A person riding a mountain bike on a path in front of a mountain peak. This trail is Strand Hill Crested Butte

Experience epic Colorado mountain biking in Gunnison and Crested Butte

High desert to high alpine

Hop on your mountain bike to explore more than 800 miles of smile-inducing singletrack in the Gunnison Valley, from famous alpine epics in Crested Butte to challenging high-desert rides in Gunnison.

Take a convenient flight to Gunnison-Crested Butte Regional Airport, and book lodging just steps away from the trails. Start planning your adventure below!

Book your trip

Lodging

Cozy cabins, historic bed-and-breakfasts, trailside hotels…take your pick! With more affordable lodging than similar mountain destinations, you won’t over-pay, but you might choose to over-stay!

Plug the desired dates of your trip into the tool below to find the perfect accommodations.

Flights

Spend less time traveling and more time on the trails when you fly to Gunnison-Crested Butte Airport (GUC). With expanded flight service, it’s now easier than ever to fly to the Gunnison Valley!

Visiting from Texas? Catch nonstop flights from Dallas or Houston.

Fly from Houston on United
fly from Dallas on JSX

Coming from anywhere else? Take the easy one-hour flight from Denver on United Airlines.

Fly Denver to GUC

Mountain biking info

Gunnison Valley MTB guide

Use our guide to learn more about riding in Crested Butte and Gunnison. The guide contains detailed descriptions of each of the valley’s nine trail zones, including the bike park at Crested Butte Mountain Resort. Browse a trail map, get route recommendations and learn insider tips, all written by locals. 

Pick your trails

SUPPORT GUNNISON VALLEY TRAILS

If you enjoy riding the beautiful trails around Crested Butte and Gunnison, please consider supporting the local organizations that maintain and advocate for them.

Give back

Other things to do

Choose your outdoor adventure! Hike through waist-high wildflowers in summer and golden aspens in fall. Explore more than 1,100 miles of roads via gravel bike. Or try your hand at angling in crystal-clear Gold Medal rivers. Whatever your adventure, it’ll leave you whooping, grinning and gasping in awe.

Gravel biking past a hay farm in Gunnison, Colorado in summer

Gravel biking

An angler casts into a small lake while fall fishing in Gunnison and Almont.

Fishing

A hiker on a gravel trail in the fall

Hiking

Colorado’s coolest mountain towns

Kick back in one of the Gunnison Valley’s towns after your ride. Mosey through unique restaurants, cozy bars and one-of-a-kind shops in historic buildings. 

Groups and events

Looking for an event venue, conference room or lodging package for a large group? Click the button below to learn more about group travel to the Gunnison Valley.

Get group travel info

Regional travel alerts

Our travel alerts page contains everything you need to know before you arrive:

  • road construction info
  • camping options
  • current campfire restrictions
  • seasonal trail closures
  • weather

Click the button below to get started.

Plan your trip

Keep the Gunnison Valley wild

MUDDY OR WET TRAIL CONDITIONS

Plan your route to avoid riding on wet or muddy trails. If you encounter snow or mud on the trail, ride through it, not around it.

BATHROOMS

Pit toilets are available at Hartman Rocks, the Judd Falls trailhead and a few other locations around Crested Butte, but the majority of trails do not have bathroom facilities. “Go before you go,” and learn how to properly dispose of waste if you have to answer nature’s call outdoors.

BASIC MOUNTAIN BIKING ETIQUETTE

  • Only ride on open trails
  • Yield to riders traveling uphill
  • Bikers yield to all other trail users, including horses and hikers
  • Ride under control at all times
  • Respect other trail users

LEAVE NO TRACE

The seven principles of Leave No Trace guide us on how to behave in the outdoors. Abiding by these principles helps minimize human impacts on the land. To learn more about Leave No Trace principles specific to mountain biking, visit LNT.org.

CRESTED BUTTE CAMPING CHANGES

In most areas of the Gunnison Valley, camping is only allowed in designated sites (sites marked with a sign). Plan several backup options in case your first campsite choice doesn’t work out. If possible, make reservations in advance. Check out our camping guide for more information.

A mountain biker in a Western Colorado University jersey jumps on a mountain bike on a trail through aspen trees.

Western Colorado University

Small classes, big opportunities

Western Colorado University in Gunnison offers over 100 areas of study, including a first-of-its-kind degree program in outdoor industry engineering. With world-class skiing and mountain biking right in Western’s backyard, students can shred the trails or the slopes after homework is done.

Learn more about Western

Gunnison Valley business resources

ICELab @ Western

The ICELab is the Gunnison Valley’s all-in-one business resource center. The ICELab offers a spacious, sunny coworking space on the campus of Western Colorado University, but it’s so much more than that. Staff also work one-on-one with local businesses and entrepreneurs to build a stronger, more diverse local economy.

Explore opportunities
A man talks to another man with their laptops in front of them at the bright, sunny ICELab coworking space.
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