10.2 miles
Distance
1,005 ft
Climb
-1,556 ft
Descent
01:42:22
Avg time
Supporters, Builders, Maintainers & Land Managers of CDT CT - Monarch Crest Trail

Details

  • Activities
    • Mountain Bike
    • E-Bike
    • Horse
    • Hike
    • Trail Running
    • Dirtbike/Moto
  • Riding Area
    Salida
    , Colorado
  • Ref Number
    #9531
  • AKA
    CO18 - Marshall Pass to Monarch Pass Segment 15 - US-50 to Marshall Pass TH
  • Difficulty Rating
    Blue rate
  • Voted Difficulty
    Blue (2 votes)
  • Hiking SAC Scale
    T2 Mountain Hiking
  • Trail Type
    Singletrack
  • Bike Type
    AM, XC
  • Direction
    Downhill Primary
    Popular direction shown
  • Climb Difficulty
    Blue
  • Physical Rating
    Hard
  • Season
    July - Oct
  • Alpine Trail
    Yes
  • Dogs Allowed
    Yes
  • eBike Allowed
    Yes up to Class 1
  • Global Ranking
    #1431 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • #8035 in E-Biking
    • #28188 in Hiking
  • Local Popularity
    85 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • 95 in E-Biking
    • 40 in Trail Running
    • 80 in Hiking
    • 95 in Dirtbiking
    • 5 in Horseback
  • Land Owner
    USFS

Monarch Crest is an epic High Country ride Super popular and for good reason. After you climb the dirt road and do a short climb, the views are amazing, and then more amazing as you navigate between small peaks. The views are 360 and you can see down multiple valleys. After you top out, the descent towards Green Creek is fast and furious. Lots of roots, and super fun.

Local Trail Association
Traditionally Indigenous Territory
More Stats for CDT CT - Monarch Crest Trail multi-use trail trail
  • Altitude change
    -552 ft
  • Altitude min
    10,842 ft
  • Altitude max
    11,965 ft
  • Altitude start
    11,393 ft
  • Altitude end
    10,843 ft
  • Grade
    -1%
  • Grade max
    -52.1%
  • Grade min
    37.1%
  • Distance climb
    4 miles
  • Distance down
    5 miles
  • Distance flat
    4,232 ft
  • Avg time
    01:42:22
  • Avg reverse time
    02:42:35
  • view trail stats
Status:
on Oct 9, 2024
Variable
Avg: 4.55 (30 votes)
Your vote: 0

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Trail Conditions
  • Unknown
  • Snow Groomed
  • Snow Packed
  • Snow Covered
  • Snow Cover Partial
  • Freeze/thaw Cycle
  • Icy
  • Prevalent Mud
  • Wet
  • Variable
  • Ideal
  • Dry
  • Very Dry
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  • > 90%
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  • Uphill Only
  • One Direction
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  • mountain biking (>6 month)
  • hiking (1 year)
  • moto (1 year)
Activity Recordings
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  • Downhill Ski
  • Backcountry Ski
  • Nordic Ski
  • Snowmobile
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      Directions to cdt-ct-monarch-crest-trail trailhead (38.492780, -106.320240)
      update trails status or condition

      CDT CT - Monarch... Trail Reports

      statusdatedescription
      Oct 9, 2024 @ 8:38am
      Oct 9, 2024
      		 Mostly dry, few puddles there and there
      Aug 18, 2024 @ 11:48am
      Aug 18, 2024
      		 Nice and dry
      Aug 18, 2024 @ 9:10am
      Aug 18, 2024
      Jun 24, 2024 @ 5:58pm
      Jun 24, 2024
      		 4 snow banks, just stay on top of the trail, don’t go around. 3 big trees down on downhill just before greens.
      Sep 28, 2023 @ 3:24pm
      Sep 28, 2023
      view all reports »

      Recent Ridelog Activity on Trail

      Past Week
      • 0 rides
      •  
      6 Months
      • 0 rides
      •  
      All
      • 301 rides
      • Last: Aug 31, 2024

      Technical Trail Features (TTF)

      Photos

      more »
      641 |
      Feb 28, 2012 @ 5:18pm
      Feb 28, 2012
      719 |
      May 28, 2013 @ 1:41pm
      May 28, 2013
      33 |
      Sep 28, 2023 @ 3:24pm
      Sep 28, 2023
      34 |
      Sep 15, 2023 @ 3:58am
      Sep 15, 2023

      Trail Lists

      Routes with this trail

      more »
      titledistance
      Monarch Crest - The Classic35 miles
      Monarch Crest to Salida45 miles
      Monarch Crest to Greens16 miles
      Monarch Crest / Starvation Creek29 miles

      1 Review & Comments


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      Videos

      more »
      youtuber This ride didn't go as planned...
      11:57 | 663 | Aug 23, 2018 , Salida
      Riding Monarch Crest Trail. Salida, CO
      6:51 | 385 | Jul 26, 2022 , Salida
      Add this Trail to your bucket list this Summer...
      17:51 | 380 | Apr 3, 2022 , Salida
      #MTB2K21 Day 6 - Monarch Starvation
      5:08 | 219 | Dec 19, 2021 , Salida

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