Featured Trip:
Continental Divide - Winter Park Edition
“Are you ready to tackle a week of epic mountain biking that includes crossing the continental divide (twice), riding over historic trestle bridges, and tasting the best trails that Winter Park Colorado has to offer?
Just outside of Denver Colorado, your next adventure awaits”
Mountain Bike over the Rollins Pass Railroad Trestles on your way over the Continental Divide
TRIP DETAILS
HIGH LEVEL DETAILS
5 Days - 4 Nights
Sunday - Thursday
or
Monday - Friday
up to 6 people per trip
ROUTES
Day 1 - Nederland, CO’s West Magnolia Trails
Day 2 - Cross the Continental Divide into Winter Park
Day 3 - Winter Park’s Epic single track cross-country
Day 4 - Winter Park Trails or Trestle Downhill Liftserve ($$)
Day 5 - Cross back over the Continental Divide
LODGING
Night 1 “Adventure Cabin” - Eldora, CO
Beds for 6, potable water, power, flushing toilets, fridge/freezer, secure bike storage, great outdoor hang-out areas, parking
Nights 2-4 “Basecamp WP” - Winter Park, CO
Luxury townhome, 4 bed/4 bath with all the comforts of home, 6 person Hot Tub, beds for 7, WiFi, Cable TV, 2 Car garage for secure bike storage, 2 Decks, Walk to everything in town, all daily rides are right out your back door
WHAT’S INCLUDED
Lodging, Meals Out, Energy Food, Groceries & Curated bike routes
Use of: Spot Tracker & GPS Bike Computer w/routes, Post Ride Recovery Devices, Bike Stand & Repair Tools
This is not a guided trip
COST
$1,075 each based on a group size of 6 (trip total $6,450)
Discounted from the normal pp price of $1,675
You assemble your favorite group of 6, each trip is private to you and your group
Pay 1/2 at booking the balance two months before trip
Wondering how the costs compare to say a 3-day bike-packing trip you would put together on your own?
WHEN
Now Booking:
July - September 2023
You assemble your favorite group of 6, this trip is private to you and your group
Are you and your group of avid mountain bikers looking to tackle an epic adventure together? If the answer to that is yes, you are in the right place. We built this trip after years of riding this and other routes over the Continental Divide. Now, after 9 years in Winter Park, we want to share the best experiences we've had over the years with you; via a curated set of routes that include accommodations, food, and gift certificates to our favorite food and watering holes.
The trip is 5 days and 4 nights, ideally suited for a group of up to 6 people, and runs Sunday-Thursday or Monday-Friday. We set it up this way to help folks manage family weekend commitments, you can take the week off work, have an amazing adventure and still be home in time for Friday evening soccer games with the kiddos.
Now Booking: July 2024 - September 2024
The high mountain pass snow typically melts off in mid/late June, freeing us up to enjoy one of the best and lightly traveled Continental Divide bike routes.
Daily Routes
Day 1
West Mag
Arrive at or after 2pm at the Cabin. You can get the route from us in advance or once you arrive we'll have everything including a GPS computer with the routes loaded for your use during the trip. Today you'll be riding the West Mag(nolia) trails. The full route will be ~20miles with an alternative shorter route of ~12miles. For day one, we recommend taking it a bit slower on your pace because day two is going to push you both physically and mentally. Lunch is on you, and we'll provide you with a gift certificate for dinner at Katmandu Indian Restaurant in Nederland, just 5 miles from the cabin. We'll also have energy bars/food and groceries for you to make sandwiches (pb&j) for tomorrow's ride.
Day 2
Crossing the Continental Divide
Breakfast will be at the cabin, we'll have you stocked with eggs, bacon, bagels/toast, bananas, granola, yogurt, and some fruit to get you energized for the big ride today. You will want to get up early enough so that you can be wheels up and on the trail by 7am. The reason for this is that the Rocky Mountains typically get early afternoon storms and you DO NOT WANT TO BE crossing the divide in a storm or in-climate weather. The elevation gain is just under 4k feet with you topping out at just over 11k feet as you cross the continental divide. This route you will take is a historic mix of mountain roads, double track, old wagon routes and single track. The terrain is extremely rocky, thus our recommendation for a full suspension bike. The route is an up-then-down trail so you'll do nearly all of your elevation gain in the first 15 miles, then you'll be treated to a bunch of downhill and options to hit some more advanced single-track trails about halfway down the pass where you'll ride directly to your next lodging setup, this time right in the town of Winter Park. We have plenty of history to share with you history buffs. This route will be accompanied by books and info about the storied past of our route that parallels much of an old railroad route. Lunch will be energy food/snacks/sandwiches that you packed the night before which you'll eat as you make your way over the continental divide. We expect you'll cross the top of the divide in under 3 hours and will be in Winter Park in no more than 5 hours (many capable groups will do the full ride in <4 hrs). The afternoon, once you arrive and checkin to your home for the next 3 nights, is about relaxing. Your accommodations include a private hot tub so enjoy resting your muscles, using the Normatec leg recovery, or icing your legs in the nearby Fraser River. For dinner, we have gift cards for you to enjoy one of our favorites, Deno's Mountain Bistro, and later Hideaway Park Brewery to get your evening started.
Day 3
Winter Park cross country best
We've strategically planned a route today that will push you but not over the edge, considering you rode over the continental divide yesterday. This route will be some of the BEST single-track riding found among the over 600 miles of trails here in and around Winter Park. The 10+ years our team has been riding this valley we've selected and connected you on this route to get you on the best trails, riding the right direction so that you experience the trails they were meant to be enjoyed. Todays route will be ~31 miles with an alternate about three-quarters of the way through that shortens it to ~18miles. Elevation gain today on the full route is under 3k vertical feet. The schedule allows you to sleep in a bit with a recommended wheels-up start time of 9am. You'll finish the ride at a hometown favorite brewery called Vicious Cycle Brewing Company with lunch at their food truck before riding the last ~2 miles on a flat paved trail back to your home for the week. All in, we'd expect you'd be back to the home by around 2, giving you time to rest, recover and prepare to repeat because we aren't done yet. This trip is play hard, relax then repeat. Dinner this evening will be a cookout at the house. We'll have the fridge ready for you with burgers, buns, condiments, chips, salad, fruit and veggies, and some adult beverages for your enjoyment.
Day 4
Winter Park Resort cross country loop or Trestle ($)
When in Rome. You are in the home of one of the best if not the best set of built downhill lift-serve trails in all of Colorado or arguably the United States.
Option 1 ($): If some gravity riding sounds like what you are after then today will not disappoint. You'll have breakfast at the house (grocery will be stocked similar to how the cabin was with fruit, granola, yogurt, eggs, bacon, bagels/toast) and be ready to ride wheels-up at 9am. You will ride your bikes (those of you who choose this route option) up the Fraser River Trail (a paved gradually ascending but relaxed trail) to the ski resort. We'll have bike locks for you to take with you b/c you'll be swapping your bike for renting a full downhill kit/bike/safety gear from a local outfitter at the mountain. Keep in mind that the lift pass and bike/gear rental for the Trestle option is not included in your fees to us and would be something you would pay for out of pocket. Expect the lift pass to be ~$70 and the bike rental of $160. We'll provide you with all the links/websites to prebook before your trip begins so that you are guaranteed to have the right setup.
Option 2: We have a bike route that starts at the house, catches some great single track that gets you to the ski resort where you'll join your Option 1 buddies for lunch, then lets you continue on back to town via some great down hill and then an optional extra effort Idlewild trail spin on our teams favorite local trails.
Day 5
Back over the Continental Divide (slightly diff route)
Breakfast at the house, and be sure to get out the door ready to ride wheels-up by 8am. You'll need about 30 minutes of your prep time to do the check-out tasks of the house but if you are pretty tidy during the week that won't be much of a time suck. The route back up and over the divide will look familiar in some ways and new and different in others. The route out of Winter Park from the house begins on single track, some of which you may have ridden near on day 4 if you rode Option 2. You'll intersect and join up with Corona Pass Road and take that up and over the top. This is where it changes from your Day 2 ride over, we'll take you where no motored vehicles are allowed and where trains used to pass thru, the Needle's Eye. You'll get to ride up to and over it (going inside is not allowed and has been blocked off for nearly 30+ years). This close-up look at history is sure to make you wonder how they ever built a non-cog railway up and over this terrain, in the 1900's no less. The views are spectacular on a clear day. Be sure to have sunscreen, plenty of water, your maps and a great attitude. The elevation gain on the way back seems easier, probably because of the route and roads used, and its also technically less up than you did from your start location on Day 2. Lunch will be something you packed that morning and will eat on the way. The 8 am start time gives you a good amount of time to ride, explore and still get over the continental divide before noon. You'll ride back to the cabin where you began your adventures 5 days ago and your car and gear will be waiting for you. You won't have access to the cabin anymore but your checkout plans on Day 2 set you up to be able to toss your bikes, gear and other leftover items into your cars and set you ready to head back home with the amazing memories, experiences and riding of this once in a lifetime trip.
How do I get to the start?
The starting point of this ride is very near Nederland Colorado. You and your group will want to arrive on the start day of your trip (either Sunday or Monday) at or after 2pm. The first day will include hitting up the West Magnolia trail system so you can choose to arrive early at the trailhead or wait and checkin at the cabin at 2pm then head to the trail system.
Do I need a full group of 6?
The trip cost is the same if you have 4 people or if you have 6. Most folks like a group size of 6 to help spread out the cost, keeping it reasonable for everyone. The max group size is 6.
FAQs
How fit do we need to be?
The start of the ride begins at just over 8,000ft and the ride over the pass is will take you up to a high point of 11,676ft. The rides once you arrive in Winter Park Colorado are all above 9,000ft.
Bike Rentals?
If you are flying in from out of town or if you wanted to rent an upgraded bike for this trip we have a few recommendations for places to call to rent a great mountain bike.
Boulder - Full Cycle, University Bicycles, Boulder Cycle Sport
Nederland - Tin Shed Sports
Would a gravel bike work for this trip?
Yes, but we do recommend a full-suspension mountain bike. Many folks ride up and over this route on gravel bikes each year so we'll leave that to your best judgment. The rides on the Winter Park side are all cross-country mountain bike trails.
Special Diet?
We provide some basic groceries at both lodging locations to help you and your group with breakfast and some snack/lunch items. Dinners and after-ride food are all done via gift certificates that we provide you to some great places we love to frequent ourselves.
Book Trip & View Availability
We offer our trips starting on either Sunday or Monday. You can view availability and book below.