18 Best Bike Trails in the U.S. Worthy of a Trip - TimeOut
Best bike trails in the U.S. · 1. Highway One | Big Sur, CA · 2. Canyonlands National Park | UT · 3. Flume Trail | Lake Tahoe, NV · 4. Great ...
to Schofield Pass
A lung-burning, five-mile climb up <anchor>to Schofield Pass</anchor> can be a rough welcome for novice riders, but once you’ve trekked through dense trees to the trail's high point (at a whopping 11,35ft), the singletrack opens up, revealing killer 360-degree views of the rugged Elk Mountains. Best for intermediate to expert cyclists, the 13.6-mile route’s fast alpine descent through fields of wildflowers will have cyclists feeling serious Sound of Music vibes.
401 Trail Loop Mountain Bike Trail, Crested Butte, Colorado
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# 401 Trail Loop

RECOMMENDED ROUTE

Intermediate/DifficultIntermediate/Difficult

 4.6 (459)

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## “The Crested Butte mega classic! High alpine meadows with unbeatable views.  ”

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### 14.1

Miles

### 22.7

KM

### 60%

Singletrack

### 11,335'   3,455 m

High

### 9,584'   2,921 m

Low

### 2,249'   686 m

Up

### 2,222'   677 m

Down

### 6%

Avg Grade
(3°)

### 29%

Max Grade
(16°)

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### Overview  

The definition of alpine mountain biking. The loop provides endless views of Colorado's breathtaking Elk range, winding its way around alpine lakes, through aspen groves, while immersing riders in shoulder high skunk cabbage. This ride ranks among the best of its style, and the among best in the area.

### Description  

The loop begins with an easy 5 mile climb up the Gothic road to Schofield Pass. At approximately mile 4 it is not uncommon to come across "The Plug" an almost permanent snowfield across the road. A quick hike-a-bike will place you in view of Emerald Lake with a short distance remaining until the famed 401 singletrack begins.

At the top of Schofield Pass, the famed singletrack of the 401 Trail veers right starting with a tough and consistent climb for 1.3 miles through dense trees. Near the top, the grades gets easier, the trees open up, and the views behind you are stellar. The climb isn't really all that hard - nothing technically - but your lungs will keep reminding you are at 11,000 feet above sea level.

Then the payoff begins. The unsurpassed 360 degree alpine views of the Elk mountains, followed by the first of the steady downhill. After descending a few hundred feet, the trail flows fast and gently downhill with stunning views in front of you and flowers all around in mid-summer. For much of the top part of the descent you're hugging the hillside, with a steep drop to the right, which can mess with your equilibrium. There are a few very skinny sections that are easy but have very bad fall potential. Take your time and savor it!

You'll intersect with the Bellview hiking trail and take a right. This section has several switchbacks and has begun to get a little rutted out, but it's generally fast and flowy with great traction all the way. When conditions are good, the middle section of the 401 descent is about as fun as mountain biking gets.

Once down to Rustler's Gulch, take a breather because the climbing begins again. This point also provides an exit back to Gothic road if the weather turns for the worse. Otherwise continue your tour through the Ruster's Gulch camping area, and follow the 401 trail into the meadow above the campsites.

The trail climbs for about a mile and is technically a bit harder than earlier sections, though still fine for fit intermediate riders. You'll pass thorugh a drainage with lots of rockfall, and most people walk their bikes a few feet to get through it.

One final descent takes you to the outskirts of Gothic. Please respect the trail signs here and avoid private property.

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## Trail Ratings

4.6
from
459 votes

### #1

### #10

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4.6
from
459 votes

5 Star

73%

4 Star

20%

3 Star

5%

2 Star

2%

1 Star

0%

Recommended Route Rankings

### #1

### #4

### #10

174 Views Last Month

158,255 Since Apr 4, 2013

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## Photos

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## 24 Comments

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## Weather

## Current Trail Conditions

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5 days ago

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## Conditions History

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## Add Check-In

Date

Mileage

Duration

Notes

Rate QualityRatingRatingRatingRatingRating

Rate Difficulty

EasyEasy
Flat. Few obstacles.

Easy/IntermediateEasy/Intermediate
Some uneven terrain. Mostly flat.

IntermediateIntermediate
Moderately steep. Uneven terrain with small rocks or roots.

Intermediate/DifficultIntermediate/Difficult
Sizable rocks & roots. Steep sections.

DifficultDifficult
Steep. Some technical terrain and limited alternate lines.

Very DifficultVery Difficult
Very steep. Technical terrain with no alternate lines.

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## Check-Ins

Aug 28, 2024

I had a blast on the trail. Almost didn't go bcos of some of the negative vibes.
14.1mi
—
17h 00m

Aug 19, 2024

Considered by many to be one of the finest bike rides Colorado has to offer, the 401 loop offers up some of the best in alpine mountain biking.

Aug 11, 2024

14.2mi
—
3h 30m

Show 197 More Check-Ins

Aug 5, 2024

Private User

Jul 24, 2024

Jul 23, 2024

Jul 23, 2024

Jul 23, 2024

13.5mi
—
1h 52m

Show 192 More Check-Ins

Jul 23, 2024

Jul 12, 2024

Rode with Kaylyn - Skip the second section of uphill of riding with her next time
14.1mi
—
4h 30m

Jun 28, 2024

Mar 8, 2024

Oct 14, 2023

Oct 7, 2023

Sep 28, 2023

Sep 17, 2023

Private User

Sep 2, 2023

wow!!!
14.1mi

Aug 24, 2023

Aug 6, 2023

Start at Rustlers Gulch

Jul 25, 2023

Jul 24, 2023

Long section of Gothic Road past Rustlers Gulch is a deep dust bowl. Descent dusty and bumpy but still fun as always.
12.5mi
—
1h 39m

Jul 3, 2023

Nov 22, 2022

Oct 15, 2022

Sep 24, 2022

Sep 20, 2022

Sep 18, 2022

Incredible ride, the trail's in great shape. You might have to dodge some cows.
13.8mi
—
2h 05m

Sep 3, 2022

Sep 2, 2022

9.7mi
—
1h 43m

Aug 30, 2022

Super Fun!
13.9mi
—
2h 10m

Aug 19, 2022

Aug 8, 2022

25mi
—
3h 06m

Aug 3, 2022

Jul 27, 2022

Jul 22, 2022

14.1mi
—
18h 00m

Jul 21, 2022

Beautiful trail near Crested Butte.

Jul 17, 2022

14.1mi
—
3h 29m

Jul 4, 2022

A little muddy in spots

Jul 2, 2022

Private User

Jul 2, 2022

14.7mi

May 29, 2022

Mm. I wee .

Sep 24, 2021

Sep 17, 2021

40mi
—
3h 15m

Sep 17, 2021

Sep 11, 2021

21.8mi
—
3h 41m

Sep 10, 2021

Sep 10, 2021

So so fun, high alpine ripping with some great exposure! Finally ticked this sucker! With Dan and Chris

Sep 10, 2021

Sep 7, 2021

Sep 6, 2021

5 star views, 3 star riding. Mostly blue green trails

Aug 14, 2021

August 13th

Aug 7, 2021

Tough climb rewarded with awesome singletrack.
13.6mi
—
2h 36m

Aug 7, 2021

Aug 5, 2021

started and ended at rustlers gulch!
10mi
—
3h 30m

Jul 27, 2021

Trail could use some work, esp the washed out portions of the downhill. Without the views I'd only give it 3 stars. Technical descents were fun.

Jul 18, 2021

First time!
—
2h 30m

Jul 18, 2021

Definitely an XC bike for this ride. Try to get a ride to the top if you can to avoid the road. The climb is steep, the downhill was quick. Good views

Jul 16, 2021

Jul 13, 2021

Rode from the mountaineer lodge
—
4h 25m

Jul 13, 2021

Bucket list trail! The climb up is a tough one if you aren't used to the altitude but a fantastic ride!
14mi
—
6h 00m

Jul 10, 2021

brutal ascent, second section is not worth it
14.1mi

Jul 1, 2021

Jun 24, 2021

Oct 23, 2020

What a beautiful and fun trail
13.3mi
—
2h 00m

Oct 22, 2020

14.1mi

Oct 17, 2020

Oct 15, 2020

Not worth riding the 2nd half of the trail. The downhill was not worth the the climb

Sep 30, 2020

Private User

Sep 27, 2020

way too many vehicles on the way up till the 401 actually start. But when you get there-it's a great single.
13.6mi
—
2h 20m

Sep 27, 2020

Sep 12, 2020

Wet, muddy and snowy up top. Probably not the best time to ride the 401. Still a beautiful ride!

Sep 6, 2020

Sep 3, 2020

12.6mi
—
2h 08m

Sep 1, 2020

13.2mi
—
2h 15m

Aug 25, 2020

Aug 25, 2020

Aug 18, 2020

15.1mi
—
2h 48m

Aug 16, 2020

Aug 16, 2020

Aug 15, 2020

Epic views! Tons of brake bumps/washboard in spots of the descent though.
13.4mi
—
2h 22m

Aug 14, 2020

Aug 12, 2020

Aug 12, 2020

2h 07m

Aug 8, 2020

The climb on 317 is not fun with car traffic and dust. I did it at noon, lots of traffic. earlier might be better. Breathtaking views but meh riding.
14mi
—
3h 00m

Aug 8, 2020

Fun and super picturesque *if you shuttle it*. If you pedal that fireroad with 1,000 cars passing by, you're gonna have a bad time.
8.8mi
—
1h 09m

Aug 2, 2020

13.7mi
—
3h 03m

Aug 1, 2020

Jul 31, 2020

Jul 31, 2020

Jul 31, 2020

14mi

Jul 31, 2020

14.1mi
—
11h 00m

Jul 28, 2020

Jul 25, 2020

Unfortunately the weather was pretty bad all weekend so I biked to Emerald Lake and called it early, just didn't seem worth the rain. I'll be back.
2.2mi

Jul 20, 2020

Killer views
14.1mi

Jul 19, 2020

Jul 19, 2020

Gorgeous ride w the wildflowers

Jul 19, 2020

shuttled to Schofield's pass and then got off at Rushler's Gulch
5.7mi
—
1h 33m

Jul 18, 2020

Jul 18, 2020

Insanely cool trail; Tommy's calf cramped
14.1mi
—
4h 00m

Jul 16, 2020

9.1mi
—
1h 42m

Jul 15, 2020

Challenging fire road climb, much cooler high alpine ride, some dangerous sharp turns near top, beautiful views, tons of green foliage and wildflow…
14.1mi
—
3h 33m

Jul 13, 2020

Jul 10, 2020

Pretty dry. Not some many flowers left. Still has a lit of nice views.
13.4mi
—
2h 01m

Jul 4, 2020

Jul 4, 2020

Jul 4, 2020

Jul 4, 2020

Jul 3, 2020

Jul 3, 2020

Wow! This trail is fun as heck. Pretty chill but long climb with maybe just a couple technical climbs thrown in towards the end. Its a blast!
14.1mi
—
3h 30m

Jul 3, 2020

14mi
—
4h 30m

Jul 3, 2020

Jun 28, 2020

Jun 27, 2020

Jun 22, 2020

Jun 11, 2020

Very snowy and muddy on the climb from schofield pass; Needs a bit more to dry out.
14mi
—
2h 20m

Oct 5, 2019

Sep 28, 2019

Sep 22, 2019

Slog up gravel road rewarded by superb views and great DH. Colorado highlight. Had to wash cow poo off bikes...
14mi
—
2h 51m

Sep 14, 2019

Sep 12, 2019

Doubletrack climb.

Sep 6, 2019

lots of climbing! heavy ruts compromised the downhill.
14.6mi
—
3h 00m

Sep 1, 2019

Perfect Late Summer Day - gothic rd climb is terribly dusty

Aug 31, 2019

Aug 31, 2019

First time. Soooo very beautiful. Wow. I stopped so many times to take pics.

Aug 19, 2019

10.3mi

Aug 10, 2019

Aug 6, 2019

Stunning!!
32.5mi
—
4h 00m

Aug 3, 2019

Aug 2, 2019

The views were magnificent and the downhills were fast and flowing! Though not technical, the climbs were hard especially since they were muddy.
14.1mi
—
3h 15m

Jul 26, 2019

Jul 22, 2019

Jul 17, 2019

Oct 7, 2018

Oct 6, 2018

Sep 27, 2018

Sep 23, 2018

Sep 23, 2018

Sep 23, 2018

Sep 22, 2018

6mi
—
0h 53m

Sep 21, 2018

14.1mi

Sep 15, 2018

Sep 15, 2018

Sep 12, 2018

Sep 8, 2018

Sep 4, 2018

Hard Climb
14.1mi

Sep 2, 2018

Sep 2, 2018

14.1mi

Sep 2, 2018

Beautiful day! Track in good condition. Great views!

Sep 1, 2018

Absolutely perfect weather and trail conditions. Singletrack flanked by cows at the end add a little extra entertainment
14.1mi

Sep 1, 2018

Sep 1, 2018

Sep 1, 2018

Aug 30, 2018

Majestic ride down the side of a mountain!
14.1mi

Aug 29, 2018

Aug 29, 2018

Aug 25, 2018

Best day on the bike in my life so far. Speechless... pictures and words will not make justice to the beauty and the downhill in this trail

Aug 24, 2018

Super dry, super fun!

Aug 24, 2018

Aug 24, 2018

13.8mi
—
2h 10m

Aug 21, 2018

Aug 20, 2018

Aug 19, 2018

14mi

Aug 19, 2018

14.1mi

Aug 18, 2018

Aug 12, 2018

Aug 12, 2018

Aug 11, 2018

Biggest ride yet. Pooped.
14.4mi

Aug 10, 2018

Aug 8, 2018

Aug 6, 2018

Great loop!! Tough climb, although not technical, and a long flowy downhill. Landscape can become distracting ;-)
13.8mi

Aug 4, 2018

13.7mi

Aug 2, 2018

Aug 2, 2018

Jul 29, 2018

19.1mi

Jul 27, 2018

Jul 26, 2018

Jul 23, 2018

Jul 22, 2018

Started at Rustler's Gulch parking, rode up Schofield's Pass, onto 401 Trail and then a return down to Rustler's.
9mi
—
2h 30m

Jul 22, 2018

14mi
—
3h 00m

Jul 21, 2018

Most amazing views, ridiculous wildflowers, beautiful trail
7mi

Jul 20, 2018

Jul 16, 2018

Jul 14, 2018

Private User

Jul 14, 2018

Jul 14, 2018

Jul 14, 2018

Jul 13, 2018

Jul 13, 2018

14mi
—
2h 15m

Jul 13, 2018

Loved 401, beautiful
—
5h 00m

Jul 9, 2018

Jul 6, 2018

Will exit at rustlers gulch in the future
14mi

Jul 6, 2018

Dry!

Jul 5, 2018

Jul 5, 2018

Jul 4, 2018

Jul 4, 2018

Jul 3, 2018

Jul 1, 2018

51 minutes of chillin because pictures and hard to breathe and derailleur issue.
15.1mi
—
3h 51m

Jun 26, 2018

Jun 24, 2018

can bail out on road before second climb. spectacular

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## Add Rating

Rate Quality

RatingRatingRatingRatingRating

Clear Rating

Rate Difficulty(optional)

EasyEasy
Flat. Few obstacles.

Easy/IntermediateEasy/Intermediate
Some uneven terrain. Mostly flat.

IntermediateIntermediate
Moderately steep. Uneven terrain with small rocks or roots.

Intermediate/DifficultIntermediate/Difficult
Sizable rocks & roots. Steep sections.

DifficultDifficult
Steep. Some technical terrain and limited alternate lines.

Very DifficultVery Difficult
Very steep. Technical terrain with no alternate lines.

Save Rating



## Rating Details

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## Difficulty ratings

Easy
Flat. Few obstacles.

Easy/Intermediate
Some uneven terrain. Mostly flat.

Intermediate
Moderately steep. Uneven terrain with small rocks or roots.

Intermediate/Difficult
Sizable rocks & roots. Steep sections.

Difficult
Steep. Some technical terrain and limited alternate lines.

Very Difficult
Very steep. Technical terrain with no alternate lines.



## Difficulty Rating

### Average from 309 votes:

Intermediate/DifficultIntermediate/Difficult

### Your Rating

EasyEasy
Flat. Few obstacles.

Easy/IntermediateEasy/Intermediate
Some uneven terrain. Mostly flat.

IntermediateIntermediate
Moderately steep. Uneven terrain with small rocks or roots.

Intermediate/DifficultIntermediate/Difficult
Sizable rocks & roots. Steep sections.

DifficultDifficult
Steep. Some technical terrain and limited alternate lines.

Very DifficultVery Difficult
Very steep. Technical terrain with no alternate lines.



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