Photo of Gravel Riding Trails in Colorado

The Best Gravel Riding Trails in Colorado

Explore Gravel Riding Trails

Top 21 gravel riding trails in Colorado

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1

Castle Rock Gulch

Hard
14.73 mi·
1,036 ft
The 100,000-acre Fourmile Travel Management Area provides over 100 miles of roads and trails, many of which are perfect for gravel rides. The Castle Rock Gulch route is one of the best! In Buena Vista, Colorado's beautiful, big backyard, spring and fall are truly spectacular seasons to take advantage of “Fourmile....
2

River Road

Hard
21.1 mi·
626 ft
This mellow out-and-back ride on River Road may just be the easiest bike ride in Chaffee County. But despite being ultra-easy and ultra-accessible, this ride is still stunningly beautiful! After pedaling out of town on pavement, the road crosses the river and turns to gravel....
3

Van Tuyl Loop

Moderate
3.12 mi·
38 ft
The Van Tuyl Loop is one of the most easily-accessible greenspaces adjacent to the town of Gunnison. This wide gravel path creates a gorgeous 3-mile loop around Van Tuyl Ranch. The trail can be accessed from the marked trailhead or via several points on the southern edge of the loop....
4

South Platte River Greenway

Moderate
47.62 mi·
1,164 ft
The South Platte River Greenway is one of the longest greenway paths in the Denver Metro Area. This 48-mile trail begins far to the north of the metro area and follows the South Platte River through the very heart of downtown Denver....
5

High Line Canal Trail

Moderate
65.53 mi·
572 ft
The High Line Canal was originally built in 1883 for agricultural irrigation, but in recent decades, one of the best recreation trails in Denver has been built along the banks of the canal....
6

Bear Creek Trail Out-and-Back

Moderate
28.87 mi·
1,176 ft
The Bear Creek Lake Park and Bear Creek Greenway is a pristine natural area located on the outskirts of Lakewood, butting up against the small hamlet of Morrison. This gorgeous nature preserve is home to the eponymous lake, along with some easy hiking trails and a beautiful greenway path....
7

Arkansas Riverwalk to Tunnel Drive

Moderate
15.46 mi·
466 ft
The Arkansas Riverwalk is a wide gravel trail running along the banks of the Arkansas River. You can access the Riverwalk from several different trailheads, including from close to downtown Canon City, but this out-and-back route beginning from the Mackenzie Ave trailhead is the most efficient way to cover the entire trail....
8

Boreas Pass Out-and-Back

Easy
19.75 mi·
1,914 ft
Boreas Pass Road is a graded two-wheel-drive dirt road that travels over (you guessed it) 11,500-foot Boreas Pass to connect Breckenridge and Como, Colorado. Beginning from Breckenridge, take Boreas Pass Road south of town until the pavement ends and a gate marks the boundary of the national forest....
9

Cottonwood Lake

Hard
26.72 mi·
2,191 ft
Buena Vista, Colorado is surrounded by a wide variety of gravel rides, and the ride to Cottonwood Lake is a perfect sampler of what's available. This 20-mile out-and-back ride to Cottonwood Lake starts at the main stoplight in Buena Vista and ends at a quintessential mountain lake....
10

Vitamin B Gravel Grinder

Hard
21.96 mi·
2,420 ft
This ride shares the uphill access to the expert-level "Vitamin B" singletrack trail at the edge of Buena Vista, Colorado. The gorgeous dirt road climbs directly from town to the Vitamin B trailhead and 1....
11

St. Elmo

Hard
41.75 mi·
2,904 ft
From Buena Vista, Colorado, this gem is a 41-mile beauty of a ride with a little bit of everything: amazing views, paved roads for the first 15 miles, dirt for the next 5, climbs (both short steep and long sustained), and fast, fun descents....
12

Turret Ghost Town Out-and-Back

Hard
26.07 mi·
3,383 ft
Unlike some of the gravel road rides in the region, this route leads to a rewarding destination: the ghost town of Turret! Gold was discovered in Turret in 1897, leading to a small gold rush and a booming mining town....
13

Temple Canyon Road

Moderate
22.26 mi·
2,436 ft
Temple Canyon Road climbs directly out of downtown Canon City, quickly transitioning from pavement to gravel. This gravel road bisects one of the most popular mountain bike trail systems in the area, separating the South Canon trails from the Section 13 trails....
14

Canon City -> Westcliffe

Moderate
62.65 mi·
5,848 ft
County Roads 143 and 255 combine to create a long-distance, mostly-gravel route crossing a wild range of rolling mountains between the towns of Canon City and Westcliffe. The main climb up through the mountain range is known locally as the "Oak Creek Grade....
15

CR 69 Loop

28.34 mi·
2,294 ft
This loop combines a short section of Highway 50 with the gravel CR 69, ending on the paved stretch of Garden Park Road (also known as Shelf Road). After grunting up a short but steep climb on the highway, you'll get to leave the annoying traffic behind for the main feature—the solitude and beautiful gravel of CR 69! For more miles, consider riding an out-and-back portion of [Shelf Road](https://fatmap....
16

Rockvale Loop

Moderate
15.24 mi·
887 ft
This bite-sized gravel loop departs directly from downtown Canon City. While the hustle and bustle of Highway 50 and the downtown businesses in Canon City can be cacophonic, after pedaling a short ways out of town the noise and traffic miraculously disappears behind you....
17

Georgia Pass -> Boreas Pass Loop

Hard
49.0 mi·
5,353 ft
If you’re looking for an ambitious dirt road loop right out of downtown Breckenridge that’s achievable on a gravel bike, look no further than this route up and over Georgia Pass, returning to Breck via Boreas Pass....
18

Guffey Huffer

Hard
126.91 mi·
11,428 ft
The Guffey Huffer is a massive 200km double loop running from Salida to Guffey, down to Cotopaxi, and back to Salida. Dreamt up by the [Colorado Endurance Series](https://coloradoes.wordpress.com/swes-event-list/ddf200k/), most years there is a coordinated non-commercial ride on this route....
19

Firebox Loop

Hard
71.69 mi·
6,506 ft
The Firebox Loop is a shorter version of the 200km [Guffey Huffer](https://fatmap.com/routeid/708583/Guffey_Huffer/@38.5229168,-105.8465006,102425.2496837,-90,0,2230.8819030,normal). Instead of completing the second loop to Guffey, this route solely traverses the first full loop: from Salida, over the mountains, south to Cotopaxi, and back to Salida....
20

Phantom Canyon -> Shelf Road Loop

Hard
70.11 mi·
5,475 ft
Two of the most visually-stunning gravel roads near Canon City—Phantom Canyon and Shelf Road—can be combined into an incredible 70-mile loop ride that just might qualify as world-class gravel riding! The route mapped here runs from downtown Canon City, while avoiding traffic with the use of the gravel path band backroads....
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