Our guide to the friendly progression of Boulder Country trails for the new mountain bike rider.
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Welcome to the mountain bike family, we are so happy to have you! While Boulder is known for its access to some amazing road and gravel riding, it also offers an extensive network of trails that are mountain bike friendly. Whether you are a seasoned veteran, or this is your first time dipping your toes into the water of riding a bike with suspension, we are here to help you find the right trails to meet your riding level.
Here we go!
Step 1: Valmont Bike Park (Park Map)
42 acres of naturally surfaced terrain with amenities for several riding styles and abilities, Valmont Bike Park is a great place to get acquainted with your mountain bike. Most of our staff still spends time there, hitting the Skillz Loops, working on brake control on Corkscrew, and practicing drops in The Glades. The park is open year round (weather permitting) and is easy to navigate. We recommend spending some time here before you move up to any trail systems if you are a true rookie – it is a great safe and controlled environment to get comfortable being uncomfortable.
Step 2: Marshall Mesa or Boulder Valley Ranch
A handful of our crew here at Sports Garage coaches with Boulder Junior Cycling. Until those riders get the thrill of big trails and true techy single track, they have to master cattle guards and some of the “green” runs in town. Marshall Mesa and Boulder Valley Ranch are both mountain bike friendly and offer just enough spice to push a new rider out of their comfort zone, but not too much to make it scary. Flowy trails with minimal techy features (minus cattle guards which are great practice for rock rolls!), these two trail systems will let you ride some single track, use your dropper post, and get a sense of just how capable a mountain bike really is. We have routes available on our shop Strava and Ride with GPS pages – we also linked a few of our favorites below. Keep in mind that there is often cattle roaming freely at both trail systems 🐮 Additionally, BVR does have a few trails that do NOT allow bikes.. Make sure you read the signs!
Routes:
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Marshall Mesa → Strava // Ride with GPS
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Boulder Valley Ranch → Strava // Ride with GPS
Step 3: Dowdy Draw/Spring Brook Loop
Once you feel comfortable going over cattle guards – which Marshall Mesa and BVR have plenty of – it is likely that you can handle small rock features. Dowdy Draw connecting into the Spring Brook Loop is a great place to test this skill, learn to roll over some rocks on steeper descents and get comfortable with some low speed cornering. Anything “techy” usually has a B line. The trail is relatively quiet during the week and offers some stunning views of the Flatirons and Boulder. Be mindful that it is a high traffic trail on the weekends, attracting lots of hikers, walkers, runners, and riders. If you are nervous about riding in traffic, we recommend going on a weekday. We’ve linked a great route below – it can be ridden as mapped or in the other direction, you will get to test different skills by going different directions.
Routes:
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Dowdy Draw to Spring Brook Loop from MM Parking Lot → Strava // Ride with GPS
Step 4: Betasso & Super Betasso
Mountain views, downtown Boulder views, prairie views, 360 degree views, and a slight PNW vibe, Betasso is one of the Boulder MTB favorites. Closed to bikes on Wednesdays and Saturdays (a great day to hike or run if you dabble!), the trail system includes two directional loops within it. The directions of those loops are changed roughly every two to four weeks, ensuring you never get bored and allowing riders to test different skills. This trail is rated a blue on Trailforks (similar rating scale to ski terrain) and is a significant jump in technical aptitude from Step 3, but a great challenge! The two loops, Benjamin Loop and Canyon Loop, offer slightly different levels of spice. Benjamin loop is very narrow (less than 3 feet wide in some areas) and has steep drop offs on one side at almost all times. It offers rock step ups and small rolls and will test your handling skills. Canyon Loop is slightly wider and less rocky. Depending on the direction it is running, you will be challenged on climbing over technical features or working bike-body separation and attack position through some small rocky features.
Super Betasso, as the Boulder locals coin it, is a hefty ride that includes road riding before and after you leave the trailhead. We have linked routes below! Keep in mind that this ride dips into more technical terrain, requiring that you are comfortable descending down a black trail called the Betasso Link. While it has become much more mellow in recent years, it has rocks, roots, and small drops. Ride with caution! If you feel unsure, you can always take Sugarloaf Road back down to Boulder Canyon, just watch out for cars. We recommend only riding the trail system until you feel comfortable on your bike physically and technically.
Routes:
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Betasso (Canyon Loop & Benjamin Loop) → Strava // Ride with GPS
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Super Betasso (includes pavement & black trails) → Strava // Ride with GPS
Step 5: Hall Ranch (sans Bitterbrush)
Hall Ranch has something for just about every rider. Scenery, singletrack, techy chunk, it’s got it all! A shop favorite, we promise you will never get bored riding here. It is also a favorite of many Boulder/Longmont area riders, runners, and hikers meaning it can get very crowded on the weekends. There can also be significant horseback traffic, so be prepared to be patient and ride slow. With minimal shade and no water refresh areas unless you ride into Lyons, this trail bakes in the summers. With all of that in mind, we recommend hitting this trail in the mornings, evenings or on weekdays. We are going to break this one down a little more since there are so many route options. We have linked a bunch of routes below!
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The Antelope Trail has a small trailhead, so we recommend parking in town and riding up. Once at the trailhead, you will encounter some techier uphill singletrack that will connect you to the Upper Bitterbrush Trail. This will allow you to connect to the Nelson Loop. For more novice riders, we recommend doing this ride as an out and back and avoiding the Lower Bitterbrush trail where the Rock Garden resides.
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The most commonly ridden trail, Bitterbrush, has a challenging technical Rock Garden that requires expert riding ability to clean top to bottom and bottom to top. We DO NOT recommend this trail if you are a novice rider. Wait to ride it with an experienced friend and until you are comfortable with rocks, roots, small drops, rolls, and more.
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The Nelson Loop at the top of Hall Ranch has some beautiful views of Longs Peak and offers flowy singletrack. We recommend riding it clockwise. Intermediate riders can connect to this trail from the Antelope Trail, which bypasses the Bitterbrush Trail.
Routes:
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Antelope Trail to Nelson Loop (mild): Strava // Ride with GPS
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Antelope to Nelson Loop to Bitterbrush (medium): Strava // Ride with GPS
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Bitterbrush to Nelson Loop to Bitterbrush (spicy): Strava // Ride with GPS
Step 5 (2.0): Heil Valley Ranch
Heil Valley Ranch is another popular Boulder route, heavily trafficked and only about 15 minutes drive time from North Boulder. Similar spice level to the easier routes above, it also allows for connection to the trails in Lyons if you are looking for a bike day. Our honest opinion on Heil? It isn’t our favorite – the area saw a lot of devastation from the Calwood Fire in 2020. The area is extremely rocky and lacks shade since most of the forest was burned. Extensive work has been put in to clean it up and it is still a great option. It offers moderate climbing, mostly intermediate terrain, a skills course, a few obstacles, and a fast descent back to the trailhead to challenge more advanced riders. We have linked a few route options below, from mild to most spicy!
Routes:
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Wapiti to Partial Wild Turkey Loop (mild/short): Strava // Ride with GPS
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Heil Outer Loop from Lower Parking Lot (intermediate/difficult): Strava // Ride with GPS
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Heil Valley to Picture Rock (difficult given the length): Strava // Ride with GPS
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This one can be done as an out and back, or as a way to link into the Hall Ranch trail system. The latter is a great ride for the advanced rider looking for a big day in the saddle.
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Whew okay! Hopefully that should be enough to get you started. As you can see, Boulder offers an extensive network of trails with lots of options to keep it easy and breezy, or to test your limits. MTB Project and Trail Forks are great resources for trail scouting outside of Strava and Ride with GPS. Our friendly team is always happy to recommend routes, too 🙂 Happy riding!