Planning a week-long MTB + gravel trip in Southern/Central Colorado — looking for epic loops (ghost towns, views, 40–80mi days)
Hey all — looking for some route/trail recommendations for a week-long riding trip in southern and/or central Colorado this summer.
Trip details:
- Group of 3–5 riders meeting up (coming from Idaho + Texas)
- I’ll have both a gravel bike + full suspension MTB
- We’ll have:
- Truck w/ rooftop tent (me)
- RV that can handle gravel roads (not extreme 4x4)
- Planning to move around a bit vs staying in one place the whole time
What we’re looking for:
- 40–80 mile days
- Ideally < ~9k ft climbing per day
- Mix of:
- Gravel / jeep roads
- MTB singletrack (fun > super technical)
- Big priority on:
- Epic scenery (alpine, passes, big views)
- Ghost towns / historic mining routes
- Cool features / unique terrain
So far I’ve been looking at stuff like:
- Salida / Buena Vista area (saw a route out to Turret ghost town that looks solid)
- San Juan zone (Silverton / Lake City / Ouray — Alpine Loop / Animas Forks type terrain looks unreal)
- Aspen area (Ruby ghost town ride seems interesting but maybe high elevation?)
- Hagerman Pass / Tunnel loop (mix of history + big alpine views)
Also saw things like the St. Elmo / Tincup / Hancock loop hitting multiple ghost towns in one ride, which looks right up our alley
Questions:
- If you had a week, how would you structure this? Basecamp vs moving zones?
- What are the must-ride loops that fit that mileage/elevation range?
- Any underrated zones we should prioritize over the obvious ones?
- How rideable are the high alpine routes (like Alpine Loop) on a bike vs just OHV?
- Best time window for conditions (snowpack permitting)?
Would love GPX links, must-hit trails, or even “don’t miss this zone” type advice.
Appreciate any insight 🤘
u/Gtip — 2 hours ago