A few days ago, I went up to Prince Creek for the first time in the snow. Then I went again, because it’s awesome up there.
Prince Creek is one of the main trail systems around Carbondale. I was only able to do one short ride up there once before the snow hit, but from what I’ve heard, there are about five hours of good riding tucked away in the hills below Mount Sopris. Like a lot of the riding here, there don’t seem to be any good trail maps, and the trails aren’t signed.
The little bit of singletrack that I rode this fall was good- flowy, fast, high desert sort of riding. And right now, even with the snow, it’s pretty much the same.
There are so many people that ride fat bikes in this valley (apparently Alaska, Minnesota, Durango, and here are the four places in the country where most fat bikes are sold) that the trails aren’t just packed down- they’re buffed out and fast.
And the stuff that hasn’t been packed by tire has been packed by hoof. The mule deer do a pretty good job of getting trails started.
One pass with the bike, and the trails are ready to rip.
And the views aren’t bad either.
Dirt Cruise 