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Colorado Trail- Searle Pass
14 reviews
4.71 of 5
Pedal west up the paved path past the horse corrals, which is part of the Breck to Vail bike trail. Approximately 1 mile up turn left across the wooden bridge at the Colorado Trail sign. At first it is fairly rocky, but almost always rideable. The trail climbs into a beautiful hanging valley, skirting around the western side. A fair number of ghost mining shacks are scattered about. Beavers have reclaimed the area now. From down in this valley you can see the Searle Pass saddle directly south well above the tree line. As the trail climbs to the pass, it eventually switches back and forth to the west and then around to the south. Once in the tundra the exposed trail gets fairly rocky and steep. I ended up hiking most of the last quarter mile to the top. At this point you are only about 6 or 7 miles in. You can either turn around from whence you came, or continue south along the Colorado trail as it continues on for another couple miles at a fairly level pace. At 12,000 ft elevation you feel every change in grade. You can continue on up around the corner to Kokomo Pass at about 10 or 12 miles in. You can see some of the monster mineworks up toward Leadville. A super long ride would continue all the way to Tennessee Pass, but you'd be guaranteed a 40-50 mile ride, much of it damn high and exhausting. My excuse for not continuing was a thunderstorm which sent me scurrying back down the mountain.
From Denver drive approx 80 miles west on I-70. Exit 195 at Copper Mtn. Turn right at Copper road and follow through the resort. Turn right onto Beeler Place and park at the lot.
Summary: Very nice out-and-back singletrack. I started at the parking lot near the Conoco in town, per directions from local guide book written by Holly Annala. From there it is 11.2 miles to Searle Pass. The first 1.5 miles is a nice gradual climb, good for a warm-up. After you cross Hwy 91 and pass the village, the real climb begins. If you're in good shape, most of the trail is climbable which makes this an excellent ride. The last mile is above treeline. It gets pretty steep near the top, but probably just the last 1/4 mile or so. The views of the Gore and Ten Mile Ranges are great. The start of the descent is a bit technical but nothing crazy. Once below treeline you have plenty of loamy singletrack through the pines mixed with brown-ribbon singletrack through the Guller Creek Valley. A few short climbs on the way back to test your endurance. Overall, this is an excellent trail. Nearly all singletrack, climbable, great views, and a good mix of twisty and high speed singletrack. Good dirt the whole way. Check the radar and start early. This route took me 5 hours. Starting at the village should take about 4 hours round-trip.
Recommended Route: Unless you need a warm-up for a 20 mile trail, I recommend starting at the village. The trail from Wheeler Flats TH to the village is ok, but it is definitely the weak link on this trail as a whole. Start at the village and go all the way to the pass, it's worth it!
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Summary: This is about all I can say, coming from Nebraska...this trail was hard. The day before, we rode the CO trail at Keystone. Remember, we're from 1500+ ft, not this 9000 stuff. We started at the stables, and went up an access road to Copper, then on to the CO trail. From there, it was up, up, and a little up. Our ascent took us up the ski slopes, behind some cabin, then to Searle Pass. We thought about going down to Kokomo, but another guy said that the trail pretty much sucked on that side of Searle. So, being the tired-assed flatlanders that we are, we went down the way we came up. My only complaint about the trail is that it's pretty narrow. Nothing eventful happened either up or down, so I liked the work that I got.
Recommended Route: Go up, then turn, and come down.
Other recommended trails in the same area: From out of town...don't know too many.
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Review Date August 4, 2003
Overall Rating 4 of 5
Aerobic Difficulty 4 of 5
Technical Difficulty 3 of 5
Ridden Trail: Once a year
Visitors rate this review 5.00 of 5,
1 votes
Reviewed by: singletrackusa
,
Cross Country Rider
Summary: TRAIL HAS BEEN REROUTED!
I discovered this last weekend and it was a pain in the a$$ to figure out the new route. The trail now starts at the horse camp on Copper Mountain about a mile up the main access road leading up from the main village. Look for the CO Trail marker on the white rock by the road just past the camp/cookout spot.
Once you find the reroute, its really sweet, twisty singletrack that dumps you out on the old trail after several miles. Then follow the trail up as usual.
I asked about the reroute in 3 shops at the base and none of those yahoos know where it was. Hey dillhole! Its the best trail at Copper. Clueless.
Recommended Route: As stated above
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Review Date October 14, 2002
Overall Rating 5 of 5
Ridden Trail: Once a month
Reviewed by: Chris
, from Denver
Summary: This trail has it all. Technical rocky sections, stream crossings, deep forest (ala Oregen style), moss covered roots, high alpine meadows, above tree line breathtaking views. Its high altitude so be prepared. Also bring extra gear...the weather changes any moment.
Recommended Route: ...
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Review Date September 2, 2002
Overall Rating 5 of 5
Ridden Trail: Please Select
Visitors rate this review 4.50 of 5,
2 votes
Reviewed by: isaac
, from boulder colorado
Summary: Whew! Foolishly took someone's suggestion on a previous post and did the whole enchilata from tenn pas to copper. Yar and Double yar. It took 8.5 hrs including the 6-8 mile rd ride from leadville to tenn pass. Bottom line though, this trail is outstanding and gives the beyond yonder epic type feeling that certainly adds to the adrenaline rush. Biggest surprise of the day is the 6 mile descent from tenn pass to camp hale. This is a real nice bit of singletrack with some super flowee bits down toward camp hale. A nice surprise and could be made into a nice shorter ride all by itself plus it's a nice treat to fluff you up a little for the beating that you about to take ascending to Kokomo pass. The trail up to Kokomo is about a 50% push. The rideable spots are suprisingly smooth but the elevation (around 12 thousand) and the total effort make you wave the white flag on lots of places you could ride if fresh. The valley is very pretty though, and deserted, so your attitude can remain good. The trail actually becomes more rideable as you approach the top so it make be worth saving yourself. Once you hit the pass bust out your oxygen mask and admire the views. BUT you aren't done yet. You have 3 miles of up and down and 12000 ft to Searle. This is an amazing and tiring bit but there isn't tree in site so if the weather is threating forget it. The descent of Kokomo is bit tricky compounded by the convulsions brought on by the climb. Nobody is around aside from a herd of sheep so a few dabs shouldn't hurt you ego - if you get hurt hear you're in deep trouble. The trail through the tundra is excellent although rutted in spots and again becomes more rideable toward Searle Pass. Once you get this pass and you haven't had a stroke you're made. You've got about 1hr downhill back into Copper. The trail gets rooty and switchbacky about half the time. Maybe a 5 out of 10 on my technical scale. Fun stuff for the most part. The middle part of the downhill is superior stuff. Smoother and on bank about a creek. Let it rip - this is the payoff. Enough problems to keep you honest but real real fun. And again all this terrain is drop dead beautiful! I did it with a buddy on Labor day weekend and we saw NO bikes. Zip. Unreal. The last bit of the trail has been rerouted recently and judgind by old post it's a good thing. You cross throught the ski area a little but the trail still retains its wild feel. Also the entire Colorado trail is very well marked and you won't get lost (we didn't even bring a map). So there it is - make a day of it and you have a memory to last you a lifetime. I've hit many of the most renowed trail in CO this one belongs in the top heap. It would be akin to riding Monarch Crest as a loop not a shuttle. Feel free to email me with questions. Enjoy!
Other recommended trails in the same area: Swan river colorado trail breckenridge is awesome as well. Butter butter smooth and fun - much less pushing. Hit this before you tackle searle pass!!
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