The town of Vail itself is magnificent and feels as though you’ve left the states for a while. The Appalachian Mountains are also home to some impressive mountain biking trails, and these are perhaps the best ones. OR From mountain climbs and scenic byways, to vineyard trails for casual pedallers, Colorado’s cycle routes provide a stunning backdrop for all abilities . The Best Mountain Bike Parks in Colorado. Its interactive, searchable database ranks more than 500 communities, both large and small. From the Western Slope to the central Rocky Mountains to the Denver foothills, mountain bikers have their choice of thousands of miles of beautifully crafted trails and trail systems to savor. Many say that Durango has kept its rural roots while promoting while still embracing “big city” vibes. For this reason, The Mountain Bike Hall of Fame calls Crested Butte home. From designated bike lanes to the vibe of drivers whizzing past, many factors play into a gut judgment of a city’s bike-ability. Here are the best mountain towns in Colorado: Winter Park is nestled peacefully in the Rocky Mountains with a population barely reaching that of 1,000 people. Leadville, Colorado Yes, Colorado boasts its fair share of ski resort towns known for drawing the rich and famous: Aspen, Vail, Breckenridge, Telluride and the like. We asked five pros how they made it work and what it takes to make a living in the outdoor industry "in real life.". Find out where your city was ranked by a new People for Bikes metric. There’s a reason everyone talks about Moab. Check out the top 10 below and find the full list here. It's an amazing place for a calm, chill trip or even for a vigorous bike riding challenge!! Other notable ski areas nearby include Keystone, Loveland, and Arapahoe Basin. PeopleForBikes adds science to the assessment. Best Mountain Biking in Colorado’s Front Range. If you are looking for a place that has all the greatest outdoor activities and beauty of the Rocky Mountains year round without all the hassle of big crowds you have unearthed Colorado’s best-kept secret – Winter Park. - Mountain biking. “The work continues to this day as we refine the seamless integration between our on- and off-street bike networks and strive to help cyclists feel more comfortable on all types of trips,” Kemp said. The biking trails surrounding this part of Colorado are some of the country’s most awe-inspiring, including the rite-of-passage route over Pearls Pass , which leads from Crested Butte to Aspen. The world-class skiing speaks for itself and even though it can be a very popular place for locals and tourists the enormity of the resort makes it always possible to find a secluded run and some fresh snow. contact us online! ... Colorado’s 9 Best Mountain Biking Trails Read More. , Mountain Life Colorado Has Some Of The World’s Best Mountain Bike Trails. Frisco has a small-town feel, but still offers plenty to do and accessibility to nearly all areas of the high Rocky Mountains. Pull back to the top 20 and you’ll see Ferndale, Michigan, challenging the likes of Washington, D.C. Crested Butte, Colorado Crested Butte, Colorado, has a core bike culture that lures riders from all over the world. A beautiful mountain town nestled in the Rocky Mountains, Breckenridge is surrounded by scenic beauty. Denver, Colorado Springs, and Fort Collins offer a wonderful metro city vibe, but the mountain towns of Colorado are celebrated more often. Both Lawrence, Kansas, and Eugene, Oregon, bested Brooklyn and Minneapolis. There’s a ton of adventure in this small area including skiing, hiking, biking, snowshoeing, fishing, and much more. Of the hundreds of products GearJunkie staff and contributors reviewed, these items stood out as some of the best. , Skiing It is one of the best places in the country for mountain biking and has been nicknamed ‘Mountain Bike Capital USA.’ There is also great hiking, camping, fishing, golf, and a very Colorado small-town feel to most of the area. In fact, the town has more award-winning restaurants per capita than big metro cities like San Francisco! While it sits nearly 3 hours from the cluster of ski resorts that make up Vail, Breckenridge, and Glenwood Springs, Durango is just 30 minutes from its own Purgatory Ski Resort. The best & most popular mountain biking trails in Colorado. The popular local spot brims with activity with fine recreation opportunities including sunbathing at Lake Lure Beach, mountain biking at Buffalo … Results determine individual category scores and a town’s overall score. Telluride boasts an abundance of outdoor activities all summer and winter long receiving 300 inches of snow and 300 days of sunshine in one year! It is widely considered to be an up and coming contender to Whistler and Mammoth as one of the best downhill mountain biking destinations in North America. 1: Colorado National Monument. 2. In all, this appears to represent a growth of cycling culture outside trendy cities. #5 of 73 Outdoor Activities in Aspen “ The trail is easily accessible from Glenwood Springs to Aspen and offers auto and stress free road bike riding on wide, well-maintained and signed asphalt paths, that formerly were the Rio Grande Railroad line. Colorado's Top 5 Mountain Towns to Hit Before Summer’s Over . It has a rich history as what was once one of the richest and bawdiest mining boomtowns in the country, with 70 square blocks of its downtown area designated as a National Historic Landmark of Victorian architecture. You can read more about the methodology here. Enter before February 8th for your chance to win. Moab, Utah The Moab board of tourism boldly proclaims to be “the home of the greatest mountain biking on the planet," and with good reason. 26 ... to flowy rollers through grassy meadows with stay-awhile views of 14,259-foot Longs Peak in Rocky Mountain National Park. The best small towns in Colorado offer a mixture of winter sports, mountain ranges, arts and culture, and history. Telluride is quite the hike from Denver with over a 6-hour drive (without traffic), but in part that is what makes it worth the trip! 2. Not only can you ride on dirt nearly anywhere in town on their "singletrack sidewalk" network, you can also access over 100 miles of city-maintained trails from town. What’s more relaxing than the biggest natural hot tub pooled right in the middle of the Rocky Mountains? “I park in town and use the 2-mile road ride to the Antelope Trail as a warm up,” says MTB Project Co-Founder Nick Wilder. It’s the end of 2020, and, as is our annual tradition, it's time to look back at the best gear we tested this year. For mountain bikers, nowhere in Colorado is on par with the high-desert town of Fruita. The Process. The City Ratings use a scoring system to rank cities and weigh criteria in the categories of ridership (how many people ride bikes); safety (how safe it is to ride bikes); network (how easy it is for people to get where they need to go); acceleration (how fast the bike network is expanding); and reach (how well the network serves all neighborhoods in the community). Durango is often a forgotten gem in Colorado. Crested Butte is acclaimed as the “Winner of the 2014 Powder Magazine Ski Town Throwdown Best Ski Town in North America” due to some of the best backcountry skiing in all of Colorado. Check it out! Due to Winter Park’s unbeatable geography and secluded nature we had no choice but to rate this town #1 on our lists. , Colorado Lifestyle I quickly learned this project wouldn’t be as easy as it first sounded. This ideal weather fosters plenty of time to see their beautiful waterfalls (like Ingram Falls & Bridal Veil Falls) or go on an adventure by rafting down a river, mountain biking the 40 mile Telluride Mountain Run or simply traversing all the breathtaking sites on an easy to advance hiking exploration. By Shauna Farnell . While Glenwood springs are known for its hot springs infused laid back mentality it has much more to offer. Some of the best features of Durango include its down-to-Earth, friendly population and its beautiful mountain setting. Want to know 50 reasons we think it’s the best bike town? Of course, that’s not what makes it so alluring. While it can all be looked at as a contest of sorts, the ratings are designed to show cities where they objectively stand. This town is bread for winter activities with six months of the year being completely covered in snow and ranking as the #1 U.S. territory with the highest city limits at 12,060 feet. Another big note is the rise of smaller towns that many may not associate with a bike-friendly ethos. Everything in this town from dining to shopping, to nightlife is top-notch, so it’s definitely not the best place to be on a budget, but if you have some money to spend it can be a very good time. While many Coloradans prefer to enjoy the freedom of the Rocky Mountains without the hordes we understand that some prefer a little more of a popular scene in their entertainment. Founded in 1859, this lovely community, which has its roots in mining, is home to one of the largest historic districts within Colorado, which includes the charming historic Main Street where visitors can stroll and discover fine eateries, quaint shops, and more. The town’s vitality fluctuates with seasonal workers who bolster life to this backcountry ski resort drawn in by some of … Traveling to the birthplace of mountain biking in Colorado For those who want to live in the mountains, but without having a ski resort in your backyard and all that comes with it, Glenwood Springs might just be the place for you! Search ... of course, is king here come winter, but in the warmer months 750 miles of mountain biking trails make traveling on two wheels tempting. Crested Butte, Colorado Crested Butte is known for being one of the birthplaces for the mountain biking sport so it comes to no surprise that this little mountain town is one of the most famous amongst the mountain biking circuit. Restaurants like Uptown give diners a chance to settle and enjoy good food with a pleasant atmosphere. For this reason, we have ranked Vail, Colorado as our #4 option for best Colorado Mountain town. Call 970-726-8700 Written in an engaging way. Based at the Winter Park ski resort, Trestle Park is the fastest growing bike park in North America. “ You can drive to the top most months and have a great view of the 14 thousand foot peaks and there are trails along the way to hike if you're so inclined. Their ski resort is one of the nicest winter facilities for outdoor sports worldwide, with a mountain so big it hosts over 195 runs! Sharing in-depth conversations between the world's adventurers, athletes, and outdoorspeople, The GearJunkie Podcast is your inside look into the outdoors industry. Trailforks ranks trails with a combination of user ratings and raw trail usage data from rides. It is primarily renowned for having the WORLD’S largest mineral hot springs! Located in the Tsali Recreation Area just 65 miles west of the outdoors mecca of Asheville, N.C., these four trails comprise 41.8 miles of easy-to-moderate terrain to traverse. A list of the top places to mountain bike in the US. Despite the name, Winter Park is not only a great place to be during the winter months. Some of the features Durango gives its residence include an average of 300 days of sunshine, countless mountain trails for hiking/biking/camping, fishing, access to its breathtaking Animas river, and the noteworthy railroad that connects Durango to Silverton, Colorado. Famed mountain town of Crested Butte is home to 750 miles of those tracks. Steamboat Springs Chamber Resort Association. Chances are you have likely heard of Vail and for good reason. Colorado is known for its high peaks and mountain scenery. Copper Mountain is a few minutes drive away. The best bike city in the United States even has a vending machine for cyclists to buy accessories at any hour of the day. Rocky Mountain high: Colorado’s 7 best cycle routes. With scenic canyons and mountain backdrops, mountain biking in Colorado is the best you’ll find anywhere in the USA. But with last year’s winner, Fort Collins, coming in second, it looks like Colorado — a state known for its singletrack and mountain trails — is becoming a haven for commuters and roadies as well. People who have skied Telluride often mention that its steep slopes that are often above the tree line are more reminiscent of a European ski resort and unlike any other resort in the state. This out-of-the-way locale is filled with desert canyons, rock spires, giant mountains, and vast ridges that spread themselves out along the … Trestle Park – Colorado. In Fruita and Crested Butte, two of Colorado’s mountain-biking master towns, the trail networks are so vast and varied that a map is a downright necessity. Here are among the top mountain biking trails in Colorado, in no particular order: 1. If you had to conjure up an image of a classic Colorado mountain town, Crested Butte is probably what would come to mind. You should also check out Rocky Mountain Coffee Roasters for a wonderful cup of Joe, especially if you’re in the area during those cold winter months. RATE THIS STORY: Submit Rating . Read more…. Some surprise cities (Lawrence, Kansas?) The closest ski resort is 10 miles out of town plus there’s not a long drive to world-class resorts of Aspen and Vail for skiing and mountain biking. In the following article we will explore five family friendly mountain bike rides in Colorado. Best Bike Cities in America Not a big surprise, Boulder, Colorado, comes out on top. Why Mountain Biking is Awesome in Colorado [In route to Green Mountain. Rocky Mountains, Breckenridge is surrounded by scenic beauty kept its rural roots while promoting while embracing... Reasons we think it ’ s senior transportation planner, the mountain bike trails pitch their tents in US... Managed to crack the top 10 after missing the list comes from that of. 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