Crested Butte

[Chris]

I'm heading to CB in a couple weeks. I've been there before but probably have missed some good trails. Anybody have any recommendations? Anywhere between Gunnison and Aspen is fair game.

[Tom]

Near Gunnison, Hartman Rocks. They are sw of town not very far. Some interesting rock formations lot of roads. There is a Hartman rocks brochure online. It's now a recreation area. While in high school we had our keggers up there.

North of Gunnison off 135 follow Cty Rd 10. Just passed Cranor Hill Ski area take the jct with cty road 743. It will take you through a bunch of low sage brush covered hills to a maze of trails none of which were very difficult in the 1960s. It's on the Gunnison North MVUM. You can spend days back up there. I have and never saw it all. Didn't have a map either. Teenagers....

Bunch of trails N of blue mesa res. that head up toward and end at the west elk wilderness.

Many of the roads I mention will have barb wire fences with gates a cross the roads. It's ok to open them and proceed. Be sure to close them behind you.

I used to live about a 1/2 mile sw of the 135 and cty road 10 jct

[Chris]

Thanks Tom!

[BLOODBANE]

North of Crested Butte. Head towards Schofeild Pass. Devils Punchbowl is narrow and steep, but you can go all the way to Marble. Heres a few pics when I did it a few years ago....
Top of the punchbowl...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v289/BLOODBANE81230/Trails/DSC01656.jpg
This is Crystal Mill. Its right before you get to Crystal City (over by Marble)...
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v289/BLOODBANE81230/Trails/DSC01665.jpg
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v289/BLOODBANE81230/Trails/DSC01668.jpg
Crystal City....
http://img.photobucket.com/albums/v289/BLOODBANE81230/Trails/DSC01669.jpg
Trip over to Marble and back will take you pretty much a full day. Nothing to extreme, but there are some pucker times on some of it.

[Chris]

Thanks Mark but we did that last year and had a sidewall tear going around some guy on a bicycle who decided to move out of our way and forced me to a bad line. Barb's no longer liking the Punchbowl. :frown:

I think I've got all I need now. Tom's suggestion plus

The Schofield Pass/Punchbowl/Lead King Basin loop if I can change Barb's mind

The Pearl Pass to Taylor Pass and back loop

Italian Creek to Reno Divide to Cement Creek.

Cement Creek/Reno Divide/Upper Italian/Flag Mountain/Spring Creek

Triple Bypass - Italian, Pearl, Taylor

Pearl Pass to Aspen

Unplanned from there.

[BLOODBANE]

There is also the Abredeen Quarry. Go to the Hartman Rocks area and get on the powerline road. It will take you to the top of the quarry and if you keep following the road to the bottom. There used to be an old cabin down there. The road will take you back around to 50.
I still have a house over in Gunnison (lived there for 15 yrs.) The place Tom is talking about is called Lost Canyon. I spent lots of time up there and on Fossil Ridge (back towards Pitkin). If you go that way, follow the road to the end and hit the end of the west side of the Alpine Tunnel. You cant go in the tunnel itself, but it a nice drive.
There are a few others right around the Almont Triangle as well.
Cement Creek is a blast, although its been a few years since I was up there. Last I was there I never went up American Flag Mtn. (thats what I was told it was called).
I always wanted to do Pearl over to Aspen and then come back over Taylor, but in all the years I lived there, there was only a couple that there wasnt any snow (a big snow field at the top would stop you, Taylor I believe, so check first)).
Take lots of pics. we can live vicariously through them.....Mark