Description

Ute Valley is a small suburban park tucked into the northwestern corner of Colorado Springs.

Ute Valley ranks second in popularity to Palmer Park in Colorado Springs, and many locals tend to think of it as "Palmer Park-Lite," [according to](https://www.singletracks.com/mtb-trails/riding-the-springs-part-2-the-other-major-parks-ute-valley-and-cheyenne-mountain/) local mountain bike explorer John Fisch. Even though Ute Valley is fairly small and doesn't have as many miles of trail to offer, the trails that you *will* find here are entertaining and technical! The trails in Ute Valley are characterized by "stretches of ledgy rock, trailside stunts galore, and tight [singletrack] weaving through the local pines," according to Fisch. For mountain bikers, this basic figure-8 ride hits most of the trail system's highlights, but the many connecting trails offer plenty of alternate lines and the possibility to vary your ride slightly from day-to-day if you're a local that rides here often.

This ride also tries to maximize the more technical, entertaining trails in the network, such as the Hummingbird Trail (Nachos), Almond Butter, Rattle Rocks, and East Loop Trail, thus giving it a FATMAP "Severe" difficulty rating.

It is also possible to build a more intermediate-friendly loop through the trail system by sticking to the blue trails instead. Sources: [Singletracks.com](https://www.singletracks.com/mtb-trails/riding-the-springs-part-2-the-other-major-parks-ute-valley-and-cheyenne-mountain/)