Crested Butte in 3 Days: Trail 401 and the Classic Singletrack
Crested Butte is where trail advocacy started, and the riding lives up to the reputation. Three days is enough to acclimatize, ride the wildflower singletrack CB is famous for, and get some lift-served laps in. Everything sits high, so respect the altitude on day one and start alpine days early before the afternoon storms roll in.
The plan
A build from town trails to the marquee 401 to lift laps, matched to a rider who is comfortable on blue singletrack.
Shake out the legs on the Lower Loop
Morning: Pick up your bike at Big Al's Bicycle Heaven at 207 Elk Ave, then roll straight to the Lower Loop. Access is right in town off Butte Avenue, trail on your left just past the last house. The 4-mile Lower Loop follows the Slate River and is the first trail system to melt out, so it is a mellow, low-commitment way to start moving at 8,885 feet.
Afternoon: Add the Upper Lower Loop for more distance, or link into Woods Walk and Budd Trail if you want to keep the legs turning. Keep it easy today. Altitude does the work whether you want it to or not.
Eats: Secret Stash Pizza at 303 Elk Ave for the post-ride calories. Open 11am to 9pm daily.
Ride Trail 401, the one you came for
Morning: Start early. Afternoon thunderstorms above treeline are the real hazard here, and you do not want to be at 11,300 feet when one builds. There is no commercial shuttle for 401, so most riders pedal the 7 miles up Gothic Road to the Gothic/Judd Falls trailhead, then climb 4.5 miles up FS 317 to Schofield Pass. Hitching a ride up Gothic Road with a passing truck is common and usually works if you would rather save the legs.
Afternoon: Ride the loop counter-clockwise: up the road, across the alpine traverse, then the descent through wildflower meadows on Mt. Belleview. If you are here in mid-July the bloom is absurd. Pack a rain shell and a layer. It is exposed and cold up top even in summer.
Eats: The Eldo Brewery & Taproom at 215 Elk Ave. This is where riders end up after a big day, walkable from anywhere in town.
Lift laps at the Crested Butte Mountain Bike Park
Morning: Take the free Mountain Express bus from downtown up to the base at Mt. Crested Butte. Grab a DH rental at Crested Butte Sports at 35 Emmons Rd and walk to the Red Lady Express. Bike haul tickets required. The green trails are beginner-friendly if you want to warm into the gravity feel before pointing it down the steeper stuff.
Afternoon: Session laps until your hands give out. The park runs daily through Labor Day, then weekends into early September, so check the calendar if you are here late in the season.
Eats: Irwin Brewing Company, downtown CB. A good change of scene from the Eldo for your last night, pouring award-winning ales at 8,888 feet.
Getting there
Fly in
- GUCGunnison-Crested ButteSeasonal direct flights in summer and winter40 min to town
- DENDenver Intl4 hr 30 min to town
Drive in
- From Gunnison, CO35 min
- From Salida, CO2 hr 15 min
- From Denver, CO4 hr 30 min
Drive times are approximate.