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  1. #1
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
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    295

    Bentonville, AR & Front Range, CO Beta Needed

    Got Mrs. GeorgiaSnow to agree to a mtb riding trip on my way to a work conference in Denver. I think we are going to do a day or two in Bentonville then 2-3 days in Colorado. I’d love some beta on where we should go what and what we should ride. I’m pretty comfortable on most advanced stuff. I’ve ridden just about every trail at DuPont and some Pisgah stuff for reference. Wife is a solid intermediate in good shape. I might try to do some as a advanced trails early or while she takes a midday break. We are pretty flexible about where we can stay between hotel points and some friends in the area.

    Also, shout out to the tool thread and Dee Hubs especially. Has helped me think through packing tools for a longer trip than what I normally do.


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  2. #2
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
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    Three-O-Three
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    15,418
    Time of year? What do you like riding? How much time do you have to ride? What kind of bike are you bringing (all specifically for the CO part of your question)

  3. #3
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Posts
    1,680
    Recommendations for the frange - White Ranch, Apex Park, Hall Ranch (ride from town, up Antelope out and do the loop and then down Bitterbrush unless you like tech up then ride up and down Bitterbrush), Floyd Hill and Ned (assuming it's not too late in the season).

  4. #4
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Your Mom's House
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    8,299
    Quote Originally Posted by smmokan View Post
    Time of year? What do you like riding? How much time do you have to ride? What kind of bike are you bringing (all specifically for the CO part of your question)
    Second all these questions, and would add - are you intending to stay mostly around the immediate Denver metro or do you have time to venture a couple hours away?

  5. #5
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Posts
    295
    Thanks for asking those questions. We’re a little over a week out and willing to venture out/around. She has an SB100 that does great for her all around as she doesn’t weigh much or go super fast. I have a Pole Taival that I feel pretty comfortable taking down most stuff though I’m not looking to just do super techy dh stuff all day on that. Currently w/ dhf/dhr tire setup and insert in rear. (I have some more aggressive tires I could throw on hers as well). We might rent dh bikes and do a shuttle/lift one day.


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  6. #6
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
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    Your Mom's House
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    OK for CO:

    A lot of the suggestions so far are certainly rideable on an SB100/Taival, but I wouldn't say they would be FUN on those bikes. Skip White Ranch and Apex for sure - Longhorn at White Ranch is the centerpiece but really needs a bike with more travel to best be appreciated, and the lower Apex gut would just be irritating on a hardtail (it's not terribly hard, just very very chunky). Most people around here are riding bikes with 140-150mm of travel or so as the advanced trails tend to be fairly chunky.

    Near-ish Denver I'd suggest Alderfer/3 Sisters, Lair o the Bear (midweek only), and Centennial Cone. Possibly Floyd Hill and Maryland Mountain, as the DH trails are more flow than chunk (on the main lines). A bit further afield, everything at Nederland is good, and Buff Creek has excellent long XC rides.

    In the mountains, you can have a really good time in Summit County on those bikes. The West Ridge loop near Keystone would be a good choice. You could also think about doing Kenosha to Georgia Pass.

    Up north in Lyons, you could consider Hall, but you'll probably want to skip lower Bitterbrush and just ride Antelope->upper Bitterbrush->Nelson Loop then reverse. Picture Rock nearby would also be good. It's a little hot this time of year for Hall though and if you're going to drive that far from Denver, I'd do one of the other options above.

    MTB Project has good beta on all these places but I'm happy to share my preferred way to link trails together at any of these spots too.

    Edit to add: if you want to rent a bike and do a lift day, Trestle is great for all ability levels. If you want to rent a bike and do a shuttle, rent a trail or enduro bike and do the Monarch Crest - it's a classic, but there's still plenty of pedaling involved.

  7. #7
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Posts
    295
    Adrenalated, that was super helpful. So many options, definitely needed some direction to get started. Thanks.


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  8. #8
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
    Location
    Three-O-Three
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    15,418
    FWIW, if you're flexible on where you're staying, I'd recommend heading into the high country... the trails around Denver/Boulder/Golden/etc aren't much fun when it's 90+ degrees and smoky.

  9. #9
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Posts
    12,609
    Quote Originally Posted by smmokan View Post
    FWIW, if you're flexible on where you're staying, I'd recommend heading into the high country... the trails around Denver/Boulder/Golden/etc aren't much fun when it's 90+ degrees and smoky.
    Yep, lots of good riding in the high country. Summit County and Crested Butte are great options if you want drive a little further.

  10. #10
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Posts
    295
    definitely willing to go to high country, though our lungs will need a little more time to adjust w/ that plan. Any more specific recommendations on that front?

    Also, during that conference, what would be the best options for a quick early morning weekday ride if staying in Westminster?

  11. #11
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Posts
    1,680
    Also, during that conference, what would be the best options for a quick early morning weekday ride if staying in Westminster?[/QUOTE]

    Betasso, Marshal Mesa/Spring Brook (good to get out and close but somewhat boring), White Ranch, North Table Mtn, Apex Park are probably the closest options.

  12. #12
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
    Location
    Your Mom's House
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    What Rudy said, and I'll add that depending on where in Westminister, the Erie singletrack is fun for an hour of your time and might be even closer if you're super limited. Not a destination by any means and I'd ride almost anywhere else if given the choice, but if it's all you have time for it's fun.

  13. #13
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
    Posts
    12,609
    For Summit county area look for trails like Tenderfoot, Searle, Peaks Trail, Westridge, for longer outings with climbing. Soda Creek is a nice mellow loop with options.

  14. #14
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Posts
    295
    Update: Got a good deal on a place at Winter Park. So we'll probably do Trestle at least one day. Would it be unwise to do some of the "XC" trails and the more mellow DH trails on our bikes there and see if she wants to do rent DH bikes to do other trails? Other stuff near there to look at or worth it to drive a little further to other summit stuff?

  15. #15
    Join Date
    Dec 2006
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    Your Mom's House
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    You could absolutely do the XC trails and all the green DH trails at Trestle on your bikes. Some people do ride the blue and black DH trails on shorter travel bikes too, especially the flow trails, you just need to be able to hit the transitions on the tabletops and not come up short and land flat.
    With that said, lift served is going to be hard on your bike, especially brakes. If you have XC brakes on your bike you're going to roast them. The bike rental + lift package price is cheap enough I'd just do that rather than beat up your bikes.
    There's tons of good XC riding around WP not in the resort too, although I'm not real familiar with it.

  16. #16
    Join Date
    Jul 2005
    Location
    Boulder
    Posts
    6,044
    Maryland Mountain in Blackhawk off the Peak to Peak Highway would be good. If it's busy, it'll still ride well.

    Mellow Double Track Climb that leads to a few options for coming down.

    "Hard Money" the "Black" trail gets the most coverage, but it's a fun flow trail that I think many people could ride. (Everything has a ride-around)
    https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t-s9bHEfLjE

    There's also "Blue" rated trails etc. You could always climb together, split for the descent, meet at the bottom.

  17. #17
    Join Date
    Oct 2007
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    12,609
    Idylwild trails area is decent and rideable right from town of WP. Lots of options. I’d stay there and not worry about riding other areas. Get one day in at Trestle for sure with a rental bike. I’d probably just do that every day. So fun, for all skill levels.

  18. #18
    Join Date
    Sep 2008
    Location
    Geopolis
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    16,084
    arkansas, you say?

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    j'ai des grands instants de lucididididididididi

  19. #19
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
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    295
    Quote Originally Posted by ml242 View Post
    arkansas, you say?

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    Haha. As much as people care about mountain biking on here I thought it was worth a shot.


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  20. #20
    Join Date
    Apr 2021
    Posts
    2,839
    My friend rides in AR once a year in winter and raves about it. Might be a bit sticky down there now though. FYI the guy who lands in a heli to ride the trails is one of the Walmart grandsons. Rest of the people are his friends. Tell him thanks for the trails.

  21. #21
    Join Date
    Sep 2010
    Location
    Golden, Colorado
    Posts
    5,868
    Lair of the Bear is a must imo. Like they said, go midweek. Hall Ranch via Antelope and Bitterbrush is a great option too. Walker Ranch in Boulder is an amazing ride too. Those are low country rides so it'll be hot, but if you're from Georgia you won't probably care much. If its hot, just ride early morning or evening. Just bring more water than you'd think. Each is about an hour or two. For longer rides the high country is a solid suggestion for a day trip. Breckenridge has a lot of riding and Peaks Trail, West Ridge, and Colorado Trail are good suggestions. The best riding for your bikes would be Buffalo Creek, but probably too hot? If the near-Denver rides weren't too bad thouggh, you might be fine.

  22. #22
    Join Date
    Jan 2017
    Posts
    295
    Appreciate another recommendation. Thanks. And yes, heat not a big concern, used to 90s w/ stupid amounts of humidity during the summer. But we won’t say no to cooler weather in the high country or getting our riding in early.


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  23. #23
    Join Date
    Jan 2010
    Location
    In the swamp
    Posts
    11,124
    Highly recommend Buff Creek and the nearby Little Scraggy Trail Loop. So fun!

  24. #24
    Join Date
    Nov 2003
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    none
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    Looks like the Monsoon is really kicking in next week. So you’ll want to be getting in your rides early anyway.

  25. #25
    Join Date
    Apr 2004
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    Three-O-Three
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    Quote Originally Posted by Shredhead View Post
    Looks like the Monsoon is really kicking in next week. So you’ll want to be getting in your rides early anyway.
    Hallelujiah. Bring it on.

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