Where is the best singletrack in the US?

We are considering to spend our holidays in the US. The idea is to ride hardtails with BOB trailers
on road between MTB-destinations with fine singletrack. We have no intention of going off road with
the BOBs but will stay in places and ride unencumbered by luggage.

So, where do we find the best singletrack? The best epic rides? There should be a lot of it and not
too hard to find or search out.

The season will be July and August.

Per

http://user.tninet.se/~ipg289h/fu99/MTB.html

 

Per Löwdin wrote:
> We are considering to spend our holidays in the US. The idea is to ride hardtails with BOB
> trailers on road between MTB-destinations with fine singletrack. We have no intention of going off
> road with the BOBs but will stay in places and ride unencumbered by luggage.
>
>
>
> So, where do we find the best singletrack? The best epic rides? There should be a lot of it and
> not too hard to find or search out.

As a European visiting, this would be my guide: http://www.btinternet.com/~peteajones/USA-mtb/

 

RE/
>We have no intention of going off road with the BOBs but will stay in places and ride unencumbered
>by luggage.
>
>So, where do we find the best singletrack? The best epic rides? There should be a lot of it and not
>too hard to find or search out.

Wasn't there a San Juan thread a couple weeks ago? Sounded like the perfect fit to me.
-----------------------
PeteCresswell

 

> > So, where do we find the best singletrack? The best epic rides? There
should
> > be a lot of it and not too hard to find or search out.
>
> As a European visiting, this would be my guide: http://www.btinternet.com/~peteajones/USA-mtb/
>
Yes, I like it, Fruita, Durango and Crested Butte, got high priority. But say if we spend a week in
each place, we will still have another four weeks, it´ll be seven all together at least.

Per

 

> Wasn't there a San Juan thread a couple weeks ago? Sounded like the
perfect
> fit to me.

Excuse my ignorance, but where is San Juan? Close to Colorado?

Per http://user.tninet.se/~ipg289h/fu99/MTB.html

 

On Fri, 14 Mar 2003 21:23:27 +0100, bomba wrote:

>> So, where do we find the best singletrack? The best epic rides? There should be a lot of it and
>> not too hard to find or search out.
>
> As a European visiting, this would be my guide: http://www.btinternet.com/~peteajones/USA-mtb/

If you don't want to ride strictly desert and have a good bit of time, a little variety may in
order. Head to either coast; west is probably closer (and East may be a little too much like home,
riding-wise).

Kansas is even closer and would also really provide some variety, but not necessarily the kind
you want.

--
-BB- To reply to me, drop the attitude (from my e-mail address, at least)

 

"(Pete Cresswell)" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> RE/
> >We have no intention of going off road with the BOBs but will stay in places and ride
> >unencumbered by luggage.
> >
> >So, where do we find the best singletrack? The best epic rides? There
should
> >be a lot of it and not too hard to find or search out.
>
> Wasn't there a San Juan thread a couple weeks ago? Sounded like the
perfect
> fit to me.
> -----------------------
> PeteCresswell

I know there are several "San Juan's" in the country, but if you're referring to the San Juan Trail
in Orange County, CA, then this is what it looks like.

http://www.geocities.com/mfpaul/san_juan.html

remember to right click and save target as for viewing.

 

BB wrote:
> On Fri, 14 Mar 2003 21:23:27 +0100, bomba wrote:
>
>>> So, where do we find the best singletrack? The best epic rides? There should be a lot of it and
>>> not too hard to find or search out.
>>
>> As a European visiting, this would be my guide: http://www.btinternet.com/~peteajones/USA-mtb/
>
> If you don't want to ride strictly desert and have a good bit of time, a little variety may in
> order. Head to either coast; west is probably closer (and East may be a little too much like home,
> riding-wise).

Idaho, Canada, PNW....

 

"Per Löwdin" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> We are considering to spend our holidays in the US. The idea is to ride hardtails with BOB
> trailers on road between MTB-destinations with fine singletrack. We have no intention of going off
> road with the BOBs but will stay in places and ride unencumbered by luggage.
>
>
>
> So, where do we find the best singletrack? The best epic rides? There should be a lot of it and
> not too hard to find or search out.
>
>
>
> The season will be July and August.

Northern California

JD

 

RE/
>Excuse my ignorance, but where is San Juan? Close to Colorado?

When I saw the thread, I thought it was in Puerto Rico.

It's somewhere out west.

Check out http://lashwhip.com/shs.html

Also the thread is "San Juan Huts trip questions" if you want to Google it.
-----------------------
PeteCresswell

 

http://www.shavings.net/images/maps/mtb/bearbrooktrails.jpg http://www.fomba.com/trailmap.htm

so I'm a bit biased

 

Per Löwdin wrote:
> We are considering to spend our holidays in the US. The idea is to ride hardtails with BOB
> trailers on road between MTB-destinations with fine singletrack. We have no intention of going off
> road with the BOBs but will stay in places and ride unencumbered by luggage.
>
>
>
> So, where do we find the best singletrack? The best epic rides? There should be a lot of it and
> not too hard to find or search out.
>
>
>
> The season will be July and August.

There's certainly a lot of options out there. In July and August, you might well want to avoid
the famed desert. The Salt Lake area has so much good stuff that I've had a hard time getting to
other places.

The Wasatch Crest trail can't be beat for the single best trail anywhere. (But each of the
multitudes of riders who've done it think that.) Matched, yes, but not beat. The Park City area ski
resorts have lots of white-knuckle and ear-splitting-grin singletrack.

--
--
Lynn Wallace http://www.xmission.com/~lawall "I'm not proud. We really haven't done everything we
could to protect our customers. Our products just aren't engineered for security." --Microsoft VP in
charge of Windows OS Development, Brian Valentine.

 

> The Wasatch Crest trail can't be beat for the single best trail anywhere.

Thanks, found it with a google and bookmarked it.

(But each of the multitudes of riders who've done it think
> that.) Matched, yes, but not beat. The Park City area ski resorts have lots of white-knuckle and
> ear-splitting-grin singletrack.

The area would not bee too far from Durango and Crested Butte so it could fit in.

Per

 

ALASKA.

TJ

"Per Löwdin" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:[email protected]...
> We are considering to spend our holidays in the US. The idea is to ride hardtails with BOB
> trailers on road between MTB-destinations with fine singletrack. We have no intention of going off
> road with the BOBs but will stay in places and ride unencumbered by luggage.
>
>
>
> So, where do we find the best singletrack? The best epic rides? There
should
> be a lot of it and not too hard to find or search out.
>
>
>
> The season will be July and August.
>
>
>
> Per
>
>
>
> http://user.tninet.se/~ipg289h/fu99/MTB.html

 

"(Pete Cresswell)" <[email protected]> wrote:
> >Excuse my ignorance, but where is San Juan? Close to Colorado?
>
> When I saw the thread, I thought it was in Puerto Rico.
>
> It's somewhere out west.

Sounds like you're describing the San Juan Range, in the Southwestern-most quadrant of the
southwestern quadrant of the State of Colorado. Durango is pretty much on the Southwest edge of the
San Juans.

The headwaters of the Rio Grande River are in the San Juans, and many other notable rivers (Animas,
La Plata, San Juan, Dolores) which ultimately drain into the Colorado start high in the San Juans.
Pretty damned nice mountains.

> Check out http://lashwhip.com/shs.html

It would be a good time to explore the Uncompahgre Plateau, which these huts are (mostly) on.
Towards the Moab end of this hut series you'd maybe get hotter than you want to be.

If CO is someplace you'd like to really SEE, and not just visit, I'd suggest:

Start in Durango. Work your way through Silverton toward Ouray or Telluride (or figure out how to
check out both places). Then leave the San Juans, follow the Gunnison River up to Gunnison and head
north toward CB and the Elks/West Elks. Lots of Colorado to see around there...

There's a dirt route I'd haul a BOB trailer over, from CB to Basalt. From there work your way up the
Roaring Fork Valley toward Aspen. From Aspen cross the mighty Sawatch Range over into Buena Vista
and check out my back yard here in the upper Arkansas River Valley.

From here, head north and ride through any of Lake County, Park County, Summit County, through the
Mosquito Range and the headwaters of the South Platte and Blue Rivers. From there you could cross
over Vail Pass and examine the Gore Range/Eagle River Valley. When you're ready to move on head
downriver to the Eagle's confluence with the mighty Colorado River. Follow the Colorado upstream
towards Grand County, to the Winter Park/Fraser area (fabulous mtb riding).

You could finish out by hauling BOBs over Trail Ridge road in Rocky Mountain National Park, back
into the seething Front Range toward the airport in Denver. Or I think you could haul them over
Rollins Pass and into Boulder (is there any Wilderness Area to cross there?)

I can imagine finding a week's worth of singletrack near Durango, another weeks worth near
Ouray/Telluride, another week's worth in CB, another week's worth in the Roaring Fork Valley,
another week's worth in the Upper Arkansas, another week's worth in Summit and Park Counties,
another week's worth in Vail, and yet another week's worth in Winter Park. Add in maybe 10 days
worth of pavement time hauling BOB's and you would SEE Colorado.
--
Tom "heartily welcomes non-petro burning tourists" Purvis Salida, CO

 

"Per Löwdin" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> We are considering to spend our holidays in the US. The idea is to ride hardtails with BOB
> trailers on road between MTB-destinations with fine singletrack. We have no intention of going off
> road with the BOBs but will stay in places and ride unencumbered by luggage.
>
>
>
> So, where do we find the best singletrack? The best epic rides? There should be a lot of it and
> not too hard to find or search out.
>
>
>
> The season will be July and August.
>
>
>
> Per
>
>
>
> http://user.tninet.se/~ipg289h/fu99/MTB.html

There is a San Juan hut system that runs from Telluride, CO to Moab, UT. http://www.sanjuanhuts.com/

I've never done it - just heard about it. As for your original question, I'm partial to Northern
California. You could road ride through the Sierra foothills on Highway 49 and other roads which
would take you to singletrack rides around Auburn, Downieville, Nevada City, and Lake Tahoe.

 

Thanks Tom,

I saved your message for future use.

> I can imagine finding a week's worth of singletrack near Durango, another weeks worth near
> Ouray/Telluride, another week's worth in CB, another week's worth in the Roaring Fork Valley,
> another week's worth in the Upper Arkansas, another week's worth in Summit and Park Counties,
> another week's worth in Vail, and yet another week's worth in Winter Park. Add in maybe 10 days
> worth of pavement time hauling BOB's and you would SEE Colorado.

Seems Colorado has what we are looking for: high mountain air and singletrack.

Will we find route descriptions, not for the bits on road we can read maps, but for the singletrack.
It can be hard to find if you are an outsider. Is there a bible "MTB in Colorado"? Or do we go to
the LBSs and ask where the best rides are?

Per http://user.tninet.se/~ipg289h/fu99/MTB.html

 

RE/
>Will we find route descriptions, not for the bits on road we can read maps, but for the
>singletrack. It can be hard to find if you are an outsider.

You'll probably find all sorts of bike-specific maps, but I'd also get something published by the US
government's Department Of The Interior Geological Survey.

They're called "7.5-minute series topographic maps". Extremely-detailed, to the point where
individual buildings are visible and identifiable. The scale is 1:24,000 with each map covering
about 10.5 x 13.5 kilometers.

Much the same as Germany's Topographische Karte 1:25,000 mit Wanderwegen by the Landesvermessungsamt

Personally, I also find them to be excellant souveniers....especially after I've marked them up
during various rides.

-----------------------
PeteCresswell

 

(Pete Cresswell) wrote:
> RE/
>> Will we find route descriptions, not for the bits on road we can read maps, but for the
>> singletrack. It can be hard to find if you are an outsider.
>
> You'll probably find all sorts of bike-specific maps, but I'd also get something published by the
> US government's Department Of The Interior Geological Survey.
>
> They're called "7.5-minute series topographic maps". Extremely-detailed, to the point where
> individual buildings are visible and identifiable. The scale is 1:24,000 with each map covering
> about 10.5 x 13.5 kilometers.
>

you can look at them for free at www.topozone.come Some of the data on them is easily 20-30 years
out of date, so it may not show newer trails, roads, building or in some cases they show trails that
are no longer in use. I''ve gotten seriously screwed by out dated topo maps.

some of the best trails maps are Trails Illustrated put out by the topo cd folks:
http://maps.nationalgeographic.com/topo/
>
> Personally, I also find them to be excellant souveniers....especially after I've marked them up
> during various rides.
>

I hvae boxes and boxes....

penny

 

"Per Löwdin" <[email protected]> wrote in message news:<[email protected]>...
> Or do we go to the LBSs and ask where the best rides are?

That goes without say anywhere, unless the shop is crappy. Never trust a non-local guidebook or map.
If they were only a visitor and writing a guidebook, they had no business doing so. There is one
quite unethical individual here in the Southwest who is notorious for only poaching information from
other guidebooks, having never ridden many of the routes they include in their haphazard efforts. If
you have any spirit of adventure and common sense, you'll find out all of the information you'l ever
need for anywhere without having to ask in online forums. You're only cheating yourself if you
depend on this lot.

JD