RMTT04 Trails - updated 8/7/04 (Rick Ramsey, minion)

We have afternoon rain almost every day in July and August every year. The trails drain well because of all the da** rocks ;-) There are several trails that do get a bit difficult and should be avoided if it's raining a lot: Star Tr, the middle section of the Gunnison Spur, and Timberline Tr. Almost everything else is rideable in the rain.

There are really only two trails in Taylor Park: Timberline and the Gunnison Spur of the Colorado Tr. Several trails lead out of Taylor Park, like Dorchester, Cameron Creek Tr, and Napoleon Pass, but many are just beyond the horizon of the mountains that ring the Park. These include:

* Star (shown in picture), Lily Pond, and the rough road to Taylor Pass to the northwest;

* trails southwest of Spring Creek Reservoir (Flag Cr Tr, Bear Cr Tr, Deadman Tr, Rosebud Tr, Cement Mtn Tr, and Reno Ridge Tr);

* trails westward towards Crested Butte, off of Cement Cr - Brush Cr Tr (the best), Block and Tackle, Waterfall, Double Top, Walrod, and others;

* and Fossil Ridge, Gold Cr, Fairview and other trails to the south.

Cumberland Pass and Napoleon Pass lead you to the small town of Pitkin. Both routes are southeast of the Trading Post via the road to Tincup.

Cumberland Pass is a graded road that cars travel, so it is very easy. There are great views from the pass.

Napoleon Pass is east of Cumberland Pass. It is an ATV route, so it's rougher than Cumberland Pass road.

When you ride south out of Tincup, turn left and ride by the cemetery, then follow the ATV route south. You ride past a steam engine and a rocky section, then turn left and cross the creek, then continue south uphill to Napoleon Pass. Eventually you come out on the road to Pitkin. Mark the turn well; it's easy to miss it when going back.

All of these can be reached via roads out of the Park.

Trails near Crested Butte

Getting to these trails usually involves a long ride if you start in Taylor Park. But they are some of the best trails in the area, so it's worth it. The two areas that I ride are off of Brush Cr Rd and Cement Cr Rd.

Brush Cr Rd
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Brush Cr Rd is just south of Crested Butte, about 1 mile. Turn east off of Hiway 135 at the Skyland Golf Course onto Rd 738. Follow the road around the mountain and drive across some farmland to arrive at Brush Cr. There is a large flat area among the aspen on the right that is very nice for camping. You can also continue up the road, but it gets rocky and is not worth the drive in a truck.

Trails in the area are:

West side of Brush Cr Rd: West Brush Cr Tr and Teocali Ridge Tr.

East side of Brush Cr Rd has the Strand Hill trails. These include Canal Tr, Strand Bonus Tr, Strand Hill Tr, 402 Tr, Farris Cr Tr, and 409.5A Tr. These last two trails lead over to Double Top and the Walrod area off of Cement Creek.

Brush Cr Tr is at the far north end of Brush Cr Rd. This is the most spectacular trail in the area as it goes north to Star Pass near Star Mtn and Crystal Mtn and then eventually to Taylor Pass. You can also drop down to Taylor River Rd and ride around to Taylor Park Reservoir (a long ride).

Cement Cr Rd
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Cement Cr Rd is south of Crested Butte about 7 miles. Turn east off of Hiway 135 onto Rd 740. Follow the road past the residential area and up the canyon. There are a few camping spots in the lower canyon but many more after you drive up past the waterfalls about 8 miles.

On the way up, you will pass the trailhead for the Caves Tr, a very steep start to Double Top Tr. Further up the canyon, there is the Walrod turnoff, with several trails that lead up to Double Top. Double Top Tr has some great views north of the Waterfall Tr intersection and up to the north end. South of the Waterfall Tr intersection is very technical/difficult. Waterfall Tr itself is in the trees and can be slimy when wet but is the best way to get up to Double Top Tr that I know of. It avoids the technical stuff from Walrod to Waterfall.

If you drive up past the waterfalls (they're really just a steep part of the stream coming down the hillside), you'll find better trails and camping.

Trails in the area are:

East side of Cement Cr Rd: Deadman (should be ridden downhill only), Reno Divide Rd, Grassy Tr.

West side of Cement Cr Rd: Waterfall Tr, Block & Tackle Tr, Hunters Creek Tr, and Hunters Hill Tr.

You can also ride up Cement Cr Rd to the Mt Tilton area and ride Mt Tilton Tr north.

The Reno Divide Rd (and Grassy Tr) leads you over to these trails: Flag Cr Tr, Bear Cr Tr, Deadman Tr, Rosebud Tr, Cement Mtn Tr, and Reno Ridge Tr.

Other Information

Taylor Park / Gunnison Basin Tips - print these, read them, heed them.

Some trail loops - general descriptions

Several very good trail loops - more loops

Detailed trail loop descriptions - the nitty gritty
Detailed descriptions are not available for all loops now, more later

As you will see, not all loop descriptions are detailed. Some riders prefer to fill in the details themselves.

Difficulty of trails
The single track trails in and around Taylor Park should be considered intermediate to advanced.

There are also a lot of 4WD roads through Taylor Park. Most of them would be suitable for beginner riders or dual-sport riding.

Maps
Trails Illustrated has excellent maps of the area. I suggest the following maps:
129 - Buena Vista/Collegiate Peaks
130 - Salida, St Elmo, Shavano Peak
131 - Crested Butte/Pearl Pass - the green stripe version revised in 2001 is the latest; don't get an older version!!!
132 - Gunnison/Pitkin

You can buy the maps for about $10 at:

* Gunnison - the Bookworm, 211 N Main. When you turn north to go to Crested Butte, it's on the left side of the street (west) about 1.5 blocks north of the traffic light. The USFS Gunnison District Office may also sell the maps.

* Crested Butte - the Alpineer, 419 6th St, the camping/hiker outfitter store on the left as you enter Crested Butte (near the second stop sign).

* Salida - the USFS Salida District Office. They're on Hiway 50, on the south side, east of Country Bounty Restaurant.

* Canon City - the USFS and BLM are in a large complex on the east end of town, south side of Hiway 50. They probably have the maps for sale.

TI maps can be ordered through your local map or book store, or on-line at: Trails Illustrated Store
(Click 'Travel & Recreation', then under topo maps, click on state series maps).