Lower Spring Creek Trail

About

The Lower Spring Creek Trail is a difficult mountain biking route located west of Montrose, Colorado. It offers approximately 7 miles of singletrack descent through the Uncompahgre National Forest and BLM land. The trail begins near a cattle guard on Dave Wood Road, just inside the forest boundary. Riders typically start at the lower northern trailhead and climb up Dave Wood Road to reach the southern entry point. This approach moves the climbing effort to a paved or hard-packed road, leaving roughly 7 miles of technical singletrack for the descent. The route drops about 1,500 feet in elevation as it moves from pine-covered plateau terrain into high desert scrub. The trail surface is rocky and technical, featuring loose doubletrack sections, jumpable berms, and a few short steep climbs. A notable feature is the hike-a-bike section at the north end near the lower trailhead, where a steep, loose slope often requires riders to push their bikes. The upper section runs parallel to Spring Creek Canyon for about 1.5 miles before descending steeply into the canyon floor. Riders should monitor conditions in the upper canyon, as mud and puddles there can make the lower section difficult to navigate. The trail is pet friendly and has a small parking area available at the cattle guard on Dave Wood Road. It is generally open from April through October, drying out earlier than higher plateau rides.