Description

Deer Creek might be a cross country-oriented trail due to the lack of major downhills, but it's definitely NOT an easy mountain bike ride.

This lengthy trail traversing the Crested Butte backcountry features some significant and steep climbs, along with rock gardens to keep you on your toes.

Similar to 403, simply accessing Deer Creek can be a challenge, which is why it's shown here as a mega-loop.

Unless you can recruit a friend to shuttle you, you're in for a serious pedal if you want to tackle Deer Creek in its entirety.

But of course, you could always ride a small portion of this trail as an out-and-back from either end. If you DO decide to brave Deer Creek's rigors, it will reward you.

"It has beautiful flowers, beautiful views, and a few really fun, albeit relatively short, downhills," according to MTBHome.com.

"It also rides [great] in both directions and melts out relatively early in the spring before a lot of the other classic CB singletrack." How early in the spring? Of course, that depends on the snowpack, but sometimes it's even rideable in mid-June, according to CBMBA.

This route is also best ridden in the spring as this area is open to cow grazing beginning in late July, which can cause temporary (but annoying) trail damage. Sources: https://crestedbuttemountainbike.com/rides/expert-deer-creek-mountain-bike-loop-crested-butte-co/ https://mtbhome.com/trail-area/brush-creek/