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Colorado Trail Segment 22: Spring Creek Pass Trailhead to Carson Saddle (Coney Summit Jarosa Mesa COT Segment 22)
Mountain Biking Trail
Hard
16.97 mi
3,758 ft
The highest segment of the Colorado Trail, topping out at 13,271 feet, is breathtakingly beautiful!
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.
Segment 22 runs from Spring Creek Pass on Hwy 149 between Lake City and Creede to Carson Saddle. Running 17.2 miles one-way and gaining 3,829 feet of elevation, according to , this section finally transitions back to sweet singletrack.
In fact, this section of the Colorado Trail climbs high into the mountains, topping out at the COT's highest point: Coney Summit at 13,271 feet above sea level. Not only does the trail max out its elevation here, but according to this zone of the Colorado Trail doesn’t drop "below 12,000 feet for over 30 continuous miles, not even once."
As a result of traversing such incredible high alpine terrain, both the views and the singletrack itself are absolutely superb! "I first rode a portion of this segment of the CT two years ago. It instantly become my favorite piece of trail on the planet,” writes Hill Junkie.
The trail through the tundra is narrow and delectable, but rocky sections punctuate the smooth, flowy singletrack. Thanks to some serious elevation gain and loss, riders can expect to do quite a bit of hike-a-biking on the climbs.
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.
Segment 22 runs from Spring Creek Pass on Hwy 149 between Lake City and Creede to Carson Saddle. Running 17.2 miles one-way and gaining 3,829 feet of elevation, according to , this section finally transitions back to sweet singletrack.
In fact, this section of the Colorado Trail climbs high into the mountains, topping out at the COT's highest point: Coney Summit at 13,271 feet above sea level. Not only does the trail max out its elevation here, but according to this zone of the Colorado Trail doesn’t drop "below 12,000 feet for over 30 continuous miles, not even once."
As a result of traversing such incredible high alpine terrain, both the views and the singletrack itself are absolutely superb! "I first rode a portion of this segment of the CT two years ago. It instantly become my favorite piece of trail on the planet,” writes Hill Junkie.
The trail through the tundra is narrow and delectable, but rocky sections punctuate the smooth, flowy singletrack. Thanks to some serious elevation gain and loss, riders can expect to do quite a bit of hike-a-biking on the climbs.
Sources:
Written by Greg Heil
Route and Elevation
Segments
| Name | Distance | Elev. Diff. | Avg. Grade |
|---|---|---|---|
| Continental Divide Trail Climb | 0.96 mi | 440 ft | 8.6% |
| County Road 56 Climb | 0.74 mi | 318 ft | 8.0% |
| County Road 30 Climb | 1.59 mi | 627 ft | 7.4% |
| County Road 30 Climb | 0.76 mi | 545 ft | 13.3% |
| County Road 36 Climb | 1.04 mi | 348 ft | 6.3% |