Out There: Top 4 spots for mountain biking

It's time to put the "mountain" in mountain biking.

Spring was the season for heading to Moab, Utah, or Fruita - hitting the desert before the temperatures hit triple digits. But it's summer now, and time for riders to start looking up. Up as in the high alpine, where Colorado's most glorious vistas spread out below some of the state's best singletrack.

Because of last winter's heavy snow, many of these rides are still a week or two (or three) away from being ready to ride. That's just nature's way of giving bikers time to get their legs and lungs in shape to tackle the tracks above timberline.

Here are our four favorites:

Monarch Crest

This is the best mountain bike ride in the state. If you haven't ridden it, you need to conquer the Crest before you die. The ride crawls along a 12,000-foot ridge above Monarch Pass, with vistas stretching for a hundred miles in every direction. Then the trail plummets a breathtaking 5,000 feet down to Poncha Springs.

Getting there: Definitely buy the map from Absolute Bikes in Salida (330 W. Sackett Ave., Salida, 1-719-539-9295) for this one. It's easy to get lost in a place far, far away from civilization. Also, get an early start - the trail travels along an exposed ridge high above tree line. It's no place to be during a thunderstorm. Leave a car in Poncha Springs and shuttle up to the visitors center atop Monarch Pass.

The trail: From the pass, ride up the hill below the gondola, then up and around the ridge to a spot that we're pretty sure is the roof of the world. The trail contours down to Marshall Pass and then makes a fast and sometimes hairy descent down the Silver Creek Trail. Gluttons for punishment finish the route with 10 more miles of singletrack on the Rainbow Trail, while mere mortals pick up the road and coast the last 10 miles down to Poncha Springs.

Length: 32 miles, or more.

Difficulty: Harder. Not supertechnical, but long, steep and, did we mention you start at 11,300 feet and climb from there?

More information: Guidebook - "Monarch Crest Trail" photoflow guide, Absolute Bikes, Salida. Shuttles - High Valley Bike Shuttle, Poncha Springs (monarchcrest.com, or 1-800-871-5145).

Trail 401

This is the classic Crested Butte ride: a high-alpine singletrack that soars above tree line and sweeps around the flanks of Belleview and Avery mountains, offering views of the Maroon Bells and everything else within 50 miles. It's not supertechnical, but if the altitude doesn't take your breath away, the scenery will.

Getting there: You can ride this from Crested Butte, Mount Crested Butte or a trailhead just outside of Gothic, seven miles past the ski resort. Whichever you choose, you ride the road up to Schofield Pass, five miles past Gothic and 11 miles from the ski area.

The trail: At the pass, turn right onto Trail 401. Here, the singletrack climbs through the forest. After 1.5 miles, it breaks out into a spectacular alpine meadow with views of the Maroon Bells and the Elk Mountains. Stay right at the junction and begin what might be the greatest descent in the state. In wildflower season, it's like riding through a florist's shop at 25 mph. Near the bottom of the descent, you'll pick up Rustler's Gulch Road, which crosses a creek and returns you to Gothic Road.

Length: 11 miles from Gothic.

Difficulty: Hard. Some moderately technical sections.

More information: Guidebook - "Mountain Bike Crested Butte, Gunnison and Salida Singletrack," Holly Annala. Go to the Crested Butte Mountain Bike Association Web page for trail conditions, www.cbmba.org.

Colorado Trail, Tiger Run dredge loop

We might get some guff from the locals for saying it, but we'd argue this is the best stretch of singletrack in Summit County. Once you reach the high point on this 20-mile loop, prepare to have some fun.

Getting there: Drive north from Breckenridge on Highway 9. Turn right onto Tiger Road. Drive 2.6 miles to the dredge trailhead on the left.

The ride: Start on Tiger Road as it gradually climbs up the Swan River Valley. At a junction at 2.9 miles, keep right on the Middle/South Forks Road. Pass through private property and at the next junction continue straight on the Middle Fork Road. At five miles, the Colorado Trail crosses the road. Turn left onto the trail and begin the singletrack. At eight miles, cross North Fork Road (you can also take the North Fork Road at the first intersection and chop a few miles off your distance). Here, the trail crosses the road and begins a steady climb to West Ridge. At the top, the trail doubles back and contours along the ridgeline. Ignore a pair of trails that drop down to Keystone. A long series of fast switchbacks cut through forests and meadows down to the valley floor. Stay left and return to the dredge ponds.

Length: 20 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate. It's aerobically challenging, but only modestly technical.

Jones Downhill

That's right, there's an epic mountain ride right in your backyard. Who knew? Starting deep in the hills behind Cheyenne Mountain at 10,000 feet and cutting and curving all the way back to North Cheyenne Cañon, the Jones Downhill will give any rider all he or she can handle. Gluttons for punishment can ride it as a loop from Gold Camp Road, but it's a lot easier with a shuttle up Old Stage Road.

Getting there: If you're shuttling, leave a car at Stratton Open Space and drive 19 miles up Old Stage Road to Forest Service Road 379, near the Penrose-Rosemont Reservoir. Park here. If you're riding it as a loop, drive up North Cheyenne Cañon to the parking lot at the entrance to High Drive, just past Helen Hunt Falls. Ride up Gold Camp Road 8.5 miles to Old Stage Road, then an additional five miles to 379.

The trail: Ride up Forest Service Road 379 1.5 miles to Frosty's Park and Trail 701, aka Jones Downhill. Here you'll begin a long, contouring descent that skirts Runs-Down-Fast Mountain. The trail is a mixture of gravel, scree and small and not-sosmall boulders. It's best to ride it as fast to stay on top of the sand. Below Tuckaway Mountain, cross Bear Creek and turn right on Trail 667. Descend through Jones Park to the Buckhorn Trail, cross the creek, turn right and climb. You'll soon pick up the intersection for Captain Jacks and follow it down to High Drive, then around Mays Peak and down to Gold Camp Road. Ride Gold Camp down to the Chutes and your car, or up to your car at the High Drive parking lot if you rode it as a loop.

Length: 12 miles with shuttle, 26 miles as a loop.

Difficulty: Harder. The trail conditions are tricky in spots.

More information: Pikes Peak Atlas, Robert Ormes and Robert Houdek.

For more detailed maps and information, go to outdoors.coloradosprings.com