Here's How To Bike Aspen, From Beginner To Pro

The Roaring Fork Valley offers bike trails for every ability.

With hundreds of miles of bike trails in the Roaring Fork Valley, from Aspen to Glenwood Springs, there are plenty of ways to enjoy a ride in the Roaring Fork Valley, whether you’re a beginner mountain biker or a single-track veteran. The Valley’s trails are so diverse the area is designated a Gold Level Ride Center by the International Mountain Bicycling Association for its accessibility and quality of mountain bike trails for riders of all abilities. Aspen and the Roaring Fork Valley offer something for everyone, from buff cross-country trails to gnarly downhill courses.

Beginner-Intermediate
SKY MOUNTAIN PARK

Between Aspen and Snowmass, Sky Mountain Park continues to grow its purpose-built trail network in the 2,500-acre parcel of land that offers spectacular views from Independence Pass to Mount Sopris. Start from Aspen or the Buttermilk parking lot, and ride Butterline to Incline, a new climbing-only trail that accesses the popular Airline trail (roller-coaster fun free of roots and rocks). At the top, descend downhill-only Airline Trail or traverse the ridge on Skyline to get to Deadline, Highline and Viewline.

Intermediate
GLASSIER

In the midvalley’s Glassier Open Space, Basalt’s Glassier-Buckhorn Loop is an intermediate trail that mixes a lot of single-track with some time on the paved Rio Grande Trail. Ridden from the Hook Spur Parking Trailhead, it combines a moderate climb up the Glassier OS Trail before a fun and flowy traverse across Buckhorn Traverse, punctuated with a twisting descent down the lower half of Buckhorn. Adding Vaston and an even newer trail called Imperial creates a longer climb, even better views and access to the top of the Crown, BLM land that now connects to the Prince Creek trail network in Carbondale.

Beginner-Advanced
SNOWMASS

The Snowmass Bike Park offers 25 miles of trails ranging from new, beginner-friendly and flowing single-track to intermediate trails like French Press—the park’s longest freeride trail running 4.4 miles with a descent of 2,100 vertical feet over smooth dirt, steep banks and dynamic roller—to challenging technical descents like Valhalla, the bike park’s original freeride trail that includes jumps, step-ups and wooden features. Families, first-timers and seasoned riders alike can experience gravity riding. You can access some of the Valley’s best cross-country trails from the Snowmass Bike Park, like the Seven Star Trail, a modern flow trail that snakes through the sagebrush.

Advanced
HUNTER CREEK VALLEY

To access the beautiful Hunter Creek Valley, which holds the closest single-track bike trails to downtown Aspen, you’ll have to endure the steep, 800-vertical-foot slog up Smuggler Mountain. But once you’ve earned the climb, you have an entire network, from purpose-built flow trails to old-school rocky, rooted routes, at your disposal. Start with BTS – Lollipop – Tootsie Roll – Iowa Shaft – 10th Mountain. Next time, ride farther (or park higher) to access Hummingbird, Upper Plunge, Sunnyside and more.