Rolling Down Elbert

Rolling down the east ridge of Mt. Elbert on a late-summer day.

Every mountain biker who calls Colorado home has more than likely heard of the idea of riding down a 14er. Upfront disclaimer, it’s sort of a dumb concept in general. Most 14er trails are either off-limits to bikes, too steep and technical to make it feasible, or simply don’t have a trail to the summit at all. A small handful of them however are technically rideable, the most common of which seems to be the east ridge on Mt. Elbert.

The CFI curation of 14er trails has resulted in many of them now resembling a paved sidewalk up the peak compared to 10-15 years ago. Mt. Elbert being one of the most popular 14ers, is of course no exception. The trail high on the peak is about as bike-friendly as you’ll ever find above 13,000 feet, and down low, most of the erosion improvements are also easily rollable. In the second week of September, Parker and I decided to head up there and check it out for ourselves.

On the approach. Pretty rideable trail all the way to 12,400 feet.

The outing can be broken down into three parts – riding up the lower half of the peak, hiking up the upper half of the peak, and riding down. The final 2,000 feet to the summit is just steep and rocky enough that pushing your bike through most of it is mandatory. There are a few sections where we were able to hop back on briefly, but in general, be prepared for a big hike-a-bike slog above 12,500 feet.

The start of the bike carry sections below the Box Creek Cirque.

That said it’s pretty easy hiking for the most part. Just take a few breaks along the way and you’ll hit the summit in no time.

On the summit looking north at Mt. Massive. Would make for a great Spot ad.

Getting ready for the “fun” part.

After downing some grub, taking a few pics and throwing pads on, we rode off the top of the state…

The initial descent with La Plata Peak in back.

A bit lower down. Photo by Parker.

The upper sections of the peak are steep but what really makes them a bit challenging is the looseness. Be prepared for about a thousand feet of loose, squirrely dirt and rock sitting on top of hardpan trail with the occasional rock feature thrown in. We both took these sections pretty slow and deliberate as a bad fall up here would not be a good situation.

After passing a few groups of hikers still on their way up, we rounded the corner and pulled up to the boulder field where we hopped off and walked for a hundred yards or so. I’m sure someone out there might be comfortable riding most of this section but for mere mortals, no way.

Just below the boulder field. It’s pretty much smooth sailing from here to the car.

In the trees past the CT turnoff.

Done.

We finished the day in just under 4.5 hours, with the descent taking around an hour and a half. This one may be a gimmick of sorts, and I don’t know that I’ll have a long career of riding down 14ers, but it was fun to do once in my opinion.

Cheers to fall.