The Gunnison National Forest has approved eight miles of new trail in and around Telluride, Colorado, with six miles to be open to mountain biking. The proposal dates back nearly a decade, and now that the mileage is approved, the Telluride Mountain Club (TMC) will begin planning to break ground next year. Most of the new mileage is split between two much-needed trails: a connector between Telluride and Mountain Village, and a climbing trail for the popular Sunshine DH trail.
Mountain Village to Valley Floor connector trail
“This is the one that was really the biggest need for the community,” Sophie Fabrizio, TMC Director, told Singletracks. “Not just for recreational purposes, but also for commuting purposes.”
As for commuting, Fabrizio explained how the two economies of Mountain Village and Telluride are directly connected. Residents may live in Mountain Village but work in Telluride, or vice versa, or they will frequent restaurants and other local businesses in either community. Essentially, there is quite a bit of movement between the two towns, which means more traffic and congestion.
Currently, a biking option exists. Fabrizio said the most direct connection is on a trail called Boomerang, and while it might be a fun descent, its nearly 700-foot climb in roughly one mile wasn’t ideal for a casual connection. This is where the newly approved connector trail comes in.
“This will be the more user-friendly, enjoyable trail,” Fabrizio shared. “Good tread, switchbacks, a mellow grade. People will use it for recreation in both directions, but it also promotes people using their bikes to commute back and forth from town.”
Beyond commuting, Fabrizio said the connector trail will provide access to much of the area’s singletrack. She said many of the “DH mountain biking” trails are at Mountain Village, and this new trail will make the climb up to them a bit easier. Then, on the way back, riders can take the existing Boomerang trail for a rowdier descent.
Fabrizio shared that the new connector trail will be intermediate (she noted that “beginner” and “intermediate” are very relative terms in Telluride’s steep, rugged mountains) and will stretch two miles. This doubles the Boomerang trail’s length, allowing the builders to keep an easier 3-5% grade. Fabrizio also said that the goal is to have the tread wide enough to accommodate adaptive bikes.
The Mountain Village to Valley Floor trail is flagged, and Fabrizio said builders will begin construction in 2027, with plans to open it by the end of the summer.
The Sunshine Climb
“The Sunshine uphill trail is really mountain bike-specific,” Fabrizio said. “That project, I think, will be the most relevant to mountain bikers.”
Southwest of Telluride, an advanced trail has become a well-known DH track for mountain bikers. The trail goes by two names — Sunshine or T35 — but for the duration of this article, it will be referred to as “Sunshine.”
Sunshine is a rough, rowdy singletrack that cuts through an amazing aspen forest, descending two miles and nearly 1,200 feet from Highway 145 to the South Fork of the San Miguel River. And access is fairly limited right now.
Though it is technically a two-way trail, most will choose to descend Sunshine because the climb is incredibly difficult and steep. Those who do climb, or hike-a-bike back up, can be met by other riders descending fast. Other trails that link to it often take riders pretty far out of the way — great for those looking to do a longer pedal, not so ideal for those just wanting to ride Sunshine.
As a result, Fabrizio says most riders choose to shuttle, which adds to congestion at the top and bottom of the trail. And a shuttle also isn’t very direct, with cars forced to drive miles either way to connect to the highway, then drive miles again to get back to the top of Sunshine.
Enter the Sunshine Climb. Adding a climbing option parallel to the existing Sunshine trail provides a safer, easier way to get back to the top without climbing Sunshine again. It also eliminates the need to shuttle.
The Sunshine Climb will cover the same elevation as the Sunshine DH trail, but stretches the distance to three miles. Fabrizio said it will be intermediate and still technically allow downhill traffic, but will be optimized for climbing. She also said they will add signage encouraging riders to use it as such.
Fabrizio anticipates flagging the Sunshine Climb next summer, with construction beginning and ending in 2028. She also mentioned another roughly one-mile connector trail from the Sunshine Climb to a nearby parking, which will get riders off the road.
For the new builds, TMC contracted with Big Loop Trails.
Even more trail work in Telluride
Perhaps overshadowed by the six new miles of singletrack mountain bikers will get to enjoy is the roughly 5.5 miles of rehabilitation work that was also approved. Fabrizio said Wilson Mesa, Lizard Head, and Morningstar form a loop in desperate need of care.
“Actually, it’ll be like a total overhaul of the system,” she told us. While these trails likely get more foot traffic than mountain bikes, Fabrizio confirmed that all approved rehabilitation mileage is open to bikes.
TMC anticipates a roughly $2 million price tag to complete all the new trails and rehabilitation. Fabrizio said funding will come mainly from private donations from community partners.
While TMC expects to complete the two major new trails by 2028, it hopes to finish the entire project within the next five years.
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