Description

The vast majority of the trails in the Hartman Rocks Trail System consist of long, flowing cross country singletrack punctuated by techy rock moves.

These long trails run for miles to the south and west of the trailhead, traversing the wide-open prairie occupying a high mesa in the Gunnison Valley.

However, near the main trailhead, you can find a few trails that are radically more technical and utterly different from the rest of the trail system! The technical trails shown here are combined into two runs dropping back to the trailhead: Rattlesnake -> Beck’s -> The Notch and Ring Dike -> V-Drop.

These tech lines boast some of the best slickrock slab riding in the state of Colorado! Massive, committing lines roll down extended slabs of sandstone as you blast down the abrupt edge of the mesa.

Near-vertical rock rolls require total commitment, and many options to huck instead of roll are available if you look for them.

While most of the slabs are wide-open and offer good visibility, some of the rock moves require threading through tight notches in the sandstone and negotiating buck-puckering rock gardens.

But even on the wide-open slabs, it can often take a bit of time to examine the plethora of lines and determine which one will suit you best. If, after two runs up and down the rocky edge of the mesa, you haven’t had your fill of tech just yet, be sure to check out Rocky Ridge, Free Fall, and The Ridge, which aren’t included in the recommended route mapped here.