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Black Bear Trail

 3.8 (41)
  1. Areas
  2. CO
  3. …Front Range
  4. …Ken Caryl
  5. Hildebrand Ranch Park
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Map Key

6.1 Miles 9.8 Kilometers


Singletrack

1,682' 513 m

Ascent

-567' -173 m

Descent

7%

Avg Grade (4°)

21%

Max Grade (12°)

6,957' 2,120 m

High

5,836' 1,779 m

Low

Shared By Robb Green

Conditions

Bad / Closed 16 days ago
Closed until August History
Getting forecast...

“Challenging trail that connects Hildebrand Ranch with the top of Deer Creek Park.”

— Robb Green
Driving DirectionsGPX File

Dogs Leashed

Features -none-

Need to Know

This is very steep and relentless climbing with many switchbacks—classic Colorado Front Range riding.

Description

The Black Bear trail is smooth and flowy with very few technical sections. It is however relentlessly steep with tons of switchbacks.

This well signed trail is a great addition to Hildebrand Ranch making it a destination for advanced riders. The BBT was years in the making and It opened on August 1, 2018.

Contacts

Land Manager: Jefferson County, CO - Open Space Dept.

You & This Trail


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Your Check-Ins

Check-Ins

Nov 10, 2018
Katie Purdy
Nov 9, 2018
nrj5011
made it ~3 mi.
Nov 9, 2018
Rich Purdy
Nov 4, 2018
Manolo Loya
A volver a terminarla 4mi
Oct 29, 2018
Robert Faessler
Oct 25, 2018
Grant Bradow
Trail is really falling apart on the Two Brands side 7mi
Oct 16, 2018
percious
Oct 4, 2018
Matt Rettmer
Lots of climbing but a fun reward if ridden as Rx. The Cliff edge looks worse than actually is. If you want climbing training, this is your trail. 15mi
Full Details

Trail Ratings

  3.8 from 41 votes

#1

in Hildebrand Ranch Park

#58

Overall
  3.8 from 41 votes
5 Star
27%
4 Star
37%
3 Star
27%
2 Star
5%
1 Star
5%
Rankings

#1

in Hildebrand Ranch Park

#26

in Colorado

#58

Overall
354 Views Last Month
7,020 Since Aug 1, 2018
Intermediate/Difficult Intermediate/Difficult
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Photos

My favorite section of the trail
My favorite section of the trail
 5
“The Ledge”
“The Ledge”
 7
Mountain Biking the Black Bear Trail. A Deer Creek connector.
Mountain Biking the Black Bear Trail. A Deer Cr…
 6
Mountain Bike Riding the NEW Black Bear Trail || Colorado
Mountain Bike Riding the NEW Black Bear Trail |…
 3
Riding the cliff west to east.
Riding the cliff west to east.
 5
Try not to steer left here. It may end badly ;)
Try not to steer left here. It may end badly ;)
 4

5 Comments

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Lance Schaffer Jr.
Lance Schaffer Jr.  
Stupid number of switchbacks (many of which are very tight and will require hopping/repositioning to clear... my long wheelbase wasn't even close to fitting on some of them) and a significant amount of sand. Make sure your rear tire has good tread. I don't mind steep trails or trails that require good fitness and really don't hate switchbacks within reason. But be warned, switchbackery is EXCESSIVE on this trail. There are some enjoyable parts, like after all the switchback silliness and descending the backside of the first hogback, but they were pretty short. Having a tiny bike, somewhat steeper headtube, and narrower handlebars will help the overall experience of this "trail". I finished on Deer Creek and that was the only thing that made the ride worth it for me. Sep 29, 2018
Chris G.
Lakewood
Chris G.   Lakewood
I couldn't imagine riding this trail in this direction. I did the deer creek extended loop and got to enjoy this from top down. There is a fair amount of work to be had in this direction. Like others have said, the fun-o-meter drops with all the switchbacks. Just when you think you get some flow, switchback! not a big switchback but a very very tight switchback. I thought it was just at the top but it is the entire way down. All in all it was pretty dang fun in the direction I did it and I'm glad I rode it but, Not sure i will be riding this one again Oct 24, 2018
CU Boulder Canyoneering Club
Boulder, CO
CU Boulder Canyoneering Club   Boulder, CO
Amazing trail. The highlight is dissecting each switchback. Some you'll be climbing, others you'll be descending, and there are many very unique challenges. But they're all rideable! (YMMV, I grew up near here.) You MAY be able to ride all the way without portaging if you go clockwise, but you'll do a big part of the descent on the road this way. The other way is better, but there are 3 impossible-to-ride-up sections as far as I can tell. In either direction, the descents are a nonissue. Dec 30, 2018

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Rather be riding than driving.
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 78
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