Buttermilk Bowls Details

Activities
- Mountain Bike
- Hike
- Trail Running
Riding Area

Roaring Fork Valley
Colorado
Difficulty Rating

Black Diamond rate
Trail Type

Singletrack
Direction

Downhill Primary
Popular direction shown
Climb Difficulty

Black Diamond
Physical Rating

Hard
Dogs Allowed

Yes
Global Ranking
#86337 in Mountain Biking [+]
- #75445 in Trail Running
- #68782 in Hiking

Connects top of Buttermilk Mountain ski area to the Government Trail. Typically accessed by riding up Buttermilk's summer work road. Awesome views along the trail make it worth the ride, but unsustainable fall line portions keep this trail from being a true local's favorite.

This route is also known as the Sugar Bowls for the area's winter snow characteristics.

RFMBA has been working with the WRNF to have this unsustainable route rerouted as soon as possible. The trail's rating will hopefully increase from two stars to five stars upon completion The trail is currently ridden from Buttermilk to Government Trail, but the re-route should allow for travel in both directions.

From the top of the West Buttermilk ski lift (at the very top of the ski area's dirt summer work road), find the trail just behind the warming cabin. Climb steeply until you meet the ridge, where the trail turns right. The trail rolls along the ridge with huge views and occasional cliff exposure on your left. Eventually, the ridge starts descending to the open Bowls meadows, requiring a steep hike a bike section before joining rutted fall line sections of trail.

Once in the Bowls, the trail drops to the right, through the middle of the meadow, where you'll pass an old stock pond before entering a beautiful aspen grove. The trail continues straight down until it terminates with the Government Trail. Left will take you to Snowmass, and right will take you back to Buttermilk and Aspen.
Contacts

Local Trail Association

Roaring Fork Mountain Bike Association
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trail development & maintenance.
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Traditionally Indigenous Territory

Núu-agha-tʉvʉ-pʉ̱ (Ute)

More Stats for Buttermilk Bowls mountain bike trail trail

Altitude change

-543 ft
Altitude min

9,346 ft
Altitude max

10,097 ft
Altitude start

9,889 ft
Altitude end

9,346 ft
Grade max

-52.992%
Grade min

23.801%
Distance climb

2,263 ft
Distance down

1 mile
Distance flat

933 ft
Avg time

00:30:01
Avg reverse time

01:51:24
view trail stats

Buttermilk Bowls

Supporters, Builders, Maintainers & Land Managers of Buttermilk Bowls Trail