The climb up the mountain takes place mostly on a dirt road that winds its way up through the ski resort. About 1/3 of the way up you’ll pass over the Government Trail—the final leg of your descent back down through the resort.

After grinding and grinding up the mountain, you’ll reach a viewpoint and be rewarded with "amazing views of the Maroon Creek Valley and Pyramid Peak,” according to CycleLifeHQ.com. From here, the remainder of the climb takes place on delightful singletrack that loops around the upper Buttermilk Bowls, before beginning the descent in earnest.

The descent swoops and flows through pine and aspen forest on mostly smooth singletrack. While this trail descends down through a ski resort, don’t expect to find a purpose-built flow trail or a feature-rich downhill test piece. This is narrow singletrack trail riding at its finest, with roots and rocks adding some roughness and challenge to this narrow strip of dirt.

On the lower section of the descent on Government Trail, you’ll encounter the most challenging and renowned sections of Government Trail, known simply as The Rock Garden and The Root. Intermediate riders who prefer long climbs and smooth singletrack can always opt to walk the few challenging sections, as most of this route is quite smooth and flowy.

Sources: https://rootsrated.com/stories/aspens-biggest-best-mountain-bike-trails-in-aspen https://www.cyclelifehq.com/en/listings/305194-buttermilk-bowls-loop https://mtnbiketrails.com/bike/buttermilk-bowls-loop https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gztzpf5w8lw