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Doctors Park
1 reviews
4 of 5
Begin riding north from Granite (approx. elev. 8350') on Spring Creek Road (a/k/a/ Rd. 722). Ride about six miles north, climbing to about 9700'. Pass Deadmans Gulch Trail (No. 744.1C) on your left at a bend. Continue on the main road about 1/2 mile, until you see a descent to the right and down to Spring Creek with a doubletrack on the other side. You'll have to ford the creek.
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Climb the doubletrack (Tr. No. 554.1) until it intersects Trail 550. Veer right and climb fairly steeply (eventually you'll reach 10875', which is where I took the photo on this page). At some point the road either turns off onto a singletrack or becomes one; I don't recall exactly. You're now on Doctors Park Trail (No. 424), and you'll cross an alpine meadow that I assume is Doctors Park. At some point on the singletrack (whether before or after the meadow I don't recall) you'll reach a junction where you can go left and climb or right and stay level. There's a sign there, and I believe it refers to a spur. Veer right (I believe that's the spur, but I'm not sure). Continue south several miles on Trail No. 424. There is some steep and occasionally technical descending as the trail meanders south. Watch out for steep dropoffs; in places the trail is about six inches wide with a steep plunge to the left if you lose your footing.
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When you've descended to perhaps 9500' or 9000', you'll enter beautiful aspen groves. The trail climbs a bit in places, but it's mostly downhill. The final half-mile or so is a steep, loose descent that will test your bike-handling ability. If tired, be careful; there is no shame in walking down a steep section if you feel unfocused or not skilled enough to clean it. You'll reach a campground. Go west on a wide road to Granite.
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Parts of this ride are remote. If you do it, tell someone your route and when you expect to be back. Although I've picked "advanced" for the skill level, much of it is fine for intermediate riders, and they can walk the difficult portions of the descent.
From Gunnison, take Colo. 135 about 10 miles north to Almont, then Taylor River Road (a/k/a Rd. 742) to Granite. From Crested Butte, take Colo. 135 about 13 miles south to Jacks Cabin Cutoff, then east on the cutoff (Rd. 813) to Taylor River Road. Turn left toward Granite. Park in Granite fairly near the intersection of Taylor River Road and Spring Creek Road (a/k/a Rd. 722). Parking legally in Granite is not as easy as one might think for such a tiny hamlet; you may have to park some distance from the intersection.
Summary: First, an apology regarding the trail information. Spring Creek Road is No. 744, not No. 722. I would correct it, but I don't know how to edit my description now that I've posted it. I proofread what I wrote, but somehow got the number wrong anyway.
The singletrack deserves five stars. I'm giving the ride four stars because the riding on Spring Creek Road is uninteresting. The road does pass through a beautiful gorge, however, so the scenery is great.
One nice thing about this ride: I doubt any motorcycles could safely go on the singletrack portion, and I didn't see any. I did see a couple of ATVs on Spring Creek road and the doubletrack on the other side of Spring Creek.
Recommended Route: As stated in the trail description, except that Spring Creek Road is No. 744, not No. 722.
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