Monarch Crest Trail

**We are out of our Forest Service user days for the Monarch Crest for the 2018 season. Stop on in and we’d be happy to go over the map of the trail.**

This is without a doubt one of the most special mountain bike rides anywhere. And we aren’t alone in thinking so.  Consistently ranked as one of the top mountain bike trails in the United States, the Monarch Crest Trail delivers incredible high altitude singletrack and a long downhill that descends thousands of feet back to Salida. To begin this ride we shuttle from Salida at 7,000 feet up to Monarch Pass at 11,312 feet! As we like to say: it’s all downhill… except for the uphill. And despite our starting elevation, there is some climbing.

It’s that high elevation that makes the views along the Monarch Crest Trail so spectacular. Most days, we can see six distinct mountain ranges as we ride: Pikes Peak and the Mosquito Range to the east; the Sangre de Cristos to the southeast; the San Juan Mountains to the southwest; the Uncompahgre Plateau to west; the Elk Mountains to the northwest; and the Sawatch Range to the north.

There are several options for how to experience the Monarch Crest Trail – everything from an out-and-back adventure along the highest, above-treeline section of the trail (what we call the Ride Across the Sky), to much longer rides that start with the Ride Across the Sky but continue out and down the glorious ribbons of singletrack that spill from the Crest – the most popular of which being Silver Creek.

If you’re inclined to explore the Crest without the assistance of one of our scholarly, cultured, knowledgeable (and good looking!) guides, Absolute Bikes has the best selection of maps in the valley, including a Monarch Crest map that we designed ourselves. Come by and pick our brains.

The Monarch Crest Trail does not disappoint and truly is one of the best rides you’ll ever do. Join us for the fun!

Miles: 19 (or less for out-and-back), 39 for Crest to Silver Creek
Duration:  5-7 hours
Difficulty: Intermediate/Advanced – high altitude, challenging single-track
Trail: Single-track, Dirt Road, Paved Road

Rates: $285 first person, $150 each additional person up to 4. Includes shuttle, full suspension mountain bike, lunch, water bottle, and guide.

**We are out of our Forest Service user days for the Monarch Crest for the 2018 season. Stop on in and we’d be happy to go over the map of the trail.**