+ 90
Buttermilk Bowls
Mountain Biking Trail
Hard
8.8 mi
2,151 ft
A straightforward figure-8 ride on Buttermilk Mountain.
This straightforward figure-8 route leaves most of the route finding behind and allows riders to focus on grinding up a stiff dirt road climb through the resort, and railing delightful singletrack on the way back down!
The climb up the mountain takes place mostly on a dirt road that winds its way up through the ski resort. About 1/3 of the way up you’ll pass over the Government Trail—the final leg of your descent back down through the resort.
After grinding and grinding up the mountain, you’ll reach a viewpoint and be rewarded with "amazing views of the [Maroon] Creek Valley [and] Pyramid Peak,” according to []( From here, the remainder of the climb takes place on delightful singletrack that loops around the upper Buttermilk Bowls, before beginning the descent in earnest.
The descent swoops and flows through pine and aspen forest on mostly smooth singletrack. While this trail descends down through a ski resort, don’t expect to find a purpose-built flow trail or a feature-rich downhill test piece. This is narrow singletrack trail riding at its finest, with roots and rocks adding some roughness and challenge to this narrow strip of dirt.
On the lower section of the descent on Government Trail, you’ll encounter the most challenging and renowned sections of Government Trail, known simply as The Rock Garden and The Root. Intermediate riders who prefer long climbs and smooth singletrack can always opt to walk the few challenging sections, as most of this route is quite smooth and flowy.
Sources:
Written by Greg Heil
This straightforward figure-8 route leaves most of the route finding behind and allows riders to focus on grinding up a stiff dirt road climb through the resort, and railing delightful singletrack on the way back down!
The climb up the mountain takes place mostly on a dirt road that winds its way up through the ski resort. About 1/3 of the way up you’ll pass over the Government Trail—the final leg of your descent back down through the resort.
After grinding and grinding up the mountain, you’ll reach a viewpoint and be rewarded with "amazing views of the [Maroon] Creek Valley [and] Pyramid Peak,” according to []( From here, the remainder of the climb takes place on delightful singletrack that loops around the upper Buttermilk Bowls, before beginning the descent in earnest.
The descent swoops and flows through pine and aspen forest on mostly smooth singletrack. While this trail descends down through a ski resort, don’t expect to find a purpose-built flow trail or a feature-rich downhill test piece. This is narrow singletrack trail riding at its finest, with roots and rocks adding some roughness and challenge to this narrow strip of dirt.
On the lower section of the descent on Government Trail, you’ll encounter the most challenging and renowned sections of Government Trail, known simply as The Rock Garden and The Root. Intermediate riders who prefer long climbs and smooth singletrack can always opt to walk the few challenging sections, as most of this route is quite smooth and flowy.
Sources:
Written by Greg Heil
Route and Elevation
Segments
Name | Distance | Elev. Diff. | Avg. Grade |
---|---|---|---|
Tie Hack to the End | 3.68 mi | 1,854 ft | 9.5% |
Tiehack-Cliff House | 3.27 mi | 1,611 ft | 9.3% |
Tiehack to Restaurant | 3.25 mi | 1,519 ft | 8.8% |
Buttermilk Service Rd Climb | 3.33 mi | 1,614 ft | 9.2% |
Tiehack-Blue Grouse climb | 2.54 mi | 1,280 ft | 9.5% |
ButterHack Climb | 1.33 mi | 571 ft | 8.0% |
Oregon Trail | 0.62 mi | 184 ft | 5.6% |
The George Beatdown | 2.34 mi | 1,329 ft | 10.7% |
5 min TT | 0.55 mi | 377 ft | 13.0% |
Buttermilk Service Access to Top | 2.15 mi | 1,263 ft | 11.1% |
Mantequilla de leche | 1.98 mi | 1,083 ft | 10.4% |
grind up | 1.72 mi | 938 ft | 10.3% |
Unnamed Rd Climb | 0.60 mi | 400 ft | 12.6% |
CliffHouse to the Tree | 0.55 mi | 285 ft | 9.6% |
Sugar Meadow | 0.46 mi | -335 ft | -13.5% |
Gov't Descent (Buttermilk) | 2.34 mi | -1,040 ft | -8.4% |
Govt to Shorty cutoff | 1.09 mi | -420 ft | -7.0% |
Gov't from Blue Grouse | 2.22 mi | -1,148 ft | -9.6% |
Gov't Shorty Descent | 1.21 mi | -741 ft | -11.5% |
ButterHack Singletrack DH | 0.73 mi | -344 ft | -8.9% |
Extra Short Butter-Hack Descent | 0.40 mi | -259 ft | -12.3% |