16 Miles     |     6,300-6,800 Ft     This high desert area has about 16 miles of ATV trails that wind through mixed juniper and pinion pine trees. The trails start out mostly smooth but get rockier and narrow as you climb in elevation. Camping is permitted but is primitive. The area is open year-round […]

Schubarth 4×4 Road is a 19.6 mile moderately trafficked loop trail located near Colorado Springs, Colorado that features beautiful wild flowers and is rated as moderate. The trail offers a number of activity options and is best used from March until October. Dogs are also able to use this trail.

Near Penrose     |     .28 Miles     |     Very Hard     |     5,861 Feet Part of one of the toughest rock crawling trail systems in the state. It’s short, but breaking and body damage is likely. The trail runs through a skinny canyon filled with lots of rocks and boulders. The obstacle this trail is known for is […]

This is a unique trail. You will begin by heading up what used to be the exit road from the Cave of the Winds at the top of the canyon. You will see No Trespassing signs, but if you’ve turned in your waiver at the Cave, you’re good to go. The road has long been shut down and can now be hiked or biked free of automobiles. The canyon is so narrow in places, you won’t believe it was once an auto route! Keep following the road. When it switchbacks left, go straight on to the singletrack. It’s about 3 miles until the trail exits up on Rampart Range Road. The grade is tough in places and much of the trail is jagged, jumbled rocks that will cause numerous dismounts. As a climb, it’s positively brutal. Even downhill, this will cause a number of hike-a-bikes. If you don’t want to do the out-and-back climb, you can access the trail from above two ways. One way is to ride up the Rampart Range Road and look for the singletrack on the left near the old shooting range. Get the Pikes Peak Atlas map by Robert Ormes and Robert Houdek for the approximate location of the trail. This map also shows where you can drop into Williams about halfway in from the Waldo Canyon loop. The canyon is spectacular and the adventurous will find this an attractive outing despite the difficulties involved. It’s a real backcountry adventure starting right on the edge of the city.

Mostly wide, gravelly and steep but non-technical singletrack. The trail veers away from the incline and more closely parallels US 24. At the far end, it is close to US 24 and a right turn will deliver you to a pavement return to Manitou Springs. A left turn will put you on Long’s Ranch Road, which will take you back over to the top of the incline where you can descend the last 4 miles of the Barr Trail.

Trails in the open space are well marked and are classified for difficulty. The trails here go through the fields and up around two small reserviors. At the top of the open space is a trail called The Chutes. This trail is an out and back and climbs about 600 feet over a couple of miles to Gold Camp Road. Turn around at the top here for a fast and fun ride down. The trail is banked and built for speed. Be careful of other bikers or hikers coming up the trail. The Chutes, although short, is one of the best trails in town.

The Spruce Meadow loop is 8.21 miles long. All but a short distance is on singe track. About .75 miles is on a old jeep road. The trail has a very small amount of sand. The trail is fairly flat except for a short distance at the base of Spruce Mountain. The base elevation is at 6845 feet and the max elevation is 7190 feet. GPS identifies that there is a total of 518 feet of climbing. The maximum incline is 16 percent, which is at the base of Spruce Mountain. The average grade .4 percent. This trail connects with Spruce Mountain. The Spruce mountain trail is a lollipop.

This is a connector trail that gets you off Gold Camp Road and connects with Mid-Columbine at about its midway point. You won’t ride this alone for any reason, but it’s a great addition to the Cheyenne Canyon area that adds high quality singletrack and gets you off the dusty, heavily traveled Gold Camp Road.

This trail is also known as the Pikes Peak Greenway. This is a nice wide multi-use trail that extends north from the Fountain Creek Nature Center to Palmer Lake. The trail is smooth and wide with some sandy sections. It is a great place to ride with the family or take a nice long training ride. The scenery is great, especially through the Air Force academy. Watch for joggers and walkers though as this trail is widely used by all types of recreators.

The Trail loops around lake and offers a scenic ride for beginners and novice who want a quick lunch ride. Best parking is on the north side of the lake off Cheyenne Mountain Blvd. For the most workout head west counter clockwise around the lake and when you get to the east side of the lake hop up on the street (Quail Lake Rd). You should see a nice single track leading down the hill on the east side of the road(Quail Lake Rd). The Singletrack offers a fun downhill with a few fun surprises to keep you on your toes. Great Track for beginners to practice balance and control. When you get to the bottom of the hill just hop on to Venetucci Blvd and ride north to Cheyenne Mountain Blvd and ride back up to the lake. The street Climb really gets your heart pumping so you can continue the rest of the way around the lake. This is a great urban trail loop for lunch or after work to keep in shape.

Near Colorado Springs     |     6 Miles     |     Easy     |     6,327 Feet     |     Austin Bluffs Open Space    

There are two main loops, connected in the middle kind of like an infinity symbol. There are also a few shortcuts, social trails and connectors to the adjoining residential area.

This is a pretty easy ride and a great one for a leisurely ride in Colorado. Little elevation change, a great ride to get acclimated to the elevation in the Springs. Hard pack with some tight, twisty sections. Great for beginners.

Marked singletrack loop through the grounds around the US Air Force Academy. Some steep sections and several road crossings.

From the start, you go through a tight single track until you reach the steeper Hike-a-Bike sections. After hiking up to the retaining wall visible in the distance. The trail levels out. Move to the west, immediately entering one of the 6 130 year old Railroad tunnels. I recommend a flash light for Tunnel 1 & 2 for they are long enough for black out conditions. For the most part, you will encounter flat conditions with slight turns and obstructions. The trail obviously ends . You can either turn around and come back the way you came, or make your way down the steep slope and onto Hwy. 24 itself and return to Manitou. Once you pass the Hike-a-bike section to your right (west) is Tunnel 2. Tunnel 1 to your left (south) is long and curved. The other side comes out in some man’s property. So if you choose to ride through Tunnel 1 and into the neighborhood, be cautious of tresspassing.

Most of these trails were not designed with the mountain biker in mind, but a few of them make for a pretty good ride. There are great training climbs (Talon, Blackmer, Cougar’s Shadow). Around the bottom, the trails are wide and well manicured so that families with strollers can negotiatie them, but the higher you go, the narrower and more technical they get. The one exception is the Medicine Wheel Trail, which is near the bottom, is a half mile technical rock fest. For a good overall ride, hit the Talon/South Talon/North Talon trails and come back down. then head up Medicine Wheel to Blackmer to Cougar’s Shadow, back on to Blackmer and Medicine Wheel, Boulder Run also has a few technical challenges. Although not the best ride in the area, this is a welcome addition to C-Springs’ already impressive MTB resume. there is a $6 fee/vehicle to enter the park.

This is a wide, gravel, beginner’s level trail I ride with my daughters quite often. There are several different loops you can do and even a few short sections of singletrack hidden here and there.