Review: Of course it's great to do Jacks and the Chutes together for a really sweet DH shuttle, but Stratton offers a lot more. The next time you do the Jacks/Chutes DH, when you get near the bottom of the Chutes, turn left onto the Chamberlain Trail and start heading back up the hill (heading N-NW). The Chamberlain is a smooth gradual uphill ride in a beautiful ponderosa pine stand with lots of curves, twists and dips to keep the climb interesting. If you like, the Chamberlain will take you all the way back to the top of the Chutes. Along the way, however, there are two good options off the Chamberlain to continue your DH fun. First, near the bottom of the Chamberlain, just a little ways after getting onto the trail, you can hang a right onto the Upper Meadow Trail. Follow this portion of the Upper Meadow CW (N-NE-E). After a short "techy" stretch initially, this portion of the trail becomes a very fast, curvy, flowy, fun DH run with several small jumps to add to the fun. You will end up at the Ponderosa Trail portal at the north end of the Open Space. The second good DH option off the Chamberlain Trail is near the top of the trail. Here you can hang a right onto the Arroyo Grande Trail. This trail heads due east down the hill and is a tight, twisty, very fast, very fun, DH run. It will leave you smiling ear to ear. I hope you find that both Upper Meadow and Arroyo Grande are great additions to your Jacks/Chutes DH pleasure.

Review: There are not too many places in Colorado Springs that one can ride in the winter time, but if it not too cold I was told this was a cool place to hit because it's mostly crushed granite and not too much mud.

This video (https://vimeo.com/61043040) is just one (1) mile of the downhill run on the Gold Camp Path. We started form the parking lot and rode up to Gold Camp Road and then hit the downhill section. There was a lot of snow and it sure made for a different kind of descent.

Well, they were correct - it was not too cold (despite all the snow) and very little mud - but don't be fooled - we got totally soaked and dirty!

Here is a full ride: https://connect.garmin.com/activity/280055147

For the video: I just took position of the new K-Edge Handle Bar & Seat Rial GoPro brackets and gave them a try on this ride. In this clip I used one camera on the bars and one under the seat. I think next time I am going to tilt them down a bit to get more wheel int he frame. They worked great - although for the bar mount I have to add a shim to get it to fit and it is designed for the larger bar diameters. They are expensive for what you get - but I think they do a much better job than GoPro's version.

Now that I know what to expect, I'll add in a couple of other cameras to mix up the footage some.

Review: Rode the Chutes- Enjoyed the trail, fun and flowy. Too many hikers to get the 4 stars it probably deserves. Hard to blame a trail for being nice enough to draw people, but takes the flow out of flowy.

Similar Trail: Captain Jack

Review: Stratton Open space is a network of short trails that can be linked together for a nice workout / cross country ride. The Chutes is one of the trails, but there are a number of others. The chutes is probably best done as the end of a shuttle ride linking Captain Jacks or others off Gold Camp rd, just because of the amount of traffic coming down, and how short of a ride you will get for the climb but perhaps worse, dealing with others. Wouldn't really want to ride up this at a busy time but others seem to have found this to be worth it. I enjoyed the other trails. Nothing to technical and climbs are not really too bad. The trails very from really narrow to wider. There is also a lot of thick brush/trees close to the trails in some areas. There is also a fire road here for a good climb.

Review: WOW - decent climbs, lots of options and an incredibly fun downhill through the Chutes - just beware of hikers and other cyclists coming up the Chutes as you cruise down.

Review: SWEET trail fast with lots of walls and little jumps.

Review: THE BEST TRAIL IN THE SPRINGS!!! love the workout coming to the top and then an AWESOME downhill, all smiles!

Similar Trail: White Ranch park

Review: Awesome trail. It would be awesomer if hikers wouldn't bring packs of dogs with them. The first time, we were a little lost because of crossing trails and some of the signs were not accurate. I believe Upper Meadows trail is what we tried to stay on but somehow ended up on another trail. Other than this it was an awesome ride with some good climbs and fun downhill’s. Just gotta watch out for hikers and pets.

Review: From the Parking lot at the bottom of Stratton Open Space, it'll be a long climb to the top of the open space where you'll find a couple of reservoirs. The chutes officially begin there and don't end until the end of a long uphill where you'll find gold camp road. Turn around and fly down the mountain. The banked curves allow for higher speeds. If looking for a quick fun ride, ask a buddy for a shuttle to the top via gold camp road. I wouldn't recommend skipping the workout but people do it anyway. There is a fair amount of loose gravel that accumulates in the center of the trail, which is really the only negative about it.

* Review edited 4/10/2011

Review: I'm right there with Buddah...smiles all the way down. Rode back up and did it again it was so much fun. The actual Chutes trail is shorter than I would have liked but the content keeps you happy. Overall the Stratton Open Space is a nice singletrack area, nothing too technical or crazy. Chamberlain trail is a nice way up. Makes for a great after-work riding area; you can loop the trails in there for a decent workout. One other nice aspect is that it links up with Gold Camp Rd and so it's a great place to start and end a decent ride that combines the Open Space, Buckhorn, Jack's, and whatever else you can throw in. Trails are very well marked so it's hard to get lost there. Be careful and watch out for dirt-bikers, hikers/runners, and folks riding UP the Chutes. Give a shout before one of those blind corners...you'll be moving pretty quick with a big fat grin on your grill housing.

Similar Trail: Mt. Buckhorn, Capt. Jack's

Review: been trying to ride this trail since I moved out here 2 years ago. finally got a chance verdict= kool-aid smile all the way down! need I say more, rode it on Sunday with a friend of mine, it was nice and tacky from the last snow we had. Should be like that a few days after todays storm. threre was nothing loose about it even in the dry spots. RIDE IT ATLEAST ONCE!!! @ zr140th my buddy whi rides in front of me staps on a mini cow bell to the under side of his saddle and I use small bells to warn people..

* Review edited 3/31/2011

Review: I did the Chutes this weekend with my 12 year old son he had a blast! We did however run into two bears on the trail.

Review: Great Place to ride, sort of feels like a MTB amusment park with so many short, flowy trails. Connects with Gold Camp Rd which is the gateway to lots of other trails, Captin Jacks etc.

Similar Trail: Captin Jacks, Red Rock Canyon

Review: Miss this downhill part. Last time I rode this, I rode up the chutes, Gold Camp all the way to Jones' downhill to Captain Jacks and back down the chutes.

Review: The Chutes are awesome! (If you're going down them.)

Review: Awesome ride. Can be a good climb if you start at the state park side

Review: The chutes is about as fun a mile of singletrack you will ever find. The drawback--the fun part's not much more than a mile. The other drawback--it' popular with hikers and an occasional equestrian. There's also a good number of bikers who like to climb it as well as go down it. So, to get maximum pleasure, go at an off-peak time. The rest of the trails in Stratton Open Space are only of moderate interest.

Similar Trail: Buckhorn, Captain Jack's, Columbine, Section 16

Review: The trails in Strattton Open Space are solid, but the Chutes is loose almost the whole way. However, it is not so loose that it is un-climbable. Good down-hill where you can get speed. I like it, but there are many more trails that are more solid in town.

Similar Trail: Captain Jacks in somewhat like it because the loose rock.

Review: Whoooo hoooooo! Just rode this one this morning for the first time. Nice, mostly gentle climb up to the top, which makes for some good training. And the Chutes...damn, I've been reading about this trail as if it were some sort of mythical, mountain biking Nirvana, and so it is. Wide-open downhill, banked berms for turns, very little technical distraction (a root here and there, rock water bars) and basically an all-out gravity-assisted frenzy of fun. The only downfall is the short length of the trail. I can see where there can be some user conflicts with hikers, however, if you ride in control, the few hikers I encountered were very friendly. I rode around 8AM and mostly had the trail to myself. Great place to take a beginner to turn on to the sport, provided they're in some sembalance of shape for the climb up. Good times. In the words of General MacArthur, "I Shall Return."

Similar Trail: Elk Meadow

Review: Very fast downhill with alot of burms. The only downfall is there are alot of hikers, so the earlier you get there the better.

Review: This trail is an absolute blast going down. If you want to get a buddy into riding, then take him (or her) on this trail. Also, you should recommend to dog walkers and day hikers to pick a different trail. This trail should be reserved for those on wheels. This trail is so fun to ride down, that it makes it dangerous for people hiking up.

Review: I love this trail, and I've run the Chutes over and over again. It's kind of nice to finally be able to say I've biked it. The Chutes trail is an excellent workout, and I love biking down it. There is also a rewarding view from the top of the trail! There are some great jumps and banks as well. The trails in Stratton can provide beautiful scenery at the right time of the year. The network can prove to be an excellent training ground for novice mountain bikers. There are tons of types of trails in it from single track to a huge fire road. It's a must if you're in the area! I give it a 9.

* Review edited 3/31/2007

Similar Trail: Captain Jack's trails nearby at the top of Gold Camp Road

Review: One of my favorites in the colorado springs area. Banked turns and a few roots and rocks serve as miniature jumps on this fast downhill thrill ride. The only problem is the ride is about five to ten minutes long but worth it. I'm not a big fan of any of the connecting gold camp road rides so I would suggest riding up this trail then down for a longer ride.

Similar Trail: Barney Ford to Moonstone, Breckenridge

Review: I haven't biked up this trail, I've just added it to Columbine and Captain Jacks for some fun downhill. Goin down this sucker is a blast! Steep singletrack with banked turns and a few roots here and there to make sure you're payin attention.

Review: This was a fun ride, MOstly it was just a cardio work out to gold camp road. not too technical but fun. I did not try any of the other trails, but I will next time , they looked like fun.

Review: I love this trail just for the climb and the nice downhill. You can add to it by continuing up to highdrive and doing captain jacks.

Review: trail makes for a good climb. there is alot of traffic though. going up and down. i reccommend you ride up the chutes then head all the way up to capt jacks and ride the whole thing back down. makes for a good loop.. but the chutes by it self is a good after work ride.

Review: This trail has a ton of great whoop-tee-doos, to improve on the distance try getting dropped of on the upper gold camp road (the one accessed by old stage road) at the entrance to frosty park by penrose-rosemont reservoir, ride up to frosty park and downhill forester's trail to jones park, take jones park trail down to the gold camp parking lot, continue down lower gold camp to entrance to chutes and have a vehicle parked at the le vita trailhead, about 3 hours downhill !!!

Similar Trail: monument preserve

Review: Short but sweet. Extend the ride by continuing up Gold Camp Road to the upper parking lot where High Drive starts. From this upper parking lot you can continue up the mountain to Captain Jack's

Review: The chutes is one of the best trails out there very fun lot of little kickers to get some air off of and a good adrenal rush!!