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Rim Trail Loop

RECOMMENDED ROUTE
Intermediate Intermediate
 4.6 (92)
  1. Areas
  2. CO
  3. …Central Rockies
  4. Snowmass Village
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“Great singletrack ride with awesome views! ”

Nick Wilder
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Map Key

11.0

Miles

17.7

KM

70%

Singletrack

9,171' 2,795 m

High

7,884' 2,403 m

Low

1,729' 527 m

Up

1,726' 526 m

Down

6%

Avg Grade (3°)

24%

Max Grade (14°)

Dogs Leashed

E-Bikes Not Allowed

North Rim Trail closed December 1 - May 15 for elk.

Overview

One of the best singletrack rides in the valley. It's a great loop including lots of climbing on the bike path to 7 miles of great singletrack.

Description

Park at the Rodeo Parking lot soon after entering Snowmass Village. This ride is best done clockwise (though either direction is good), so ride up the Brush Creek Bike Path until you are just below the main ski area. It's a good bit of climbing on the bike path system, with several junctions. Keep climbing until you are just below the base of the main ski area.

Cross Brush Creek Road at a point just before the road makes a final, sweeping turn that brings you to the base of the ski area. At this spot, you'll cross Brush Creek Road and take Divide Road 100 yards to the Rim Trail trailhead.

Start off with a 700' vertical climb. The trail is well-built for bikes though, with widely-rounded switchbacks and a very smooth surface, so it's a very enjoyable climb. It's pretty exposed to the southern sun, so it could be quite hot on a warm sunny day.

Once at the top, take a left and go 100 yards to the high point and enjoy the remarkable 360 degree view.

Return those 100 yards, then continue on slightly descending, fast and fun singletrack right along the rim. There are occasional breaks in the trees that are worth stopping for and taking a peek.

More fun descending, sometimes through forest, takes you to a saddle point and a road crossing. This is a bailout option if you're in a hurry or tired. Otherwise, continue on, with some moderate climbing until you get to one final 400' climb.

Like the first climb, the surface is nice and it's well laid out for bikes, and it's over pretty fast. There are more great views from a bench at this high point.

Now it's a pure descent all the way to the car, and it's a blast: singletrack all the way through some aspens, but mostly sage meadows on nicely contoured trail. The views are astounding if you can take your eyes off the trail for a second. It ends all too quickly with a short stretch of a bike path that leads back to the parking lot.

Contacts

Local Club: Roaring Fork Mountain Bike Association

Jan 9, 2024: Job Posting – 2024 Seasonal Trail Crew Members Wanted!

Land Manager: USFS - White River National Forest Office

Shared By:

Nick Wilder with improvements by Taz Brown and 2 others
Full Details

Trail Ratings

  4.6 from 92 votes

#1

in Snowmass Village

#83

Overall
  4.6 from 92 votes
5 Star
68%
4 Star
26%
3 Star
4%
2 Star
0%
1 Star
1%
Recommended Route Rankings

#1

in Snowmass Village

#23

in Colorado

#83

Overall
16 Views Last Month
32,852 Since Sep 10, 2013
Intermediate Intermediate
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Add a Photo

Photos

This is the desecnt of the North Rim Trail in Snowmass Village from the bench to Sinclair road. I filmed this with a GoPro 4K with a Karma grip and 2X speed.
Jul 6, 2017 near Snowmas…, CO
View from top of the initial climb
Jun 23, 2018 near Snowmas…, CO
Grinding up Rim Trail's second hill.
Sep 10, 2013 near Snowmas…, CO
Climbing over - time to descend!
Sep 10, 2013 near Snowmas…, CO
Top of the climb up Rim Trail
Sep 10, 2013 near Snowmas…, CO
Lots of spots like this as you traverse across the top of the Rim Trail
Oct 21, 2014 near Snowmas…, CO

6 Comments

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Weather

Current Trail Conditions

All Clear 31 days ago
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Check-Ins

Jul 12, 2024
Scott P.
11.3mi — 1h 50m
Sep 28, 2023
tooTALLtim
Fun times! Very exposed trail, expect a lot of sunshine! Mostly well-packed dirt, few rocks and roots. The downhill was really fun and tight!
Sep 21, 2023
Graham Geiselman
Aug 18, 2023
Berne Krebs
Aug 14, 2023
Ian Wilson
Awesome. Loved it. 11.1mi — 1h 28m
Aug 3, 2023
Zach Bohn
You can take shuttle from parking lot to trailhead start at divide rode right near condos 13.4mi — 2h 25m
Jul 15, 2023
Atsuko Ohtake
Jun 20, 2023
Scott Perrin

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