Purgatory/Animas on mountain bike?

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rdp32
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Purgatory/Animas on mountain bike?

Post by rdp32 »

Another recent thread about the various approaches to Chicago Basin got me wondering about doing the 9-ish mile approach from Purgatory TH to the Needleton stop on my mountain bike.

1. How bike-able is this trail? From the elevation profile, it looks like there are only a few steep sections (I don't mind walking my bike for short sections, as long as I can ride it most of the way). I'm an intermediate-level mountain biker; I pretty much stick to the solid blue trails. My pack would be reasonably light (around 25 lbs total) and I'm thinking of buying some bikepacking bags to distribute the weight better for trips like this.

2. Is it legal/allowed to bike this trail? It looks like it's outside of the Wilderness area, so does that mean I'm good to go?

Thanks in advance for any input! I realize I could just walk in and it would probably be almost as easy and fast, but lately I just love the idea of doing combo bike/backpacking trips like this (and for various reasons I have no interest in taking the train)
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justiner
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Re: Purgatory/Animas on mountain bike?

Post by justiner »

Yeah, you can ride it. I do remember quite a bit of hike a bike, but I was all sorts of tired. Big dropoff in some parts down to the creek, which can be fun. I stopped and locked up my bike a little before the Needleton stop - there's a really cool bridge you can stash it under. Alright camp spot right there, too.

https://justinsimoni.com/routes/14erbik ... asin_14ers
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Re: Purgatory/Animas on mountain bike?

Post by justiner »

Straight from the horse's mouth:
ivm-purgatory_flats_info-1024x946.jpg
ivm-purgatory_flats_info-1024x946.jpg (127.73 KiB) Viewed 2401 times
rdp32
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Re: Purgatory/Animas on mountain bike?

Post by rdp32 »

justiner wrote: Tue May 04, 2021 10:06 pm Yeah, you can ride it. I do remember quite a bit of hike a bike, but I was all sorts of tired. Big dropoff in some parts down to the creek, which can be fun. I stopped and locked up my bike a little before the Needleton stop - there's a really cool bridge you can stash it under. Alright camp spot right there, too.

https://justinsimoni.com/routes/14erbik ... asin_14ers
Thanks justin! When you say "quite a bit of hike a bike", are we talking 15% of the trail or 50% of the trail? If I ride this trail, I will err on the conservative side (especially since I'm hauling a lot more weight than I'm used to while mountain biking), so will probably hike any sections that are particularly rocky or that have a steep drop-off on the side. I pulled up a few videos on youtube that showed this trail, and they definitely show some parts that are probably beyond what I would want to do on a bike (with the weight), but what I can't tell from those videos is if those are short sporadic sections or if they constitute a substantial percentage of the trail.

Also---could you please post the link that shows the National Forest usage map? My quick google search came up dry for that, but it looks like a nice tool to be aware of!
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Re: Purgatory/Animas on mountain bike?

Post by justiner »

It'll be dependent on the rider of course, but I remember HaB'ing a fair bit of it - and more so coming back. But I was covering mucho miles that day I started in - the same day I had done Redcloud/Sunshine and Handies, then road to Silverton via Cinnamon Pass, then rode from town to Purgatory.

Maybe a good comparison would be the type of riding you'd experience near Georgia Pass on the Colorado Trail - that rocky, subalpine type of singletrack. The ride up is a little more difficult, with a few more switchbacks that one would liked.
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Re: Purgatory/Animas on mountain bike?

Post by justiner »

I cover how to verify trail access for MTB here:

https://justinsimoni.com/routes/14erbik ... ail_Access
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gb
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Re: Purgatory/Animas on mountain bike?

Post by gb »

justiner wrote: Wed May 05, 2021 11:20 am I cover how to verify trail access for MTB here:

https://justinsimoni.com/routes/14erbik ... ail_Access
If only it were that easy. My wife and I got to play this fun game, Trailquest, to ride ALL 750+ legal MTB miles around Gunnison and Crested Butte. It was amazing how often trails would be signed closed, but open on the app (which was vetted by the USFS and we were repeatedly assured to trust the app, not what was on the ground).

By the way, your link talks about the CO trail where it crosses 149 being closed to the East. It's open there for several miles on Snow Mesa, and can be combined with Miner's Creek which is a 5* ride in my mind :)
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Re: Purgatory/Animas on mountain bike?

Post by mbourget »

gb wrote: Wed May 05, 2021 12:42 pm It's open there for several miles on Snow Mesa, and can be combined with Miner's Creek which is a 5* ride in my mind :)
0 Stars, can not recommend. Folks should just ride Apex instead
Those scientists better check their hypotenuses.
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Re: Purgatory/Animas on mountain bike?

Post by justiner »

gb wrote: Wed May 05, 2021 12:42 pm By the way, your link talks about the CO trail where it crosses 149 being closed to the East. It's open there for several miles on Snow Mesa, and can be combined with Miner's Creek which is a 5* ride in my mind :)
That's good to know, as it's awfully close.
CalTopo_-_Backcountry_Mapping_Evolved.jpg
CalTopo_-_Backcountry_Mapping_Evolved.jpg (180.16 KiB) Viewed 2010 times
Looks like your trip is a good way to cut out some highway miles between Creek and Spring Creek Pass!

And I agree, verification of this info is tough - if the USFS can do a better job with the data they have, I would be nothing but delighted. If it's not altogether clear from my links and my sig, I'm trying to make a guidebook for people who are interested in such things. Getting a photo of the picket at the TH - and having it on file is a great way to answer these sorts of q's.
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Re: Purgatory/Animas on mountain bike?

Post by gb »

justiner wrote: Wed May 05, 2021 6:53 pm

And I agree, verification of this info is tough - if the USFS can do a better job with the data they have, I would be nothing but delighted. If it's not altogether clear from my links and my sig, I'm trying to make a guidebook for people who are interested in such things. Getting a photo of the picket at the TH - and having it on file is a great way to answer these sorts of q's.
The TH pickets are often wrong, however. We rode a great # of trails clearly marked as closed which we were assured were open by USFS. Sounds like a fun guidebook!
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Re: Purgatory/Animas on mountain bike?

Post by rdp32 »

justiner wrote: Wed May 05, 2021 11:19 am It'll be dependent on the rider of course, but I remember HaB'ing a fair bit of it - and more so coming back. But I was covering mucho miles that day I started in - the same day I had done Redcloud/Sunshine and Handies, then road to Silverton via Cinnamon Pass, then rode from town to Purgatory.
Thanks again Justin. For the parts that you had to HaB---were they typically because of rocky terrain or because of a steep drop-off on the side? I ask because I might attempt this even if there are potentially a number of sections where I have to stop and walk the bike through rocky terrain, but if there are numerous or extensive sections where walking the bike itself is tricky/dangerous (because of a steep drop-off on the side), then I'll pass. (I'm more willing to put up with annoying delays as long as they're not actually dangerous)
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Re: Purgatory/Animas on mountain bike?

Post by Eli Watson »

rdp32 wrote: Thu May 06, 2021 4:23 pm
justiner wrote: Wed May 05, 2021 11:19 am It'll be dependent on the rider of course, but I remember HaB'ing a fair bit of it - and more so coming back. But I was covering mucho miles that day I started in - the same day I had done Redcloud/Sunshine and Handies, then road to Silverton via Cinnamon Pass, then rode from town to Purgatory.
Thanks again Justin. For the parts that you had to HaB---were they typically because of rocky terrain or because of a steep drop-off on the side? I ask because I might attempt this even if there are potentially a number of sections where I have to stop and walk the bike through rocky terrain, but if there are numerous or extensive sections where walking the bike itself is tricky/dangerous (because of a steep drop-off on the side), then I'll pass. (I'm more willing to put up with annoying delays as long as they're not actually dangerous)
The first few miles are chunky techy mostly downhill til you level off in some amazing flat meadows before dropping off again down some smooth but fast switchbacks to the River. Then you're alongside the River in annoying super chunky rolling tech and getting off to hike-a-bike at every uphill, then you finally get to some choice XC pedalling until the Wilderness boundary. You will hike-a-bike considerably more getting back to the car because not only is it uphill / you're tired / extra weight on your bike, but because it's too chunky. I can't remember a single section that had a noticeable drop off to the side that wouldn't compare to your average trail in Colorado for a rider of reasonable skill. I did the 42 mi from Purgatory and back in a day on my hardtail 29er, so that uphill on the way up from the River on the way back was brutal.
People who are hardcore don't think they're hardcore. Marshall Ulrich, Fastest Known Podcast #85
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