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Colorado Trail: Ten Mile Range Bypass (Miner's Creek Bypass Vail to Copper Bike Path Copper to Breckenridge Bike Path Wheeler Trail Bypass)
Mountain Biking Trail
Moderate
12.19 mi
811 ft
Many Colorado Trail bikepackers opt to bypass around the ultra-steep Ten Mile Range using this route.
The Colorado Trail (COT) is widely regarded as one of the very best long distance mountain bike trails in the world. Running for 535 miles between Denver and Durango, the trail crosses high alpine mountain passes and drops into beautiful valleys as it traverses the most beautiful portions of the state of Colorado. The COT forms one third of the Triple Crown of Bikepacking, along with the Arizona Trail and the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route.
The problem for bikepackers is that the Colorado Trail wasn’t originally built with bike travel in mind. Sure, plenty of sections are absolutely incredible on the mountain bike… but others, especially on a fully-loaded bikepacking rig, are notoriously brutal. The Miner’s Creek/Wheeler section of the trail is one such ultra-brutal section.
Instead of hike-a-biking straight up the Ten Mile mountain range and then being faced with the possibility of having to hike-a-bike DOWNHILL on ultra-technical singletrack, many bikepackers choose to bypass around the Ten Mile range between Breckenridge and Copper. Conveniently, a paved bike path provides a very pleasant connection, keeping riders off of the highway.
By itself, this bike path is a very popular road biking route, so as a bypass option for bikepackers it is very pleasant indeed. Sure, you’re not on singletrack, but at least you’re riding your bike instead of hiking! If pedaling from Breckenridge to Copper, this route demands a respectable climb up the bike path. If traveling the opposite direction, it’s a high-speed downhill coast. Written by Greg Heil
The Colorado Trail (COT) is widely regarded as one of the very best long distance mountain bike trails in the world. Running for 535 miles between Denver and Durango, the trail crosses high alpine mountain passes and drops into beautiful valleys as it traverses the most beautiful portions of the state of Colorado. The COT forms one third of the Triple Crown of Bikepacking, along with the Arizona Trail and the Great Divide Mountain Bike Route.
The problem for bikepackers is that the Colorado Trail wasn’t originally built with bike travel in mind. Sure, plenty of sections are absolutely incredible on the mountain bike… but others, especially on a fully-loaded bikepacking rig, are notoriously brutal. The Miner’s Creek/Wheeler section of the trail is one such ultra-brutal section.
Instead of hike-a-biking straight up the Ten Mile mountain range and then being faced with the possibility of having to hike-a-bike DOWNHILL on ultra-technical singletrack, many bikepackers choose to bypass around the Ten Mile range between Breckenridge and Copper. Conveniently, a paved bike path provides a very pleasant connection, keeping riders off of the highway.
By itself, this bike path is a very popular road biking route, so as a bypass option for bikepackers it is very pleasant indeed. Sure, you’re not on singletrack, but at least you’re riding your bike instead of hiking! If pedaling from Breckenridge to Copper, this route demands a respectable climb up the bike path. If traveling the opposite direction, it’s a high-speed downhill coast. Written by Greg Heil
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Strava Routes
Route and Elevation
Segments
| Name | Distance | Elev. Diff. | Avg. Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Alpenese to Rainbow | 2.81 mi | 148 ft | 0.4% |
| High School-->Hospital | 1.56 mi | 141 ft | 1.6% |
| Swan path intersect to toilet bowl. | 2.00 mi | 144 ft | 1.0% |
| Construction Path | 0.96 mi | 98 ft | 1.8% |
| Hospital Rollers | 1.58 mi | 141 ft | 1.7% |
| Roll to StA | 1.38 mi | 128 ft | 1.7% |
| Farmer's Corner Stairs - Reroute | 0.54 mi | 108 ft | 3.7% |
| Feel free to get sick. There is a hospital at the top of this climb. | 1.02 mi | 138 ft | 2.5% |
| Frisco to officers gulch | 3.20 mi | 377 ft | 2.2% |
| Frisco/Copper Climbing Section | 3.98 mi | 495 ft | 2.4% |
| Frisco to Bench | 1.93 mi | 180 ft | 1.7% |
| OLD VERSION - Ten Mile Canyon 15 min TT | 3.27 mi | 456 ft | 2.6% |
| Interstate 70 Climb | 1.25 mi | 299 ft | 4.5% |
| Officers Gulch to flats | 1.00 mi | 174 ft | 3.2% |