Muddy Trails
As winter in the upper valley fades, and warm spring days have certainly arrived in the lower valley and beyond, many of us are slowly turning our attention back to bikes and dirt trails.
Mother Nature, however, may have other plans. Colorado’s weather has been known to be a bit two-faced. When the weather turns this time of year, trails conditions can get ugly fast. Please do not ride overly muddy trails! If your tires are leaving ruts and your feet sink into the ground the trail is too muddy. Please don’t walk around the mud and off the trail – keep the singletrack single!. Instead, turn around and choose an alternate route or come back when it’s had a day or more to fully dry out.
Seasonal Closures
It’s also a good time of year to be mindful of seasonal closures. Having full compliance with official closures established by public land mangers, especially by mountain bikers, can make a big difference for wildlife during a sensitive time of year. Respect for the closures also makes it easier for mountain bikers to retain access to the trails we love & to get approval for new and improved trails in the Roaring Fork Valley.
- While most of Red Hill has been dry for weeks, Elk Traverse, North Side, Outer, and Sage loops all open on April 16th.
- At Prince Creek, everything above Monte Carlo is also closed until April 16th.
- Speaking of Prince Creek, the portion of the Rio Grande Trail between Rock Bottom Ranch and Catherine’s Store Road that makes the Prince Creek Loop possible is closed until May 1st.
- Moving further up valley, Glassier Open Space, Rim Trail, and Sky Mountain Park open on May 16th.
- All of the Snowmass Village trails. . . Tom Blake, Anaerobic Nightmare, and everything in the Bike Park are closed from April 25th to June 21st.
- Government Trail East of Elk Camp Work Road is closed May 15th to June 21st.
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