Colorado Trail: Cochetopa Hills (COT Colorado Trail Saguache Park Hwy 114 to County Road 17FF Cochetopa Hills)
Mountain Biking Trail
Hard
12.49 mi
1,264 ft
An obscure section of the Colorado Trail running along a combination of dirt roads and rugged singletrack.
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.
Much of this segment of the Colorado Trail follows roads and old road beds, according to At some points, the doubletrack does narrow down into a trail that resembles singletrack, albeit a quite wide and somewhat unmaintained singletrack. Some portions of the singletrack are very rocky, while others are very smooth.
Here’s how the Colorado Trail Foundation characterizes this section: "This is not one of the most breathtakingly beautiful segments of the Colorado Trail. It is ranch country and grazing cattle are common. The grades average less than 100 feet per mile. There is not much shade and less water.”
If riding from Denver to Durango, this section of the COT dumps out onto a road, requiring a wilderness bypass.
Sources:
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.
Much of this segment of the Colorado Trail follows roads and old road beds, according to At some points, the doubletrack does narrow down into a trail that resembles singletrack, albeit a quite wide and somewhat unmaintained singletrack. Some portions of the singletrack are very rocky, while others are very smooth.
Here’s how the Colorado Trail Foundation characterizes this section: "This is not one of the most breathtakingly beautiful segments of the Colorado Trail. It is ranch country and grazing cattle are common. The grades average less than 100 feet per mile. There is not much shade and less water.”
If riding from Denver to Durango, this section of the COT dumps out onto a road, requiring a wilderness bypass.
Sources:
Written by Greg Heil
Created By
Strava Routes
Route and Elevation
Segments
| Name | Distance | Elev. Diff. | Avg. Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Colorado Trail segment 18 | Hwy 114 to Saguache Park detour | 11.98 mi | -830 ft | -0.3% |
| County Road Nn 14 Climb | 2.16 mi | 528 ft | 4.6% |