Last year when we were in Salida these trails were still under snow in July and we didn’t get to ride them. This year they are open! This loop is a beast at 36 miles with 4635’ of climbing. Most people ride Monarch Crest as a shuttle but we don’t have that luxury so we rode a loop. This is quintessential Colorado high alpine riding that makes most mountain bikers drool. Good stuff.
We started on Old Monarch Pass at the Continental Divide and rode the trail down to Monarch Pass. From here we rode Monarch Crest Trail which starts with a climb up to 11968′ and affords views of seemingly all of Colorado. When we reached the junction with Agate Creek we turned right and descended forever. This section is the most advanced route off the crest and is black diamond. Roots, rocks, loose, steep…you name it. It’s a beautiful ribbon of trail that mellows out here and there as we pedaled through meadows. The stream crossings start after around 5 miles and the first 10 or so are rideable and then the next 10 not so much. I waded through quite a few but was happy to have the refreshingly cold water to balance out the heat of the day.
The trail gets really really rocky and technical again as you skirt the highway up above. Abandoned cars that crashed off the side lie mangled on the hillside. The creek runs alongside the trail and it’s rugged landscape. This section of trail was slow going as we maneuvered through all the rocks. The trail ends with a brutal climb back up to the highway. We ate our bars and hit the road.
After two miles downhill on the highway we turned on the road out to White Pine and pedaled alongside the enormous 5 miles long Crossbar Ranch that blankets the valley. At Old Monarch Pass we turned right on the dirt/gravel road and climbed continuously for the next 8 miles. It was hot and it was steady, but the gravel is good and there were little to no cars or people.
We were both pretty happy to see the Continental Divide sign at the top signaling we were back at the start. It’s tough doing rides where most of the climbing is at the end!
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