From camp we rode the super fun trails Limekiln and Speedway over to the Stone Quarry trail system. Stone Quarry stretches across canyon and high alpine desert lands with superb views. There, we rode Vision Quest, Window, Monster Slayer and Duran Land before returning the way we came. The day was 23 miles with 2190′ …
Day 3 of riding here in Del Norte, Colorado was a blast. Penitente Canyon Trails are just north of the town. This is an amazing Bureau of Land Management Recreation Area. The canyon got its name from Los Hermanos Penitentes, a Spanish religious sect that favored Penitente Canyon for its solitude in the 1880s. I …
Wow! Today’s ride was a beast. Middle Frisco Trail starts not far from where we are camped. We rode this as an out and back to Bennett Peak and IT WAS TOUGH. 16.4 miles with 3,404′ of climbing and we reached a high elevation of 12,737‘! The trail follows along the Middle Fork San Francisco …
Our new spot in Del Norte, CO is drastically different than our last spot. We’re still boondocking at about 7800′ but it’s high desert without all the trees and a river. We are off on our own in a large spot up against a little mesa and it’s very quiet. From camp we mountain biked …
Quartz Meadow Ride With the sun shining brilliantly, we decided to ride from camp again. This time we headed out to the end of the road a bit past Quartz Meadow. The road really did just end above a picturesque meadow. Mountain bikes were necessary because the road is very rough. Our out and back …
Pagosa Gravel Ride What better way to see the mountains and forest surrounding Pagosa Springs then by bike? Our gravel loop was 49.3 miles with 3677’ of climbing. We started out from a park in town and road pavement up into the neighborhood hills a bit before heading out into the forest. First observations? There …
Before leaving Mancos we snuck in a quick hike. We hiked a little 4 mile loop of Rim Trail/Transfer Trail/Box Canyon. We rode Rim Trail last fall when we were here so it was weird to hike it now, but it made the loop complete. Transfer Trail switchbacks down to the river and then zigs …
Our time here in Mancos is nearing the end. BUT, we had one more ride to check off our list and it was mighty. I’ll call this the Echo Basin lollipop. This incredibly scenic gravel ride was 34 miles with a whopping 3907′ of climbing. The lollipop part of this ride was challenging in that …
Rumor had it Stoner Mesa Trail was dry and rideable so we gave it a go. This trail is pretty much in the middle of nowhere. The community of Stoner has a population of maybe 6 people and is named after Stoner Creek. Our ride was 27 miles with 3,075′ of climbing. This trail can …
Every time I think we’ve seen the best views we’re going to, I’m corrected. Our mountain bike ride today wasn’t far distance wise, but it was hard. 16.4 miles with 3393′ of climbing. That elevation gain is really over just 8 miles since this was an out and back. Our highpoint today was 10,980…a record …