Find the top rated mountain biking trails in Colorado, whether you're looking for an easy short mountain biking trail or a long mountain biking trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a mountain biking trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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Holy moly! Harder than I thought. Did it then ran back down to my motel we stayed at in Manitou Springs! Very cool area.
It was my first time on a trail in the area and I loved it, paved all the way through, no crossing roads or being close to the road, quiet and beautiful sights. Highly recommend it!
My nephew and I just finished this trail April 7th, 2022. We started in Palisade and finished in Loma and we connected the trailheads by riding on the roads and ditch banks. It was altogether 32 miles. Great ride! Wish they would connect the whole thing because that would be awesome.
This past weekend, I rode the Rio Grande Trail from Glenwood Springs to Carbondale and back, about 24 miles roundtrip. Although you're paralleling the roadway for much of the journey, there is always a wide median of grass, underbrush, and/or trees so it's not unpleasant and there are spectacular views to be had along the way, including of Mt. Sopris, the Roaring Fork River, and rural landscapes dotted with cows. In Carbondale, there is also some fun public art, including a cool archway over the trail with a bit of railroad track in it as a nod to the trail's railroad heritage. There are a handful of road crossings, but they are all well marked and the busiest ones also have walk signals. One note: There are no drinking fountains along the way, so be sure to bring water, and there is only one trailside bathroom in this northern stretch, about 8.7 miles south of Glenwood Springs.
Easy, walkable. Bit muddy on the south end after rain or snow but peaceful and unexpected trail. We’re renting in the area for a few months and this trail has been a little haven for a morning run, walking the dogs and enjoying birds and mtn views. Playground on the northwest side is in good shape. Trail is mostly flat and doable with small children, someone with limited mobility or starting an exercise program. Typically see people fishing, many, birds, people walking dogs, kids from nearby school.
Starting in downtown Denver and heading 40 miles southeast to Franktown, the Cherry Creek Trail is a true gift to the bikers, runners, and walkers of the city. For the first five miles from downtown, from the scenic falls where the creek meets the Platte River, we rode nearly on the edge of the rock-strewn creek. The trail runs below street level, hence there are many overhead bridges and on/off ramps from nearby neighborhoods. Riding at 9am, most of the trail in the downtown area was shaded by the high-rise apartment and office buildings on the east side, but the trail is otherwise short on leafy canopies and is likely to be brutally hot mid-day. There was no shade whatsoever further along the trail. The creek’s path became less managed by rocky revetments after about seven miles, instead, alternately diverging and converging among beds of brown grass and scruffy plants.
Except for occasional neighborhoods and the four golf courses we passed, it definitely felt like we were riding in the Wild West!
Prior to hitting the suburbs, we passed numerous homeless people lying under blankets aside the creek or tucked up under the eaves of bridges - more than we’ve come across in other cities. There were also retaining walls along both sides of the trail that featured both true works of art and plain old graffiti. We had to stop at only one intersection where construction forced a slight detour; otherwise, we flew along the concrete path as it climbed almost imperceptibly out of town.
The Cherry Creek trail is more like a network of paths, several of which we took accidentally because there is very little signage on the trail. A yellow painted line along the center of the trail helps at some of the Y’s and intersections, but it’s conspicuously missing at many of them. We really enjoyed this trail and would have loved to have completed the 80-mile roundtrip, but we were limited by both time constraints and lack of ambition.
There is no shortage of great breweries in Denver, including a fantastic one with a crazy variety of beers right off the trail in the Glendale area.
The Poudre Trail’s numbers are straightforward – 10 feet wide and 12 miles long. This is not to be confused with the Poudre River Trail, which is almost 22 miles long and is in Greeley, CO. Fort Collins’ city fathers (and mothers) broke ground on the trail in 1994 and completed it in 2008. There are few bells and whistles to the trail, though it is a bit tricky finding the trailhead. It’s about a ½ mile down a dirt road off a paved cul-de-sac at the end of a road-to-nowhere, about five miles east of downtown. Once the trail is located, it starts off in what looks like a light industrial setting, but instead is an “environmental facility.”
The early stretch is mostly concrete, perhaps not environmentally friendly, but biker friendly to those who are just getting their morning bike legs. Early on, the Poudre does not appear to be a powerful river, presenting itself more like a shallow stream. Soon, the trail approaches downtown Fort Collins, much quieter during the daytime than it is at night. Later, the trail heads around a large pond. It turns out that is the town reservoir, and the reason why the Poudre River flow is so gentle. From the reservoir west, the view is outstanding, much more dramatic than the prairies east of town. And just beyond the edge of the official trail, the road starts its climb toward the Rockies.
A nationally known brewery is right off the bike trail in downtown Ft. Collins.
Good connecting trail in the southern suburbs of Denver. Some little gems along the way (Holly Dam/Open Space and a beautifully paved path along a creek). Have to cross some semi-major roads but not too difficult to do. For a neighborhood walk/run, definitely check it out.
This is simply a great trail with lots of scenic variety. Fun to do all at once or in segments.
We rode from the Woodmen parking area north to Monument. This trail is well maintained. Just need to watch for the fast riders around some short turns.
This is a very nice, well-maintained trail that runs from Quincy Ave to the Great Plains Park at Jewell. There is a signal crossing at Hampden or an underpass that is a bit out of the way. You pass some ball fields and a few parks then a climb to about Wesley Dr where it flattens out and continues to Great Plains Park. Using this as the eastern leg, Quincy on the south, and the Powerline Trail on the north I have many different loops changing the west leg. With the Toll Gate Creek Trail, it is about an 11-mile loop. If, at Horseshoe Park, you use the West Toll Gate Creek Trail it's about 12 miles. Again, at Horseshoe Park, if you go to the Cherry Creek Spillway Trail it's about 16 miles. If you want a longer ride you can take the TGCT to the Highline Canal Trail, you can ride around the reservoir at Cherry Creek, or use the Piney Creek trail out of the reservoir instead of Quincy.
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