| The Steamboat Ski Corp. is one major source for local rides. They have developed over 40 miles of mountain bike trails all over the ski mountain. Everyone from beginner to expert can find a favorite trail on the mountain. You can ride the gondola (for a fee) half way up the mountain. From there you can pick a trail and head back down to the bottom or you can ride up to the top of the mountain for spectacular views and equally enjoyable trails. The more hearty riders forgo the gondola ride and start their adventure by riding all the way up. You gain a special appreciation for the trip down after you have made the extra effort to ride up.
Of course all the local bike shops will have maps and suggestions for rides both in town as well as outside of town. All the shops' staff will be glad to recommend something that fits your riding style. The shops will also have maps of the area as well as books specializing in mountain bike trails in the Steamboat Springs area.
One of our club members, Tom Litteral, has written Mountain Biking In the High Country of Steamboat Springs, Colorado. Tom's book has 28 rides around the area complete with trail descriptions and maps as well as helpful sections on how to have minimal impact on nature, what gearing and equipment you should have, and what to carry with you in the back country to be sure you make it back. You can find his book at all the local book stores, bike stores, and I think I've even seen it on the magazine rack in the grocery stores.
- Steamboat Core River Trail (31K map)
- Terrain - Easy ride except for steep descents and tight turns into the three railroad underpasses.
- Elevation Gain - Very little, follows the Yampa River grade.
- Length - About 5 miles of pavement.
- Suggested Maps - City of Steamboat map.
- Directions - The Core Trail is a concrete trail that follows the Yampa River through town. You can access the trail almost anywhere near the river but the west end of the trail is at the entrance to the Dream Island trailer park, just west of the Werner Library, and the south end is at Whistler Park, in a residential area behind the Holiday Inn. Watch out for numerous roller bladers, joggers, and other traffic. The underpasses are closed during the spring runoff due to flooding.
- Spring Creek Trail - Short (46K map)
- Terrain - Easy
- Elevation Gain - 200 ft
- Length - 4 miles
- Suggested Maps - Trails Illustrated - Clark, Buffalo Pass; Routt National Forest
- Directions - Park at the intersection of Maple and Amethyst just down Maple from the high school football field. Ride up the dirt road (watch for vehicles) to the Mountain Park. Continue on the road over the hill past the two ponds and picnic area and cross Spring Creek over the first bridge. The road continues with numerous rolling hills as it follows Spring Creek through the canyon. The short trip turns around at the second bridge. Return down the same road which now becomes a great downhill ride back to your vehicle.
- Spring Creek Trail - Long (47K map)
- Terrain - Easy to moderate
- Elevation Gain - 1200 ft
- Length - 8 miles
- Suggested Maps - Trails Illustrated - Clark, Buffalo Pass; Routt National Forest
- Directions - Park at the intersection of Maple and Amethyst just down Maple from the high school football field. Ride up the dirt road (watch for vehicles) to the Mountain Park. Continue on the road over the hill past the two ponds and picnic area and cross Spring Creek over the first bridge. The road continues with numerous rolling hills as it follows Spring Creek through the canyon. Cross the creek the second time over the green walking bridge and follow the road another 1/4 mile and just start up the hill. The new Spring Creek Trail takes off to the right just above the start of the hill. The trail follows the canyon uphill another 4 miles with numerous crossings (I believe there are 13) of Spring Creek. All the bridges have been completed but with high spring run off you may still get your bike and/or your feet wet. The trail ends at the parking area across from the Dry Lake Campground on the Buffalo Pass Road. At this point you have the option of either returning back down the trail or heading down the Buffalo Pass Road to Strawberry Park. Turn left towards town then left again 1 mile later to take you past the schools and back to where you parked your vehicle. Note - many of us prefer to take this loop in reverse of how it is presented here. The ride up Buffalo Pass to the trailhead has some great views of the valley and the single track Spring Creek Trail is a real blast going down.
- Hot Springs Trail (57K map)
- Terrain - Moderate - a steep, sustained uphill climb followed by a steep descent down a very narrow, rugged trail. Some road riding at the beginning and end.
- Elevation Gain - 600 ft
- Length - 17 miles
- Suggested Maps - Trails Illustrated - Clark, Buffalo Pass; Routt National Forest; Rocky Peak Topo
- Directions - Ride out the Strawberry Park Road from town. The pavement ends at about mile 3 and a gravel road continues across Soda Creek and up a long 2 mile climb to Copper Ridge. There is a parking area at the base of the hill if you choose to drive. There is no parking on the county road or at the Hot Springs Park. From the top of the hill (spectacular view of the ski mtn and valley below) there is a fast, steep descent to the Hot Springs. Pick up the Hot Springs trail at the far end of the parking area. Continue along the trail for 2 miles of great single track. Either return back up the trail to town (or vehicle) or turn left when the trail intersects a dirt road, then through two Forest Service gates down to County Road 129. Turn left on the paved road and complete the loop back to town.
- Mad Creek Loop (71K map)
- Terrain - Moderate to difficult - approximately a 1.5 mile steep climb then 1.5 mile descent on a dirt double track.
- Elevation Gain - 700 feet
- Length - 5.5 miles
- Suggested Maps - Trails Illustrated - Clark, Buffalo Pass; Routt National Forest
- Directions - Head out of town going west on Hwy 40 then turn north on Hwy 129 towards Clark. The start is at the Mad Creek parking lot, off County Road 129. Take the old Forest Service road which is 0.5 miles back towards town on Hwy 129 and go through the two Forest Service gates. Climb up the road (the Hot Springs trail takes off at about 0.5 miles) up over the ridge (1.5 mile steep climb) then down the other side (1.5 mile descent) to the Mad Creek valley. Cross Mad Creek over the bridge and head toward the cabin. Take the single track trail to the left just before you get to the cabin. Go through the green gate and turn left on the downhill single track (this is the intersection with the Red Dirt trail). Go through another Forest Service gate then enjoy a fast downhill back down to the parking lot. Watch out for the steep drop offs in the Mad Creek canyon.
- Red Dirt Loop (71K map)
- Terrain - Moderate to difficult - majority on single track
- Elevation Gain - 800 feet
- Length - 6 miles
- Suggested Maps - Trails Illustrated - Clark, Buffalo Pass; Routt National Forest
- Directions - Head out of town going west on Hwy 40 then turn north on Hwy 129 towards Clark. The start is at the Mad Creek parking lot, off County Road 129. Ride 1.5 miles up the Mad Creek single track trail to the Mad Creek valley. Just past the Forest Service gate you will find an intersection. Take the trail to the left which climbs 1 mile to the top of the ridge. The Swamp Park trail takes off to the right just beyond the top but it goes into the Zirkel Wilderness so no bikes are allowed. Take the fork to the left for a great 2 mile single track ride back down to Hwy. 129 across from the Cristina fishing area. You then ride 1.2 miles back down Hwy. 129 to the parking area. This ride has a lot of climbing but the views and the single tracks are well worth the effort. Watch out for the steep drop offs in both the Mad Creek canyon (we almost lost Scott down one) as well as on the last portion of the single track just before you get to Hwy. 129.
- Greenville Mine Loop (56K map)
- Terrain - Moderate - entire route on double track
- Elevation Gain - 1300 feet
- Length - 14 miles
- Suggested Maps - Trails Illustrated - Clark, Buffalo Pass & Hahn's Peak; Routt National Forest
- Directions - Head out of Steamboat going west on Hwy 40, then turn north on Hwy 129 to Clark. Forest Road #440 takes off to the right just before you enter the "town" of Clark. You can park at the Clark Store if you go inside to get permission or you can park on FR 440 beyond the first 1.5 miles which crosses private land. The road climbs for 2.6 miles to the intersection with FR #471 which goes to the right. Begin the loop by taking #471 about 2.5 miles to the intersection with FR #469 which goes to the left. Follow #471 almost another 2 miles where you will again meet #440. Turn left on #440 and ride 3.5 miles to complete the loop. Head to the right down the hill to your vehicle.
- Coulton Creek / Scott Run Loop (104K map)
- Terrain - Moderate - majority of single track
- Elevation Gain - 1000 feet
- Length - 10 miles
- Suggested Maps - Trails Illustrated - Hahn's Peak; Routt National Forest; USGS Farwell Mountain
- Directions - Head out of Steamboat going west on Hwy 40, then turn north on Hwy 129 to Clark. Just past Clark there is a bridge across the Elk River. Take the road to the right (Seedhouse Road, County Road #64) 1/4 mile past the bridge. Go up Seedhouse Road 4 miles to FR road #429. You can either park here or at the Hinman Park Day Use Area another mile up the road. The trail (#1188) heads up the hill to the north right by road #429. Within 1/2 mile it parallels Coulton Creek on the west side. At about 3 miles the trail will fork. Take the east fork (#1188A) and cross the creek. The trail will make a gradual 1.5 mile climb to a ridge top where it meets the Hinman Creek Trail (#1177). Turn right and head down the trail. Watch for Hinman Lake on your right about 1 mile from the intersection. The trail meets FR #330 which will then meet Seedhouse Road. Turn right to complete the loop.
- Nipple Peak Long Loop #1 (79K map)
- Terrain - Difficult
- Elevation Gain - 1200 feet
- Length - 21 miles
- Suggested Maps - Trails Illustrated - Hahn's Peak; Routt National Forest
- Directions - Head out of Steamboat going west on Hwy 40, then turn north on Hwy 129 to Steamboat Lake. Continue another 3 miles to the turnoff to the Hahn's Peak Lake Campground (road #486). At mile 2 the road makes a sharp turn to the left across a creek. The road you want is road #487 that takes off to the right in the middle of the sharp turn. I usually park the vehicle here. Ride 2 miles up the road until you see trail #1156 crossing. The trail to the right is the Nipple Peak Short Loop listed below. You want to take the single track trail to the left which heads up the hill. This trail will probably have numberous "hike-a-bike" sections before you get to the saddle at about 1.5 miles. Check out the view from the saddle, it is spectacular! The 2 mile ride down can be trecherous so take your time. At the bottom you intersect the California Park trail #1147. Turn right and begin a 4 mile grind to the saddle near Nipple Peak. The trail down has many drop offs so again be careful. About 2 miles down the hill you intersect the Iron Mountain road (#488) which is the Nipple Peak Long Loop #2 listed below. Continue across the Iron Mtn road on the single track for another 2 miles or so when you intersect road #047. Follow this road down until you get to Hwy 129 right at the Summit Creek Guard Station. Head up the hill for 2 miles to Columbine then down the hill 1.5 miles to the Hahn's Peak Lake Campground turnoff to the right. Ride up the road the final 2 miles to your vehicle.
- Nipple Peak Long Loop #2 (79K map)
- Terrain - Difficult
- Elevation Gain - 1200 feet
- Length - 15 miles
- Suggested Maps - Trails Illustrated - Hahn's Peak; Routt National Forest
- Directions - Head out of Steamboat going west on Hwy 40, then turn north on Hwy 129 to Steamboat Lake. Continue another 3 miles to the turnoff to the Hahn's Peak Lake Campground (road #486). At mile 2 the road makes a sharp turn to the left across a creek. The road you want is road #487 that takes off to the right in the middle of the sharp turn. I usually park the vehicle here. Ride 2 miles up the road until you see trail #1156 crossing. The trail to the right is the Nipple Peak Short Loop listed below. You want to take the single track trail to the left which heads up the hill. This trail will probably have numberous "hike-a-bike" sections before you get to the saddle at about 1.5 miles. Check out the view from the saddle, it is spectacular! The 2 mile ride down can be trecherous so take your time. At the bottom you intersect the California Park trail #1147. Turn right and begin a 4 mile grind to the saddle near Nipple Peak. The trail down has many drop offs so again be careful. About 2 miles down the hill you intersect the Iron Mountain road (#488). Turn right and head down this road 4 miles to intersect Hwy 129. Turn right on Hwy 129 and a short distance right again onto the Hahn's Peak Lake Campground turnoff. Ride up the road the final 2 miles to your vehicle.
- Nipple Peak Short Loop (77K map)
- Terrain - Easy to moderate
- Elevation Gain - 400 feet
- Length - 8 miles
- Suggested Maps - Trails Illustrated - Hahn's Peak; Routt National Forest
- Directions - Head out of Steamboat going west on Hwy 40, then turn north on Hwy 129 to Steamboat Lake. Continue another 3 miles to the turnoff to the Hahn's Peak Lake Campground (road #486). At mile 2 the road makes a sharp turn to the left across a creek. The road you want is road #487 that takes off to the right in the middle of the sharp turn. I usually park the vehicle here. Ride 2 miles up the road until you see trail #1156 crossing. Take the single track trail to the right down towards the valley. The trail has rolling hills for about 3 miles then you will intersect the Iron Mountain road (#488). Turn right and head down this road 1.2 miles to intersect Hwy 129. Turn right on Hwy 129 and a short distance right again onto the Hahn's Peak Lake Campground turnoff. Ride up the road the final 2 miles to your vehicle.
- Rabbit Ears / Mountain View (122K map)
- Terrain - Moderate to difficult
- Elevation Gain - 500 feet
- Elevation Loss - 3,500 feet down Mt. Werner
- Length - 26 miles
- Suggested Maps - Trails Illustrated - Buffalo Pass; Routt National Forest
- Directions - Head out of Steamboat going east on Hwy 40, up Rabbit Ears Pass, to the turnoff to Dumont Lake. Take the old highway past the turnoff to the lake until you find the "bronze marker" (a large stone monument marking the top of the original highway) on the north side of the road. Park your vehicle here. Begin the ride headed north on the dirt road (road #311), over the irrigation ditch, and up the hill. Continue on the road another 3 miles until the road crosses a creek in the middle of a flat meadow, heads up a hill with a turn to the left, and passes through a grove of trees. You will usually see cars parked here. The single track trail (trail #102) begins in the trees on the right. The first mile is a steep downhill with a short section of level at the bottom just before you cross Fishhook Creek. Head up the hill on the other side of the creek and follow the trail another mile to Fishhook Lake. The trail crosses the creek right where it exits the lake. Follow the trail up the hill and around the lake. At the far side of the lake there is a trail to the right going to Lost Lake. This is a 1/4 mile side trip well worth the time. The main trial continues past the Lost Lake intersection into the trees and through a couple of meadows another mile to Lake Elmo. The trail circles the lake and on the far side meets a very old jeep trail. (Note: If you dismount your bike right when the trail makes the sharp turn to the right and heads away from the lake, you can walk 25 yds. to the back side of the lake and find a small cold spring to fill your water bottles.) Follow this old jeep trail about 1/2 mile where you will come to a 4 way intersection. The trail to the right is a very short trip to Lake Percy and Round Lake. The trail straight ahead continues along the divide to Buffalo Pass. You want to take the trail to the left which heads to Long Lake. The trail meets an old road just before you get to Long Lake. Follow the road to the right about 1/4 mile and look for an obvious intersection to the left which goes down the hill. Drop down this road, cross the creek then the dam, and find the single track trail which continues from the far side of the dam. Start the descent down the Fish Creek Falls trail and within the first 1/8 mile you will see the Mtn View Trail making a sweeping turn up to the left. You ride about 2/3 mile on the new single track before you meet the old beetle road. Turn right on the road and ride another 1.5 miles at which point you should see the new single track taking off to your right. The trail leaves the road just before it opens into Long Park in fact you can see the park through the trees. It's a little over 5.5 miles from the old beetle road to the top of the ski mountain. This section of the Mtn View Trail has some spectacular vistas so be sure to bring your camera. From the top of the ski mountain you can turn left to ride down Pete's Wicked Trail (if you still have the energy) or you can turn right and head down the Storm Peak Challenge trail to the ski area base.
The Fish Creek Falls trail (from Long Lake) is a 7 mile trail back to Steamboat. The USFS plans on erecting signs warning that this is a dangerous trail and should be used by expert riders only. The trail starts out very gentle with an easy path through meadows and beside the creek. As you approach what is known as the second falls, the trail becomes extremely steep and rocky. The smarter riders dismount here and hike-a-bike through the difficult sections but walking with a bike the footing can still be treacherous. Once you cross the bridge, the trail becomes less trecherous but not necessarily easier. The closer you get to the bottom, the more hikers you will encounter so please go slow and give them the right of way. The trail bottoms out at the famous Fish Creek Falls bridge. From the bridge, you are asked to walk your bike the short climb to the parking area where you will meet the road for the final 3 mile ride back to town.
- Rabbit Ears / Buffalo Pass (128K map)
- Terrain - Moderate to difficult
- Elevation Gain - 500 feet
- Elevation Loss - 4,000 feet down Buffalo Pass Road
- Length - 35 miles
- Suggested Maps - Trails Illustrated - Buffalo Pass; Routt National Forest
- Directions - Head out of Steamboat going east on Hwy 40, up Rabbit Ears Pass, to the turnoff to Dumont Lake. Take the old highway past the turnoff to the lake until you find the "bronze marker" (a large stone monument marking the top of the original highway) on the north side of the road. Park your vehicle here. Begin the ride headed north on the dirt road (road #311), over the irrigation ditch, and up the hill. Continue on the road another 3 miles until the road crosses a creek in the middle of a flat meadow, heads up a hill with a turn to the left, and passes through a grove of trees. You will usually see cars parked here. The single track trail (trail #102) begins in the trees on the right. The first mile is a steep downhill with a short section of level at the bottom just before you cross Fishhook Creek. Head up the hill on the other side of the creek and follow the trail another mile to Fishhook Lake. The trail crosses the creek right where it exits the lake. Follow the trail up the hill and around the lake. At the far side of the lake there is a trail to the right going to Lost Lake. This is a 1/4 mile side trip well worth the time. The main trial continues past the Lost Lake intersection into the trees and through a couple of meadows another mile to Lake Elmo. The trail circles the lake and on the far side meets a very old jeep trail. (Note: If you dismount your bike right when the trail makes the sharp turn to the right and heads away from the lake, you can walk 25 yds. to the back side of the lake and find a small cold spring to fill your water bottles.) Follow this old jeep trail about 1/2 mile where you will come to a 4 way intersection. The trail to the right is a very short trip to Lake Percy and Round Lake. The trail to the left heads to Long Lake and the Mountain View trail to the Stmbt Ski Area. You want to take the single track trail straight ahead which will continue along the divide to Buffalo Pass. This 6 mile section is generally up-hill although not too difficult. The trail ends in a parking area about 1/4 mile from Summit Lake and the top of Buffalo Pass. You now have an 11 mile descent on a rough road. You will meet the pavement at the bottom of the hill . At the stop sign turn left and ride back into town. As an alternative, you can ride 8 miles down the hill to Dry Lake Campground. The Spring Creek Trail takes off from the parking area on the left, directly across from the Dry Lake Campground. This is a wonderful, wide single track trail which will take you 6 miles down into town while crossing Spring Creek 15 times.
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