Cruising back to the Springs from Telluride we decided we wanted to check out the biking in
Crested Butte. Unfortunately our Falcon Guide was back at home so we decided to snoop around
the local bike shops in Gunnison to see what was happening. After some looking and talking we
found out the place to be is Hartman Rocks. We purchased a map (best decision we made that
day) and headed to the trailhead. We parked at the bottom of the mesa and started to climb. In
hindsight the road might have been the best way to get up but we decided to take a b-line right
up the side. After walking our bikes up the steep slickrock sections we finally got a view of the
area. Trails and roads stretched everywhere and it reminded us of Palmer Park in the Springs or
even Moab to a degree. Many trails are gradual climbs through the sage on sandy to hard-
packed ground and often intersect the rock formations for some nice technical challenges. This
place is huge, we barely scratched the surface before it was time to go back. Hartman Rocks is
also home to Rage in the Sage bike race, a brutal race to be sure due to the exposed conditions
and up and down nature of the terrain. Be sure to bring a map, this place is confusing as gank
for first-timers.
From Gunnison, go about a mile on US 50 W, turn left onto County Road 38. Travel about a mile <br />to the Hartman Rocks parking area on the right.
http://www.singletracks.com/item.php?c=1&i=887