Being a brand-new mountain biker in Colorado isn’t easy. It’s a steep learning curve in most parts of the state (literally), but you’ll start loving options once you get the hang of it.
While you can find plenty of beginner-friendly mountain biking trails in Colorado scattered about, intermediate to difficult terrain is more abundant—which makes sense.
I mean, it’s the Rocky Mountains—not Kansas. Expect steep downhill, rocks, roots, trees, and more. While these might sound like obstacles, they’re the reason for getting out once you’ve got yourself acclimated to two knobby wheels.
Mountain biking in Colorado is less forgiving than other sports. Want to give running a go? Lace-up your shoes and head out the door. Interested in skiing? Fall down, get up, fall down, get up—it’s just snow. You’re (probably) not going to get hurt too bad.
Mountain biking, on the other hand, has more consequences. While it’s as easy as riding a bike (to some extent), there’s little room for error. Misjudge the landing on your first jump, and they’ll likely be blood and bruises. That’s just part of the sport.
Don’t wear clothes you like on your first mountain biking outing. My first day saw a ripped pair of socks, torn and bloody shoes (yes, shoes), dirt-stained pants, and a now-elbowless long-sleeve shirt.
Go easy on yourself. Embrace being a beginner mountain biker. Love the progress and don’t fixate on the long-off jumps, berms, speed, and alpine trails. They’ll come. Just give yourself time.
To get you comfortable with cruising the dirt and rocks, we’ve compiled a shortlist of the best beginner mountain biking trails in Colorado. Visit these easy mountain biking trails to get your bearings and learn the sport.
15 Best Beginner Mountain Biking Colorado Trails
Most of the beginner mountain bike trails listed below are mentioned for mountain biking. You can get on a bike and ride almost any flat trail or along rolling hills, but these beginner-friendly routes have uphills, downhills, rocks, roots, drops, and everything you’d expect on a mountain biking trail (as opposed to a cross-country trail).
However, these Colorado beginner mountain biking trails are easier—or as easy as they get while still technically qualifying as mountain biking.
1. Buffalo Creek, Pine
Buffalo Creek (Buff Creek) has a little bit of something for beginner-to-intermediate-level mountain bikers. You’ll experience everything from slickrock to sandy turns to hero dirt in this maze of connected trails.
The best part about Buff Creek is the easy climbs and rewarding downhills. It’s a great place to run laps and practice your downhill technique on a variety of trails—plus, it’s a great endurance-boosting challenge.
2. Betasso Preserve, Boulder
Boulder County has plenty of beginner mountain biking trails, but Betasso Preserve has arguably the best terrain for those brand-new to the sport. You’ll enjoy a shaded ride with moderate-incline ups and downs that’ll boost your confidence in no time. None of the uphill or downhill features are technically challenging, helping newcomers do more biking and less hiking.
Keep your eye on the direction of traffic—it changes month to month. Neither way is better than the other—they both have their pros and cons.
If you want to build a more intense endurance-building aspect to this trail, try doing the Super Betasso. It involves taking the Boulder Creek Path from downtown Boulder all the way to Betasso. However, if you don’t want a super steep climb, skip the Betasso Link Trail and just follow the road to the trailhead.
3. Doudy Draw, Boulder
Doudy Draw is as easy as it gets when you’re moving from the realm of cross-country riding to mountain biking. You can link up this beginner-friendly mountain biking trail with a loop around Marshall Mesa or a more challenging (and fun) ride on the Spring Brook Loop.
Regardless of what you do on these trails, nothing is too technically challenging. It’s the perfect place to go when you’re getting on a mountain bike for the first time. You’ll enjoy doable trails and beautiful views of the Boulder Flatirons and glimpses into Eldorado Canyon. Fortunately, there are no big cliffs or sketchy sections, giving you plenty of room for error and rookie mistakes.
4. Ridgway Area Trails (RAT), Ridgway
It’s hard to find beginner-friendly trails in the steep San Juan Mountains, but Ridgway’s RAT system is the perfect place to go for first-timers. These trails travel through high desert terrain, passing by sagebrush, juniper trees, and pinons. Plus, you’ll enjoy extraordinary views of the Sneffels Range and Cimarrons throughout your ride.
The RAT Mountain Biking Trails have dozens of miles and variations for you to play with. Most stay in the beginner-to-intermediate range, but keep an eye on the names of the trails for a taste of what to expect. Names like Speedy Gonzales and Ratical should clue you in on what’s down the path.
5. Boreas Pass, Breckenridge
Boreas Pass Trail is more of a gradual dirt road, but it’s fantastic for family outings and getting in mileage with a bit of vertical. Once you get to the end, instead of coming back down on the Boreas Pass Trail, hop on the Gold Dust Trail (#698) and whip your way through superb singletrack through aspen forests and across creeks.
Gold Dust Trail is a bit more of an intermediate ride, but it’s great for testing what you’re picking up on easier, less challenging trails. Nothing is too committing, so you’re always in a good spot to walk your bike if you don’t feel comfortable yet.
6. Crested Butte Mountain Bike Park, Crested Butte
One of the best places to learn beginner mountain biking fundamentals is at a bike park, and Crested Butte Mountain Bike Park is one of the best. This is where you can get your downhill mileage (without earning it) and put in the necessary repetitions to hone your skills.
Crested Butte Mountain Bike Park gives you access to 30+ miles of lift-served singletrack. Best of all, just about every trail provides you options on your descent to keep it smooth and easy or test yourself on a more technical choice.
7. Steamboat Bike Park, Steamboat Springs
Speaking of bike parks, Steamboat Spring’s Bike Park is one of the best places for beginner mountain bikers to ride north of I-70. You’ll find 50+ miles and almost 2,200 vertical feet of lift-served downhill trails. Rocks, rollers, bridges, drops, berms, man-made jumps—you name it, Steamboat’s got it.
Steamboat Springs Bike Park also features a downhill trail progression list, helping you find everything from the easiest to the most challenging trails and everything in between. Feel like a trail was too easy? Bump it up a notch. Think the last ride was a bit too sketchy? Go down a level.
8. Phil’s World, Cortez
Phil’s World in Cortez is a 27-mile trail located on Burea of Land Management (BLM) land. Cruise down the canyons or enjoy a relatively flat ride on top of the mesas. Riding is clockwise only, ensuring you don’t make a nasty head-on collision as you get the hang of your breaks.
The 3.5-mile Trust Loop is a great place to start and warm up your legs. If you’re feeling brave, there are other variations you can throw onto Phil’s World—including the 2.4-mile long black diamond Poquito Burrito loop.
9. Hall Ranch, Lyons
Hall Ranch is a classic mountain biking system for beginner-to-advanced riders in the Front Range. This is the perfect trail network for mountain biking progression, and it’s where I learned to do everything from semi-technical uphill climbing to rowdy rock garden descents—you get a little bit of everything here.
Newcomers should park in town or at the Antelope Trail Trailhead (not Hall Ranch’s main lot). Hall Ranch’s main lot will send you up Bitterbrush, which is a rocky, technical trail you’ll come to love months down the road.
Antelope Trail starts with a nice moderate grade that’ll get your heart pumping, but there’s nothing too technical. Beginners with a bit of endurance under their belt will have no problem making it all the way to the Nelson Loop without any hike a bike. The Nelson Loop is best ridden clockwise, ensuring a short, steep ascent and a long, flowy downhill ride. You’ll encounter small jumps, berms, and even a river crossing—it’s a downright blast!
10. Rustler’s Mountain Bike Trail, Fruita
Rustler’s Loop was built specifically for beginners to hone their skills and master singletrack riding. You’ll find easy climbs, smooth descents, and a bit of optional technical features here and there to help you step out of your comfort zone. When approaching a tricky spot, you’ll see trail signs posted with helpful tips for navigating it—which is super helpful if you don’t have a mentor out there showing you the ropes.
Oh, and you don’t have to sacrifice the views just because you’re a beginner. You’ll get to see amazing views of the Colorado River and the mesas that surround you.
11. Kessel Run, Fruita
This is where you fall in love with mountain biking. Kessel Run boasts a beginner-friendly 2-mile descent on buttery-smooth singletrack with no obstacles to deal with. It’s just you, your bike, the trail, and the traction that holds it all together. You might even catch a bit of controlled air on a roller or 2.
This is where you’ll learn to trust your bike and feather your breaks—but you won’t have to worry about jumping steep rock features or climbing over technical terrain. This is all about fast and flowy trail riding.
12. Spartans and Little Rainbow Loop, Salida
You can connect Spartan Trails with Little Rainbow for a great easy loop. You’ll encounter a twisty trail, gentle berms, and wide turns that all work together to create a beginner-friendly experience that’ll have you craving more.
Along the way, you’ll ride through loose forests while looking at some of Colorado’s tallest mountains. It’s the perfect 6-mile ride with just ~450 feet of elevation gain. Clockwise or counter-clockwise—it doesn’t matter.
13. Centennial Cone Loop, Idaho Springs
Centennial Cone Loop is arguably the Front Range’s very best beginner-intermediate ride. It combines a long mileage day with relatively gentle grades and exciting downhill switchbacks (17.2 miles and 2,340′ of elevation gain). We recommend doing this loop clockwise to maximize the downhill time on singletrack (as opposed to fire roads).
Centennial Cone boasts smooth, flowy trails perfect for new riders. The only downside is that some of the very easy riding is along treacherous drop-offs that guarantee a very painful (and far) way down. If you’re afraid of heights and prone to veer off the trail, save this ride for later.
14. Evan’s Loop, Gunnison
Evan’s Loop is a short ~2.5-mile trail that delivers gentle ups and downs for beginner mountain bike riders. It was initially built for adaptive users on handcycles, so the trails are generously wide and forgiving (perfect for getting the hang of biking).
What’s best about this short loop is that you can easily run repeats. Do a lap, take a break, hit the loop again, repeat. It’s a great way to log miles and build your skills without sacrificing to fatigue and poor form (a recipe for a nasty crash).
15. Buzzard Gulch Loop, Montrose
Climb on the east side doubletrack trails and descend on the west side singletrack. Nothing is very difficult or technical, so feel confident picking up your speed and challenging yourself a bit. The loop is close to 12 miles long with over 1,000 feet of elevation gain.
Bring your phone, a GPS, or a map—there are lots of different paths in this trail system that could lead you in the wrong direction. Fortunately, none of the terrain is too challenging, so you’re not in too much trouble if you make a wrong turn.
Tips for Good Entry-Level Mountain Biking
Finding beginner mountain biking trails in Colorado is the first challenge. Once you’ve conquered that, it’s time to hone your skills and build your trail riding confidence. Here are a few easy-to-follow tips to get you prepared to ride more aggressive Colorado terrain:
Visit the Bike Parks
Take advantage of local bike parks and downhill mountain biking resorts. These more-controlled environments provide excellent opportunities for repetition and skill-building. Your easy trail might have a single jump or drop, but that means you might only be doing a handful of technical challenges every time you get out. At a bike park, you can try the same features again and again until you’re confident doing them out in the wild.
Practice On and Off the Trail
You don’t just learn mountain biking on the trails—you can also learn it in your backyard and the local Wal-Mart parking lot. Practice jumping off curbs and hopping over sticks. These skills might look silly to passersby, but they’ll have real-world application when you encounter obstacles on the trail.
Train for Endurance
Endurance > technical skills. Even if you’re savvy on a bike, you won’t be able to overcome uphill obstacles if you don’t have the stamina to keep your bike moving forward. Train on hills and flat terrain to build your endurance. Mix in cross-training with running, hiking, skiing, and walking to boost your cardio capacity.
Take Advantage of YouTube
YouTube is a treasure trove of mountain biking tips and tutorials. Instead of drowning yourself in all the content, I recommend finding a channel or 2 that you trust and following their advice. They can teach you everything from bike maintenance to landing your first bunny hop.
Choose the Right Bike
Nothing will ruin your day quite like an inadequate bike on the wrong trail. Mountain biking is expensive—there’s no way to get around it. Invest in a decent bike (hardtails are a fantastic beginner-friendly option) that’ll help you enjoy your day on the trails and help you progress.
Repeat the Hard Parts
Don’t just blunder your way through the trails—master them. If you mess up on a portion, get off your bike, walk back to the feature, and try it again. Attempting a technical bit 1 or 2 times per week is not going to help you overcome it. Repeat it again and again and again until you feel confident doing it every time.
Find Your Next Mountain Biking Adventure
Whether you’re looking for a beginner-friendly trail or a backcountry riding experience, Unknown Colorado has you covered. Check out all our biking content to find your next mountain biking adventure.
Want to get off your wheels and on to 2 feet? Take a peek at our hiking and running posts to find your next isolated outdoor journey!
