From: rgo@druhi.ATT.COM (Ron Olsen)
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles.rides
Subject: Copper Mountain - Camp Hale loop: a grreat Colorado MTB ride
Keywords: single-track, scenery, fun
Date: 11 Sep 92 09:10:40 GMT
Distribution: rec

Here's another great high-country Colorado mountain-bike ride:
the Copper Mountain - Camp Hale loop.

It's 33 miles long with 19 miles of single-track
and almost 5000' of climbing.

It's a long, committing, and strenuous ride,
crossing three high mountain passes,
and should be done only on a good-weather day due to the high elevation.
The riding is great and the scenery is beautiful;
strongly recommended for experienced mountain bikers.

	Ron Olsen
	Boulder, Colorado
	r.g.olsen@att.com

-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Ride: Copper Mountain - Camp Hale loop

Distance: 33 miles

Time: 6 to 10 hours

Elevation: start and finish: 9,880'
	   max 12,300', min 9,300'
	   climb 4,955'

Terrain: single-track (19 mi.), dirt roads (9 mi.), paved road/bike path (5 mi.)

Difficulty: long and strenuous; some technical single-track
	    and some steep climbs will require walking.

Season: June through September

Summary:
	Starting at Copper Mountain, climb
	the Colorado Trail over Searle Pass and Kokomo Pass,
	then descend to Camp Hale, the site of the
	10th Mountain Division training headquarters in WWII.
	From Camp Hale, climb Resolution Road up to Ptarmigan Pass,
	then head down the Wilder Gulch trail to the Vail Pass bike path,
	where a fast descent brings you back to Copper Mountain.

Maps and guides:

	Trails Illustrated topo map #108 (Vail, Frisco, Dillon)
	Trails Illustrated topo map #109 (Breckenridge South)
		Need both maps to show entire ride; largest scale.

	Vail and Eagle Valley Mountain Biking and Recreation topo map,
	Latitude 40, Inc. (303-258-7909)
		Shows entire ride.  New map, may be hard to find.

	White River National Forest Map
		Shows entire ride; not a topo; small scale.

	"The Mountain Bike Guide to Summit County" by Laura Rossetter
		Describes Searle Pass and Wilder Gulch rides.

	"The Mountain Biking Guide to Vail" by Michael Murphy
		Describes Ptarmigan Pass ride.

	"The Colorado Trail" by Randy Jacobs
		Describes Copper Mountain to Camp Hale route
		on the Colorado Trail.

Comments:
	Bring rain gear, warm clothing, and plenty of food and
	water on this ride.  You can refill your water bottles
	at the Camp Hale campground, 17 miles into the ride.

Getting there:
	Take I-70 to the Copper Mountain exit #195. 
	Turn right into the Copper Mountain ski area,
	and follow the main road to its end near the stables.
	Park in the gravel lot at the end of the road.

Route description:
	From the parking lot,
	get on the paved bike path heading west toward Vail Pass.
	Follow the bike path for 0.9 miles to a bridge crossing the creek
	to the left.  The bridge is marked with a Colorado Trail marker.
	Cross the bridge and continue on the dirt trail on the other side.
	Follow the trail southwest, along Guller Creek, crossing back and forth
	over the creek several times.  The first two miles of the trail
	have lots of rocky technical sections which may require some walking.

	My partner Lynn and I did this part of the ride three years ago
	when we first started mountain biking, and found it quite tough.
	Now it was a lot more manageable, but we still had to walk
	a few parts.

	After two miles, the trail becomes a lot smoother and more rideable.
	Continue southwest up the trail, gradually climbing the forested hillside
	above of Guller Creek.  A steep section of switchbacks leads you to
	treeline at 11,600' about 6 miles into the ride.  The next mile
	to Searle Pass is harder: the trail gets very bumpy, crossing
	grassy hummocks as it heads south across a huge open bowl toward Searle pass.
	Soon you ride above Janet's Cabin, part of the 10th Mountain Hut system, and a
	popular destination for backcountry skiers.  Stop to catch your breath
	when you have to; the air is thin up here!
	Parts of the trail were wet and muddy due to the snowstorm earlier
	in the week.  The last tenth of a mile
	to the pass is very rocky; you'll have to walk most of this section,
	but you can ride the last bit, reaching Searle Pass (12,000') at 7.1 miles.
	This is a good place to stop for a snack and enjoy the panoramic
	view of many peaks, including Quandry, Crystal, and Pacific.
	It took us 2.5 hours to get to Searle Pass, with several stops
	to chat with hikers and catch our breath.

	A group of 12 hikers from the Colorado
	Mountain Club caught up with us at Searle Pass.
	When we told them we were planning to ride to Camp Hale
	and back to Copper Mountain, they were amazed
	that we would try this in one day; we hadn't gotten up to Searle Pass
	much faster by bike than they did on foot.

	At Searle Pass there are several options:

	a. If the weather looks bad, you can retrace your route
	   back to Copper Mountain for a 14-mile out-and-back ride.

	b. If you want to continue, but don't feel up to the entire ride,
	you can head down Searle Gulch on the other side of Searle Pass,
	take a dirt road down to the highway (CO 91),
	and take the Ten Mile Canyon trail back to Copper Mountain
	for a fun 20-mile loop.  The trail down Searle Gulch is not well-defined
	at Searle Pass; just stay on the left side of the drainage as you
	head east toward a triangular lake in the distance; eventually the
	trail becomes more defined and turns into a double-track jeep road.
	If you go into the bottom of the drainage, expect to get wet feet
	as you bushwhack through marshy willows.  The Ten Mile Canyon
	Trail is described in Rossetter's guidebook; look for a double-track
	jeep road up a hill on the right a hundred yards after you get to CO 91.
	It's a super-fun downhill trail with lots of whoop-de-do creek
	crossings.

	c.  If the weather looks good and you are feeling good, you
	can continue the ride to Kokomo Pass. 
	The 3 miles from Searle to Kokomo Pass traverses south, across
	high alpine tundra at 12,000' on a very bumpy trail.  Follow the
	poles and cairns marking the Colorado Trail, crossing a number of small
	streams.  For a trail with little elevation change, this is very strenuous
	due to the altitude and grassy bumps.  On our ride in August,
	we ran into snow from a recent storm, and had to walk
	many short stretches of the trail. 

	The sun went behind clouds and a cold wind blew;
	we stopped and put on our long-sleeve jerseys,
	full-finger gloves, and Gore-Tex jackets and pants.

	The trail eventually contours across a steep talus-covered hillside
	and switchbacks southwest up a steep ridge; expect to walk
	most of this.  The ridge tops out at 12,300', the high point of the ride.
	From here, a fast descent takes you to Kokomo Pass (12,022'), marked by
	a sign, at 10.1 miles.  Just before the pass is a steep, rocky
	downhill single-track with a sharp dropoff on the left;
	be careful!  The 3 miles from Searle to Kokomo Pass took us 1.5 hours,
	a lot longer than we thought it would take!
	We were slowed by snow, rough terrain, and high altitude.
	The consolation was fabulous views of distant mountains all along
	this part of the trail.

	Kokomo Pass is another decision point:

	d. If the weather looks bad or you are getting really tired,
	go back the way you came.  Once you start down from Kokomo Pass
	toward Camp Hale, you are committed to doing the entire ride,
	unless you want to push your bike back up the steep trail you'll
	be descending.  From Camp Hale, there will be a 2400' climb
	up to Ptarmigan Pass at 11,760', which is no place to be in
	a thunderstorm.

	e. If all systems are go, continue down the Colorado Trail
	toward Camp Hale.  This is a great single-track descent down
	the Cataract Creek drainage. On our ride, we passed
	a runner laboring slowly up to Kokomo Pass.  Zoom down the fun single-track,
	re-entering the trees after a mile or so.

	Once back in the trees, we took off our warm clothing
	and resumed riding in shorts and short-sleeve jerseys.
	Lynn took an endo over some tree roots, landing face-first in the dirt.
	Her bike cartwheeled around and the rear wheel struck her helmet, driving
	her face further into the dirt.  Fortunately, she wasn't seriously hurt,
	only a little bruise by her eye.  Her bike was OK, too.  This was
	not a good place for an accident; we were a LONG way from the car!
	Slightly rattled, we cautiously continued the descent.
	I stopped after each technical spot to make sure she handled them OK;
	she walked most of them.

	Follow the trail west down the Cataract Creek drainage, portaging past a huge treefall,
	and eventually join an old jeep road with some steep rocky sections
	requiring careful riding or walking.  Cross over Cataract Creek
	(easy in August; perhaps more difficult earlier in the year)
	and continue down to the Camp Hale valley.  At a junction
	atop a small hill, follow the sign for the Colorado Trail to the right,
	soon reaching a small bridge and a bench by a pretty waterfall.
	Another mountain biker (the only one we saw) passed us at this point.
	He had four water bottles with him: two on the bike and two on
	his fanny pack.  He had evidently started at Copper Mountain also.

	Continue on the single-track, now at the bottom of the valley,
	until you come out on a major dirt road
	(East Fork Eagle River Road, FS 714) at 15.2 miles.
	On our ride, we saw several cars and hikers here;
	back in civilization for a while! The 5-mile, 2700' descent
	from Kokomo Pass took us 1:10.

	Turn right on FS 714 and continue west for less than a mile
	until you see a Colorado Trail marker on the right.
	Either continue on the road or take the trail.  The trail rejoins the road
	in about a mile at a parking area and trailhead sign.
	At the traihead sign, you leave the Colorado Trail; it heads south
	up to Tennessee Pass; you want to continue west on FS 714.
	The mountain biker who passed us continued on the Colorado Trail;
	we wondered where he was heading?  It would be a long trip back
	to Copper Mountain the way he was going.

	If you need water, you'll want to head over to the Camp Hale campground.
	It's on a road that runs parallel to FS 714, but about
	a quarter-mile left.  Continue west on FS 714,
	passing a dirt road (Ranch Creek Road, FS 755) heading right,
	and look for a dirt road heading left.
	We found one, but it dead-ended at the Eagle River, which we had to cross
	on foot to get to the paved campground road.  There may have been another
	alternative, but our maps weren't very accurate about the roads in this area.
	Once on the paved road, head left to Camp Hale campground.  Near
	an outhouse, where the road splits into a loop, there is a water
	pump.  This was about 17 miles into the ride.
	We stopped here for 20 minutes, refilled our water bottles
	(putting in the Gatorade powder we had brought along),
	had a snack, and contemplated the climb to Ptarmigan Pass
	that lay ahead.  We had been on the ride for 6.5 hours to here,
	and we were a little over half-way!  Fortunately, the second half of the
	ride would go much more quickly, or else we would be riding in the dark.

	From the Camp Hale Campground, head northwest on the paved road for
	about a mile, passing the stone entrance pillars for Camp Hale on the left.
	You'll see concrete foundations of old buildings,
	remnants of a half-century past,
	where the 20,000 men of the 10th Mountain Division
	trained for the assault on Riva Ridge and other battles
	in the European mountains.

	Continue northwest on the road for another mile,
	and turn right onto dirt Resolution Road (FS 702),
	crossing the Eagle River.
	After half a mile, bear left past East Fork
	Eagle River Road (FS 714) and cross Resolution Creek,
	staying on Resolution Road.  If you didn't make
	the side trip to the campground, you will turn right onto
	Resolution Road at this point.

	Now begin the 6-mile, 2400' climb to Ptarmigan Pass.
	Resolution Road is smooth dirt, but soon gets quite steep.
	Expect to see some car and truck traffic along the road.
	Gear down and begin the slow grind up the road.
	Resolution Creek gurgles to your right on this part of the climb.
	The road levels out and the pedaling gets easier for a while;
	but the road surface gradually gets rougher as you climb higher.
	I tried to ride a mile at a time between breaks; Lynn
	stopped more often for rests along the way.  Our butts were getting
	quite sore from the bumpy trails and long hours in the saddle.
	The final mile to Ptarmigan Pass is steep and rough; we walked most of it
	to save time and energy.

	Ptarmigan Pass (11,760') was 26.2 miles into our ride; the
	climb from Camp Hale campground took us 2:10.
	There is a parking area at the pass; we saw a horse trailer
	and several horses grazing nearby.  Panoramic views of
	the Gore, Sawatch, and Ten Mile mountain ranges helped
	ease our tired legs and sore butts.
	One other thing lifted our spirits:
	IT'S ALL DOWNHILL FROM HERE!!! (well, almost).
	We put our warm clothing back on for the descent, which proved
	to be a wise move.  We were both glad we had full-finger gloves;
	the weather was getting a lot colder this late in the day.

	Head north down a steep jeep road on the other side of Ptarmigan Pass,
	soon getting down below tree line.  The road switchbacks down
	to a meadow about 0.6 miles below the pass.  Here is an important
	junction!  The jeep road veers northwest, heading steeply down
	Wearyman Gulch; DO NOT GO THIS WAY!  To the right, you'll
	see big logs blocking the path; this is to prevent cars and trucks
	from going this way.  Go around or over the logs, and you'll see
	a trail on the other side.  This is the Wilder Gulch trail,
	which is what you want.  Get out your map and compass (you did bring them,
	didn't you?); you should be heading northeast.

	The Wilder Gulch Trail is almost all downhill, with some grassy bumps,
	stream crossings, rock gardens, and a few boggy sections along
	the way.  But most of it is fun, cruising single-track.  It felt
	good to be up off the saddle for a while!  I saw several hawks perched
	atop tall trees, watching and waiting for dinner.
	All too soon, you'll see and hear the traffic from I-70 ahead of
	you.  About 3.5 miles from Ptarmigan Pass, the Wilder Gulch trail
	zig-zags past some downed trees and ends at the paved Vail Pass bike path,
	only a short distance from I-70.  The descent from Ptarmigan Pass
	to the bike path took us 1:10.

	Tighten your helmet straps, turn right,
	and begin the final screaming descent back to Copper Mountain.
	The bike path swoops and dives, with some great straightaways,
	and you can really get up some speed.  This late in the day
	we saw no other traffic on the path, which is usually quite crowded
	with bikers in the morning.  We zoomed down, past the turnoff
	to Searle Pass, and soon were back at the car.  It took
	us 15 minutes to cover 3.5 miles on the bike path,
	with several stops along the way; this was a lot faster
	than getting from Searle to Kokomo Pass!

	The entire 33-mile ride took us 9:50; not a fast time by any means.
	Strong riders should be able to do the ride several hours faster.

	We stopped for pizza at a Copper Mountain restaurant, and
	then began the 2-hour drive home, tired but exhilarated
	by our great adventure, and glad that we had good weather all day.