more stats
1.5 miles
Distance
31 ft
Climb
-456 ft
Descent
00:08:41
Avg time
-425 ft
Altitude change
6,040 ft
Altitude min
6,465 ft
Altitude max
6,465 ft
Altitude start
6,040 ft
Altitude end
-5.4%
Grade
-26.3%
Grade max
9.8%
Grade min
991 ft
Distance climb
1 mile
Distance down
1,247 ft
Distance flat
00:08:41
Avg time

Lightning Bug Details

  • Activities
    • Mountain Bike
    • E-Bike
  • Riding Area
    South Canyon
    Glenwood Springs, Colorado
  • Difficulty Rating
    Blue Rate
  • Voted Difficulty
    Blue (2 votes)
  • Local Popularity
    95 in Mountain Biking [+]
    • 80 in E-Biking
  • Global Ranking
    #38264 in Mountain Biking
  • Trail Exposure
    Normal
  • Trail Type
    Singletrack
  • Bike Type
    AM, XC
  • Direction
    Downhill Only[+]
    Popular Direction Shown
    • Downhill Only for E-Biking
  • Physical Rating
    Moderate
  • Trail Visibility
    Always easy to follow
  • Season
    Open all year, don't ride if muddy or wet!
  • eBike Allowed
    Yes up to Class 1
  • TTFs on Trail
    Jump
  • Land Owner
    City Of Glenwood Springs

Feature-filled fun on a very bike optimized descent from the upper parking lot down to a mid-point of Tramway Trail, and then further yet to a finish lower down on Tramway. All features are rollable, but very much designed for big air at speed, so follow the signage directions to "pre-ride, re-ride, free-ride" before you go big on this trail.

In fact, the many jumps are well sculpted, and provide good training ground with the tabletops and step-up jump features. The larger double rollers require proper technique and real speed to hit the best sweet spot landing zones.

This trail is designed to be intermediate level and welcoming to a wide range of riders, but those new to bike park style trails may find it more challenging than a typical intermediate cross country style trail. If the features are too much, you can select to continue descending on the parallel, and much easier, Tramway Trail from the mid-point where the trails meet up at an intersection.

While most riders will climb Tramway Trail before descending this trail, you can also shuttle the trail between upper and lower parking lots if you have a couple cars.

Disclaimer

No uphill traffic!

Trail Supporters
Local Trail Association
Traditionally Indigenous Territory

Recent Activity on Trail

Past Week
  • 2 rides
  • 6 miles average
6 Months
  • 85 rides
  • 8 miles avg distance
All
  • 404 rides
  • Last: Aug 29, 2026
c1c2c3c4
January
February
March
April
May
June
July
August
September
October
November
December
Status:
on May 28, 2026
Ideal
Avg: 4.47 (13 votes)
Your vote: 0

view (2,551)
close
  • Basemap  Map 
    • Pro
    • Pro
    • Pro
    • Pro
    • Pro
    • Pro
3D
Trail Conditions
  • Unknown
  • Snow Groomed
  • Snow Packed
  • Snow Covered
  • Snow Cover Partial
  • Freeze/thaw Cycle
  • Icy
  • Prevalent Mud
  • Wet
  • Variable
  • Ideal
  • Dry
  • Very Dry
Trail Flow (Ridden Direction)
Trailforks scans users activity logs to determine the most popular direction each trail is ridden. A good flowing trail network will have most trails flowing in a single direction according to their intension.
The colour categories are based on what percentage of users are riding a trail in its intended direction.
  • > 96%
  • > 90%
  • > 80%
  • > 70%
  • > 50%
  • < 50%
  • bi-directional trail
  • no data
Trail Last Ridden
Trailforks scans activity logs to determine the last time a trail was ridden.
  • < 2 days
  • < 1 week
  • < 2 weeks
  • < 1 month
  • < 6 months
  • > 6 months
Trail Ridden Direction
The intended direction a trail should be ridden.
  • Downhill Only
  • Downhill Primary
  • Both Directions
  • Uphill Primary
  • Uphill Only
  • One Direction
Contribute Details
Colors indicate trail is missing specified detail.
  • Description
  • Photos
  • Description & Photos
  • Videos
Trail Popularity ?
Trailforks scans activity logs to determine which trails are ridden the most in the last 9 months. Trails are compared with nearby trails in the same city region with a possible 25 colour shades. Think of this as a heatmap, more activities = more kinetic energy = warmer colors.
  • most popular
  • popular
  • less popular
  • not popular
ATV/ORV/OHV Filter
Max Vehicle Width
inches
US Cell Coverage
Legend
cell carrier legend

Radar Time
Activity Recordings
Trailforks uses anonymized public activity data. ?
Activity Recordings
Trailforks uses anonymized public activity data. ?
Winter Trails
Warning A routing network for winter maps does not exist. Selecting trails using the winter trails layer has been disabled.
Missing Trails
Most Popular
Least Popular
Trails are colored based on popularity. The more popular a trail is, the more red. Less popular trails trend towards green.
Jump Magnitude Heatmap
Heatmap of where users jump on trails. Zoom in to see individual jumps, click circles to view jump details.
BC Backroad Status

Service Road Atlas is a free to use, community-driven service for viewing and creating reports on the numerous back-country service roads around B.C. and Alberta.

map legend
Slope Aspect
Direction the slope faces
Flat N NE E SE S SW W NW
Trails Deemphasized
Trails are shown in grey.
disable
Only show trails with no bike usage.
Enable
Suggested Layers
Based on selected activity type

    Save the current map location and zoom level as your default home location whenever this page is loaded.

    Save
        Directions to lightning-bug trailhead (39.531820, -107.420410)
        View on Discover Map

        Photos

        5 more »
        mtb
        152 |
        May 26, 2020 @ 12:42pm
        May 26, 2020
        mtb
        169 |
        May 26, 2020 @ 12:41pm
        May 26, 2020
        mtb
        209 |
        May 31, 2018 @ 6:37am
        May 31, 2018
        report
        mtb
        187 |
        May 8, 2019 @ 1:31pm
        May 8, 2019

        Videos

        1 more »
        youtuber The REAL PBR // MTB The Lightning Bug Trail //...
        mtb
        12:48 | 1101 | Nov 6, 2018 , Glenwood Springs

        Trail Lists

        Routes with this trail

        11
        Coal camp/LB loop
        8 miles • 1,600 ft • 7 •
        Fun medium sized loop with moderate climbing
        4.7 ★★★★★
        13 Ratings
        5 ★ 77%
        4 ★ 15%
        3 ★ 8%
        2 ★
        1 ★

        3 Reviews & Comments


        We hope you've been enjoying Trailforks!

        Create a FREE account to view trail comments and much more.

        Create a Free Account

        Nearby Trails

        South Canyon

        • By toddTF Pro Trailforks & contributors
        • #131065 - 3,239 views

        Frequently Asked Questions About Lightning Bug

        ▼ Where is Lightning Bug located?
        Lightning Bug is located in South Canyon, Glenwood Springs, Colorado, United States. It is part of the South Canyon trail network. The trailhead is located at coordinates 39.53182, -107.42041.
        ▼ How hard is Lightning Bug?
        Lightning Bug is rated as Blue difficulty. The physical rating is Moderate. The average grade is 5.4%.
        ▼ What is the elevation gain for Lightning Bug?
        Lightning Bug has 31 ft of elevation gain. The trail has 456 ft of elevation descent. The elevation ranges from 6,040 ft to 6,465 ft.
        ▼ Is Lightning Bug a point to point trail?
        Yes, Lightning Bug is a point to point trail. The direction is One Direction. The trail type is singletrack.
        ▼ How long is Lightning Bug?
        Lightning Bug is 1.5 miles long. The trail type is singletrack.
        ▼ Are dogs allowed on Lightning Bug?
        Yes, dogs are allowed on Lightning Bug. Please keep dogs on a leash where required and clean up after them.
        ▼ When is the best time of year to ride Lightning Bug?
        Based on activity log data, the most popular months to ride Lightning Bug are:
        • June (41 activities)
        • July (38 activities)
        • May (32 activities)
        Check the reports page for current trail conditions.
        ▼ How do I access Lightning Bug? Where is the closest parking trailhead?
        The closest parking and trailhead locations to Lightning Bug are: View all parking locations in the area.
        ▼ How long does it take to ride Lightning Bug?
        Based on recorded activities, it takes an average of 10 minutes to ride Lightning Bug. The trail is 1.5 miles long. Actual times will vary based on fitness level, conditions, and pace. View recent activity logs for more details.
        ▼ How busy is Lightning Bug?
        Lightning Bug is a very popular trail. There have been 2,336 recorded activities on this trail. The trail has received 2,524 check-ins. View recent activity on this trail.

        Hit the Trail

        Open in App

        Get this trail on your phone instantly.
        open trail in app

        Download Trail

        Save to wishlist, Garmin & download.
        save the trail

        Find Related Routes

        Find routes and users activities that include this trail.
        find routes for this trail

        You must enter a description before submitting.