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Lupine Loop

Trail Running Route

Hard
12.27 mi
1,526 ft
A rewarding loop from downtown Crested Butte with flowy singletrack and beautiful views.

A quick run up the pavement from downtown Crested Butte brings you to the beginning of the Lupine Trail: a flowy, scenic singletrack benched high into a hillside overlooking the Slate River Valley and the town of Crested Butte.

As the trail winds its way along the hillside, you'll be faced with a choice: slow down and enjoy the incredible views of the region, or focus on the singletrack and get into a flowy groove? It's a win-win—which will you choose?

The Lupine Trail can be looped in a variety of ways, and the original (and shorter) option drops down to the Slate River Road, following the dirt road back to Crested Butte. The route mapped here is longer and requires a bit more running and climbing, but the additional singletrack is well-worth it!

The main reason to complete this longer loop option is the relatively new trail known as the Gunsight Pass Connector Trail at the far end of the loop. This sweet, sweet stretch of singletrack swoops and flows through a thick aspen grove on the loamiest black dirt you may every run on! Swooping turns and undulating singletrack drops the runner all too quickly down to Slate River Road.

From there, you can choose to climb to the Upper Lower Loop or take the Lower Lower Loop back to downtown Crested Butte. Both are great options, but one requires a bit more climbing, and the other is flatter and mellower.

While not a true beginner route, the Lupine Loop from downtown Crested Butte is a very approachable trail run that forgoes the rocks\ and extended climbing of most long-time Crested Butte classics, yet still feels very rewarding once you sit down at the bar afterward. Written by Greg Heil
Created By
Strava Routes

Route and Elevation

Segments

NameDistanceElev. Diff.Avg. Grade
Glacier Lily Way Climb0.75 mi213 ft5.2%
Lupine back2.39 mi-276 ft-0.2%
Gunsight Incline0.89 mi312 ft6.6%
Gunsight Connector Full Descent 2.00 mi-587 ft-5.5%
Gunsight Decline0.69 mi-210 ft-5.2%
County Road 739 A Climb0.38 mi161 ft7.9%
Upper Lower toward town1.96 mi-161 ft-1.2%
Coal Flats towards town0.91 mi-46 ft-0.0%