Snowpack and heat are the two limiting factors when choosing a time to go bikepacking in Gunnison County. Crested Butte has a large nordic skiing area that hosts the famous Alley Loop race every winter (and has hosted the Fatbike World Championships in the past), and many miles of Hartman Rocks trails are groomed for skiing as well.
There are also ample cross-country skiing opportunities throughout the Gunnison Valley. While Gunnison has a small local ski hill, Cranor Hill, Mount Crested Butte, just 31 miles up the road, is a world-renowned ski area. These temperatures don’t scare the locals, though, and there are many miles of groomed fatbike trails around the county, including in Gunnison and Crested Butte. In the winter, Gunnison is one of the coldest places in the lower 48, with temperatures occasionally reaching -40☏. The lower elevations around Gunnison are perfect for cycling from April until October. In the summers, temperatures reach into the mid-80☏t range, making it an ideal climate for mountain biking, rafting, fly fishing, trail running, and other outdoor activities. Gunnison County provides year-long recreation opportunities throughout the valley. And with 36% of the Forest Service roads in the state of Colorado and the mountain biking hotspot of Crested Butte contributing to the more than 750 miles of trails in the Gunnison Valley, it’s a bikepacker’s nirvana. All this to say, Gunnison County is immense and contains landscapes ranging from desert sagebrush to high alpine tundra. The southern border cuts through endless fields of sage, and the northern border stretches up into Marble and into the heart of the Elk Mountains. The eastern border follows the mighty Sawatch Mountains, traveling over some of the tallest peaks in the state, including several that tower above 14,000 feet. Public lands make up 82% of the county that stretches from west of Blue Mesa, the largest body of water in Colorado, all the way to Monarch Pass in the east. At 3,260 square miles (8,400 km2), it’s one-and-a-half times the size of the state of Delaware, yet its population is only about 17,000. Gunnison County’s sheer scope and scale set it apart from other parts of the state and country.
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