YOUR AD HERE »

Summit County Bike Trails: Spruce Creek Loop

This short, challenging loop accesses several exploring options in the Spruce Creek drainage.

Know Before You Go: This ride can be lengthened by combining it with the Burro Trail ride. You can also explore several side roads and trails although the singletracks are steep, technical and very muddy in places and require some portaging. Expect some vehicles on Spruce Creek Road.

Parking: From I-70, drive south beyond Breckenridge 2.1 miles. Turn right onto Spruce Creek Road (across from a small lake). Follow this road as it climbs, curves left, travels past some houses and reaches a trailhead in 1.4 miles.



Description: Ride up Spruce Creek Road, which is often rocky. Pass Crystal Lakes Road and later, at about 0.5 miles, the Burro Trail (see the Burro Trail ride). Continue climbing steadily until reaching a 4-way junction at roughly 1.2 miles. Turn right. (The main road dead-ends in about 1 mile, and the left fork follows the Wheeler Trail over a ridge and down to McCullough Gulch.) Follow the side road through a gate and past a fork for the Wheeler Trail on the left. Cross a stream, pass another gate and then merge with Crystal Lakes Road at almost 2 miles. Turn right to continue the loop. (The left fork is a very steep but worthwhile 1.5 mile climb into a striking high alpine cirque containing lakes and crumbling mining remains.) The descent on Crystal Lakes Road is a fun challenge containing steep, rocky terrain. Upon merging with Spruce Creek Road, turn left and descend to your vehicle.


Support Local Journalism

Support Local Journalism

As a Summit Daily News reader, you make our work possible.

Summit Daily is embarking on a multiyear project to digitize its archives going back to 1989 and make them available to the public in partnership with the Colorado Historic Newspapers Collection. The full project is expected to cost about $165,000. All donations made in 2023 will go directly toward this project.

Every contribution, no matter the size, will make a difference.