Garfield County offers a wide variety of mountain bike trails — smooth dirt and rocky descents; short, rollercoaster funfests; and long, challenging epics. Plus, terrain spans rocky, desert riding to lush, forest scenes.

There are lots of trails close to towns (or in them), and some that require a long drive into national forest land.

See if you can pry secrets from local bike shops, or at least get advice on trail conditions.

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GETTING THERE

For access, park just north of the intersection of Colorado highways 82 and 133 about a mile north of Carbondale’s roundabout.

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TRAIL TALK

This area offers a wide variety of singletrack ranging from casual meadow rides to technical climbs and descents. Within easy riding distance of Carbondale, it is popular with bikers, hikers and dog walkers; but the farther from the trailhead you go, the more solitude you’ll find. The easiest riding is also farthest from the trailhead.

THREE GULCH

Distance — 1.1 miles

Difficulty — Difficult

THE DIRT:

This trail offers a technical, fun, and challenging grunt of a climb into the generally flowy Red Hill trail area. This is the easiest way up, though “the ramp” near the end challenges most riders.

BLUE RIBBON

Distance — 1.3 miles

Difficulty — Difficult

THE DIRT:

This is a popular way back down the hill. It’s a harder way up than Three Gulch, but after the junction with Three Gulch, riding is easy until a steep climb to the top.

ELK TRAVERSE

Distance — 1.6 miles

Difficulty — Moderate/Difficult

THE DIRT:

This trail is a fun and sometimes technical sidehill route that connects the Red Hill Loop with the farther out (and less-traveled) Northside Loop and associated loops.

NORTHSIDE LOOP

Distance — 4.9 miles

Difficulty — Moderate

THE DIRT:

The longest trail in Red Hill is a mostly easy ride through meadows, but it also includes some rocky sections in pinyon-juniper.