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Apex Loop (Enchanted Forest and Lower Apex Downhill)
Mountain Biking Trail
Hard
7.01 mi
1,545 ft
A scenic climb to an action-packed downhill in the foothills just outside of Golden.
Enchanted Forest and Apex Trails together make one of the best descents in the Denver area. The loop mapped here is the best way to ride this trail system by utilizing the well-built climbing trails to get up the mountain.
Start out on Apex Trail, then take Argos Trail to Pick-n-Sledge for the climb. The long uphill takes you through a variety of forest types as you cross back and forth on a ridgeline and gain elevation. It’s all on nice singletrack with mostly straightforward riding, but has tricky sections to negotiate here and there. If you choose to ride the loop the opposite way (which you must on odd-numbered days), Pick-N-Sledge is a fun and very scenic downhill.
From the top of Pick-N-Sledge, take the steep switchbacks downhill on Sluicebox to connect with Hardscrabble then Apex Trail. This upper section of Apex makes a relatively mellow climb the rest of the way up a canyon and meets with Enchanted Forest near the top of the mountain, then the downhill begins.
Enchanted Forest Trail is aptly named. It swoops through surprisingly lush greenery and a diversity of trees. They grow thick here on north-facing slopes. It’s all singletrack and mostly flowy downhill, but with a fair share of rooty and rocky sections. A few bigger rock drops give the option for air time. Overall it’s intermediate difficulty, but more advanced lines can be found in some spots.
Enchanted Forest joins Apex, where the difficulty steps up a bit. Apex has more and tougher rock sections, including some significant stairs and drops with no sneak lines. It remains almost entirely downhill, moving into drier and more open forest, then grassland at the bottom. Finish where you started at the Apex Trailhead.
**Note:** Due to the immense popularity of this trail system, a shared-use schedule has been implemented. Mountain bikers are only allowed to access the trails on even-numbered calendar days (2nd, 4th, etc.), but now they can ride downhill without having to worry about uphill hiker traffic.
Sources:
Written by Jesse Weber
Enchanted Forest and Apex Trails together make one of the best descents in the Denver area. The loop mapped here is the best way to ride this trail system by utilizing the well-built climbing trails to get up the mountain.
Start out on Apex Trail, then take Argos Trail to Pick-n-Sledge for the climb. The long uphill takes you through a variety of forest types as you cross back and forth on a ridgeline and gain elevation. It’s all on nice singletrack with mostly straightforward riding, but has tricky sections to negotiate here and there. If you choose to ride the loop the opposite way (which you must on odd-numbered days), Pick-N-Sledge is a fun and very scenic downhill.
From the top of Pick-N-Sledge, take the steep switchbacks downhill on Sluicebox to connect with Hardscrabble then Apex Trail. This upper section of Apex makes a relatively mellow climb the rest of the way up a canyon and meets with Enchanted Forest near the top of the mountain, then the downhill begins.
Enchanted Forest Trail is aptly named. It swoops through surprisingly lush greenery and a diversity of trees. They grow thick here on north-facing slopes. It’s all singletrack and mostly flowy downhill, but with a fair share of rooty and rocky sections. A few bigger rock drops give the option for air time. Overall it’s intermediate difficulty, but more advanced lines can be found in some spots.
Enchanted Forest joins Apex, where the difficulty steps up a bit. Apex has more and tougher rock sections, including some significant stairs and drops with no sneak lines. It remains almost entirely downhill, moving into drier and more open forest, then grassland at the bottom. Finish where you started at the Apex Trailhead.
**Note:** Due to the immense popularity of this trail system, a shared-use schedule has been implemented. Mountain bikers are only allowed to access the trails on even-numbered calendar days (2nd, 4th, etc.), but now they can ride downhill without having to worry about uphill hiker traffic.
Sources:
Written by Jesse Weber
Created By
Strava Routes
