Mt. Elbert - Shuttle route

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Name: Mt. Elbert - Shuttle
Address: Leadville, CO
Rating: 5

near Leadville, CO

17.1 miles

Distance

5,086 ft

Climb

-5,536 ft

Descent

3 miles

High Point

-449 ft

Altitude change

9,583 ft

Altitude min

10,065 ft

Altitude start

9,616 ft

Altitude end

-0.5%

Grade

-64.3%

Grade max

82.1%

Grade min

8 miles

Distance climb

9 miles

Distance down

4,505 ft

Distance flat

Shuttle Ride: leave a car at the South Elbert Trailhead, before starting the route at the Mount Massive parking lot.

Who doesn't want to ride off the highest peak in the Rocky Mountains

This route takes a shuttle approach to maximize the quality of singletrack, increase the downhill and most importantly make the climb a little less impossible.

The route begins at the Mount Massive parking lot, start out heading south on Colorado Trail Segment 11. The Colorado Trail starts with a warmup climb followed by perfect buffed single track, with a few speedy descents before meeting up with the South Mount Elbert trail. There were extensive trail realignments between 2017-2019, that now make the trail rideable on the climb up to the alpine. There is a fourth phase set to complete sometime in 2020, which will re-route a brutal section around 12,500'.

The hike a bike "Hikyling" starts at approx 13,000' and continues to the summit with just enough rideable sections sprinkled in to tease you.

Before embarking on one of the better descents in Colorado, catch your breath and take in the views from 14,433' you've earned it!

As for the descent its one to remember! Classic alpine tech until tree-line, where the rocks disappear and the single track nears perfection, buffed, fast and playful all the way to the South Elbert trailhead.

Detailed Description

Mt. Elbert - Shuttle is a 17 mile popular extreme route located near Leadville Colorado. This mountain bike only route can be used one direction and has a extreme overall physical rating. This route includes 5 trails. This route climbs 5,086 ft with a max elevation of 14,425 ft then descends -5,536 ft.

Significant Issue / Amber: 1 trail (newest: May 1, 2026)

Best of Colorado MTB
since 2019
Best of North America MTB
since 2019

Distance

17 miles
Avg time

3 hr 6 min
Altitude change

-449 ft
Altitude min

9,583 ft
Altitude start

10,065 ft
Altitude end

9,616 ft
Climb

5,086 ft
Descent

-5,536 ft
Grade

-0.5%
Grade max

-64.3%
Grade min

82.1%
Distance climb

8 miles
Distance down

9 miles
Distance flat

4,505 ft

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CDT CT - Twin Lakes North

South Mount Elbert

CDT CT - Twin Lakes North

S. Elbert TH to CT

Featured
Riding area

Twin Lakes
Primary Activity

Mountain Bike
Difficulty rating

Double Black Diamond
Route Type

Shuttled
eBike Allowed

No
Bike type

AM
Direction

One Direction
Physical rating

Extreme
Ridelogs

2

Distance (Trails & Routes)

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ATV - 50 inches
OHV, SxS - 60 inches
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Winter Trails

Warning A routing network for winter maps does not exist. Selecting trails using the winter trails layer has been disabled.

trail	date	description
S. Elbert TH to CT	May 11, 2026 @ 6:39pm (America/Los_Angeles) May 11, 2026	reporter
South Mount Elbert	May 1, 2026 @ 7:58am (America/Los_Angeles) May 1, 2026	reporter
CDT CT - Twin Lakes North	Mar 25, 2026 @ 8:07am (America/Denver) Mar 25, 2026	Clear from the dam to Bartlett Gulch right before the Twin Lakes Village cutoff. Ride as an out and back. Past Bartlett gulch is north facing and still has snow. reporter