ride up the Ribbon, only to ride back down on the road. We actually met some folks who had followed that route. What a tragedy.
The downhill was a blast as always. We opted for Andy’s on the way back. A fine end to a good day of riding, and a fine start to our vacation.
Day 1 totals: 13.1 miles 2,340 ft
Day 2 – Grand Junction
Day 2 of our vacation was also spent riding in Grand Junction. The menu for the day being two loops. The first loop was Pet-e-Kes to Holy Cross and back to the trail head.
The second loop was Widow Maker up to the top of the Gunny Loop. The Gunny Loop being one of our all time favourites.
After 2 great days of riding in Grand Junction with our friends it was time to say good-bye as they had to head back to Boulder, Colorado and we to Park City, Utah – the next stop on our bike vacation.
Day 2 totals: 16.1 miles 2,315 ft
Vacation totals: 29.2 miles 4,655 ft
Day 3 – Park City
The drive from Grand Junction to Park City was amazing as we witnessed how the desert lands of Grand Junction gradually changed to the lush green blooming fields and forests of Park City. We found a great place in Part City. As a matter of fact, we started our first ride in Park City, the Mid-Mountain Loop, right from our hotel!
We climbed up Spiro to the Mid-Mountain Trail. The Mid-Mountain Trail snakes its way around the mountains staying close to 8,000 ft of elevation the entire time; hence its nick name “The 8,000 ft trail”. As the trail goes around to the west side of the mountain it provides for great views of the Wasatch mountain range. We had hoped to be able to ride the Wasatch Crest Trail but it will be another month or so before it and the access to it is snow free.
As we got close to the end of the Mid-Mountain Trail we opted for the long descend down Rob’s trail for maximized fun, and it was fun! Fast, swoopy, smooth trails twisting its way around aspens and flowers en masse.
Day 3 totals: 25.0 miles 2,941 ft
Vacation totals: 54.2 miles 7,596 ft
Day 4 – Park City
On our second day at Park City we decided to sample the trails south of Spiro as well as some of the trails higher up on the mountain. We climbed up John’s trail – very similar to Spiro, but with a little more rocks thrown in.
From John’s we continued up The Steps, and then even further up to the Summit House via a gravel road. A couple who were hiking up there and had taken the Town Lift up were quite impressed that we had ridden our bikes all the way up. I was happy that we had opted for the geared bikes. Its amazing how much steeper ski runs appear when you are going up them on a bike instead of downhill on skis. From Summit House we continued climbing on Apex, but we ended up turning around as we ran into several snow drifts and lost of downed trees. We were clearly the first people up here riding this season. We later learned that Mid Mountain had only been open for riding 2 weeks; the down side of a record breaking snow year.
The return down Apex to John’s was a blast and didn’t take long at all. We timed it almost perfectly as we got on to “4:20″ at 19 minutes past 4 pm! From here we picked up the last half or so of the “Town Loop” which brought us back to Park City and a waiting ice cream! Yet again an awesome day on the bikes.
Day 4 totals: 16.1 miles 2,758 ft
Vacation totals: 70.3 miles 10,354 ft
Day 5 – Park City
On our last day in the Park City area we went a little north to Kimball Junction and rode a big loop including the Flying Dog Trail. Yet again, smooth, buff trails. Perfect for the single speed.
We rode the trails counter clockwise on recommendation from a local bike shop; starting out with the Glenwild Loop Trail to Cobblestone Trail. From Cobblestone to Flying Dog. Then back down to the Spring Creek trail head via “24-7″ and Stealth.
Day 5 totals: 16.6 miles 1,945 ft
Vacation totals: 86.9 miles 12,299 ft
Day 6 – Steamboat Springs
From Park City, Utah we headed back to our home state, Colorado, more specifically to Steamboat Springs. Just like at Park City, the record breaking snow year has delayed the higher elevation rides here. No problem, though. There is lots of lower elevation rides, right out of town. We started our first day of riding in Steamboat Springs just north of town on the Hot Springs Trail.
From Hot Springs we made our way over to Mad Creek trail and checked out the creek. It was raging. Record breaking snow year may delay high elevation bike rides, but it sure looks to be good for white water kayaking!
From Mad Creek Trail we cut over to the Red Dirt Trail and rode it all the way back down to the road and then returned via the Hot Springs Trail we had ridden earlier in the day.
Hot Springs trail brought us back to our car which was parked at the trail head for Bear Creek Trail. We had already gotten a good ride in, but we decided to ride up the lower part of Bear Creek Trail, just to check it out. I am glad we did. It yielded some great views of the area. That said, it made for a good long day in the saddle with more climbing than we had anticipated, but that only made the visit to the hot springs afterwards that much more enjoyable!
Day 6 totals: 16.0 miles 2,575 ft
Vacation totals: 102.9 miles 14,874 ft
Day 7 – Steamboat Springs
On our last day of riding we decided to explore the trails at Emerald mountain, just on the other side of the Yampa river from Steamboat Springs. We had been on the lookout for a map of the trails, but none were to be found. That didn’t stop us. A little exploring is always good. We started our exploring by riding all the way to the top of the mountain on the gravel road. From the top we started taking one trail after the other. One led to a great view of Steamboat Springs and the Mountain Village by the ski runs.
Another trail led to open meadows, but only to lead you back into the aspens…
…and an incredible lush forest with ferns covering the ground. We took one trail after the other and eventually found ourselves back in Steamboat.
Day 7 totals: 11.7 miles 2,377 ft
Vacation totals: 114.6 miles 17,251 ft
And so ends our week long vacation of mountain biking in Colorado and Utah. No broken bones, no mechanicals. Only one flat, and one set of worn out break pads. Not bad for more than 100 miles of riding. I definitely see more biking vacations in our future…