King’s Ransom

The King's Ransom route on the Crown boasts a hefty price featuring 30 miles of singletrack and 4,000 ft of climbing. Skirting the north and west flanks of Crown Mountain, this course offers plenty of ups, downs and rolling terrain.

The ride starts at the Hook's Spur parking lot on the Rio Grande trail near Willets/El Jebel. From there its straight into the singletrack climb of Glassier and stays singletrack for the rest of the ride.

The descent of the Vasten Loop is quickly becoming a local favorite and the lower and upper Outie descents are real screamers. Be aware that all of the trails on this ride are designated as two way trails, so keep your eyes open for oncoming riders. Particularly on Glassier, Lower Outie, North Porcupine and the Buckhorn Traverse.

Note: there is a critical junction where Buckhorn meets Outie that requires a sharp right turn onto the lower section of Outie. Missing that turn will send you climbing the upper Outie trail... which is not recommended. When you see the brown Outie post, cut hard right and descend to the north. If you are enjoying a long mellow winding descent, you're on the right path. If you are riding down a short, sketchy loose hike a bike that ends in a gully and you're not sure where to go, turn around and hike back up. You went the wrong way.

You're going to want to bring plenty of water. A savvy rider might choose to drop a water bottle or two at the previously mentioned Buckhorn/Outie junction on the way out for pick up after the Innie/Outie loop, but that's your call.

After skirting the west side of the Crown on the North Porcupine trail, be prepared for a long climb up Innie that reaches a saddle with fantastic views of Mount Sopris. With Sopris to your rear, drop into the upper section of the Outie descent and keep your wits about you because this trail is a real ripper. At the bottom of the screaming descent, continue north and up a very short hike-a-bike and you are back at the intersection with Buckhorn. If you stashed a water bottle here, grab it and hydrate. You'll need the water if you are going to attempt the full King's Ransom.

If you're cooked at this point and need an exit, follow Buckhorn all the way down to the Rio Grande bike path and roll back to the parking lot. If you are still good to go, keep rocking on the Buckhorn Traverse and climb back to the top of Glassier Trail. At one point you will pass by the Vasten trail that you had descended earlier and should continue on Buckhorn Traverse.

Once back on top of Glassier, enjoy a fun descent back to the Rio Grande and the starting point. As you rock and roll down Glassier, keep an eye out for riders ascending the climb as some corners are difficult to spot oncoming traffic.

Follow the maps or plug the provided .gpx file into your cycling computer and check this route out!