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Rim Trail Loop

 4.6 (46)
  1. Areas
  2. CO
  3. …Central Rockies
  4. Snowmass
Google Map

11.0 Miles 17.7 Kilometers


70%

Singletrack

1,729' 527 m

Ascent

-1,726' -526 m

Descent

6%

Avg Grade (3°)

24%

Max Grade (14°)

9,171' 2,795 m

High

7,884' 2,403 m

Low

Shared By Nick Wilder

Conditions

All Clear 1 day ago
History
Getting forecast...

“Great singletrack ride with awesome views!”

— Nick Wilder
Driving DirectionsGPX File

Dogs Unknown

Features -none-

North Rim Trail closed December 1 - May 15 for elk.

Overview

One of the best singletrack rides in the valley. It's a great loop including lots of climbing on the bike path to 7 miles of great singletrack.

Description

Park at the Rodeo Parking lot soon after entering Snowmass Village. This ride is best done clockwise (though either direction is good), so ride up the Brush Creek Bike Path until you are just below the main ski area. It's a good bit of climbing on the bike path system, with several junctions. Keep climbing until you are just below the base of the main ski area.

Cross Brush Creek Road at a point just before the road makes a final, sweeping turn that brings you to the base of the ski area. At this spot, you'll cross Brush Creek Road and take Divide Road 100 yards to the Rim Trail trailhead.

Start off with a 700' vertical climb. The trail is well-built for bikes though, with widely-rounded switchbacks and a very smooth surface, so it's a very enjoyable climb. It's pretty exposed to the southern sun, so it could be quite hot on a warm sunny day.

Once at the top, take a left and go 100 yards to the high point and enjoy the remarkable 360 degree view.

Return those 100 yards, then continue on slightly descending, fast and fun singletrack right along the rim. There are occasional breaks in the trees that are worth stopping for and taking a peek.

More fun descending, sometimes through forest, takes you to a saddle point and a road crossing. This is a bailout option if you're in a hurry or tired. Otherwise, continue on, with some moderate climbing until you get to one final 400' climb.

Like the first climb, the surface is nice and it's well laid out for bikes, and it's over pretty fast. There are more great views from a bench at this high point.

Now it's a pure descent all the way to the car, and it's a blast: singletrack all the way through some aspens, but mostly sage meadows on nicely contoured trail. The views are astounding if you can take your eyes off the trail for a second. It ends all too quickly with a short stretch of a bike path that leads back to the parking lot.

Contacts

Local Club: Roaring Fork Mountain Bike Association

Sep 20, 2018: Snowmass named one of “The 7 Most Epic, Secret Mountain Bike Trails in America” by Men’s Journal

Land Manager: USFS - White River National Forest Office

Sep 20, 2018: Drought conditions persist; White River National Forest and BLM Colorado River Valley reinstate Stage 1 Fire Restrictions

Sep 20, 2018: Indian Pass Fire grows overnight; suppression operations underway

Sep 19, 2018: Cache Creek Fire area closure to be lifted on Friday

You & This Featured Ride


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Your Check-Ins

Check-Ins

Sep 22, 2018
Vinh Nguyen
I stop quite a bit to take pictures. It's a scenic place. 10mi — 3h 11m
Sep 3, 2018
Jonathan Coupal
Sep 3, 2018
Joëlle Didone
Sep 1, 2018
Thomas Morgan
Aug 8, 2018
K How
11.4mi
Jul 27, 2018
mdbockmann Bockmann
Jul 25, 2018
Jeff G
Jul 24, 2018
Lochlan Lauer
8mi

Stewarded By

Stewarded by Roaring Fork Mountain Bike Association
Full Details

Trail Ratings

  4.6 from 45 votes

#1

in Snowmass

#147

Overall
  4.6 from 45 votes
5 Star
62%
4 Star
33%
3 Star
4%
2 Star
0%
1 Star
0%
Rankings

#1

in Snowmass

#56

in Colorado

#147

Overall
722 Views Last Month
19,372 Since Sep 10, 2013
Intermediate Intermediate
0%
9%
77%
14%
0%
0%
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Photos

Climbing over - time to descend!
Climbing over - time to descend!
 2
Grinding up Rim Trail's second hill.
Grinding up Rim Trail's second hill.
 2
Top of the climb up Rim Trail
Top of the climb up Rim Trail
 2
Lots of spots like this as you traverse across the top of the Rim Trail
Lots of spots like this as you traverse across…
 5
View from top of the initial climb
View from top of the initial climb
 3
This is the desecnt of the North Rim Trail in Snowmass Village from the bench to Sinclair road. I filmed this with a GoPro 4K with a Karma grip and 2X speed.
This is the desecnt of the North Rim Trail in S…
 5

6 Comments

Sort by: Oldest
Newest Oldest Popular

 
There is a stinky elk carcass on a blind turn at the bottom. I keep wondering if there will be a bear on it as I come around the corner..... Jun 11, 2013

 
My daughter encountered a bear coming down the trail as she was going up. It was around 7pm. She backed up until she couldn't see him, then sprinted and fast walked the rest of the way back down. So be aware, bears like to hike too! Jul 27, 2014
Jillian Livingston
Jillian Livingston  
Love this app!!! Sep 28, 2016

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