Lupine Loop

Lupine is a great easy-intermediate ride that is a recent addition to the CBMBA trail network. Starting from town, head up the Rec. Path or Gothic road towards the town of Mt. Crested Butte/ski area. About a mile up the path/road, you’ll take a left onto a road marked Saddle Ridge by a sign (headgate) over the road. Pedal to the top of Saddle Ridge road where the singletrack clearly begins at the end of the cul-de-sac. About 1/4 mile more of climbing and you’re at your first summit! There is NO PARKING or SHUTTLING to Saddle Ridge Road – you must ride or walk from Town/Mt. CB for this ride.

Lupine 1 then rolls along through the aspens and lupines (duh!) along Smith Hill before descending fun, swooping switchbacks down to a doubletrack dirt road. Head straight off the trail and up the dirt road. Ride up the road over a ‘rollover’,  past Lupine 2, 1.8 miles up until you see a left turn on the Gunsight Connector Trail (aka Lando Calrissian).  This trail makes the loop more of the intermediate with a 1.92 mile descent fraught with turns, berms, and switchbacks.  There’s a brief climb in the middle that’s sure to make the legs sting a bit, but then it’s downhill to Slate River Road.

The shorter option for this route is take the lupine 2 descent instead of climbing the double track road to gunsight connector. This will bring you to Slate River road where you can either pedal north to access the lower loop trails, or south which will bring you back to the town of CB more directly.