Ah, fall in Rockies. Changing leaves, cooler temperatures, and another wave of tourists seeking out fall foliage Instagram moments in the mountains.

I’ve been wanting to get up into the high country for the past few weeks but the weather has been unusually cool and wet for September. The changing leaves, while unquestionably beautiful, give a sense of urgency to getting in those last few summer activities before the snow starts to fly.  

My goal was to ride the Green’s Creek trail off of the Monarch Crest. Of all the trails that drop off the east side of the Continental Divide in the area, Green’s is the only one I haven’t explored. This past weekend the weather conditions looked good and with the changing aspens just past their peak, I requested a shuttle ride up Monarch Pass from my ever-patient wife to do some exploring.  

Green’s Creek is the second bail-out trail along the Monarch Crest. And I had always considered it as just that, a bail-out trail.  What I discovered is, Green’s is something else altogether. Much rougher and more technically demanding than either Fooses or Starvation Creek, Green’s requires a whole different level of skill and for me, post-ride naproxen, to negotiate.  It’s chunky.  

I couldn’t tell if the terrain is actually rockier than those other two trails, but the top is definitely steeper. I suspect the steepness combined with Green’s popularity with the motorcycle crowd has a lot to do with its rugged disposition. Motorcycles have no problem negotiating two-foot step ups and they tend to churn up even more rocks in doing so.  On my ride I came across two different groups of motos coming up while I was going down.

That said, I no longer feel like Green’s is a viable bail out for the Monarch Crest. If you are having trouble with the Crest, you’re not going to be happy with Green’s. It’s a much more advanced trail. If you’re looking for a Crest bailout, best to continue on to Marshall Pass or turn around and descend Fooses.

But if a technical challenge is what you’re looking for, Green’s Creek is perfect. What makes it even better is, to get to Green’s you first get to ride the high-alpine segment of the Monarch Crest. Which, in my opinion, is the best part of the Crest. As I described here, Green’s Creek branches off of the Continental Divide Trail just before it kicks up for its second significant climb after Monarch Pass. Combined, the ride gives you the best of both worlds:  the high-alpine riding of the Monarch Crest and technical descending of Green’s Creek. From the top, it’s a reasonable 26-mile downhill run all the way back to Salida.  Pretty sweet.

It also, gives you the benefit of seeing the alpine tundra changing into its fall colors along the Continental Divide Trail. Did you know tundra changes color in the fall?  Well, it does.

The top of Green’s Creek on the Continental Divide Trail.

View from the top.

Fall colors along Green’s Creek.

And here’s a video of me riding through all those colors as well as several creeks, a bunch of rocks, roots, and more tourists than I ever imagined possible.  

It was a beautiful day in the mountains.  To me, there’s nothing quite like the feeling of flying through aspens on a mountain bike. And in the fall, when the soft greens have turned to brilliant golds and the autumn sun is filtering through the leaves at a low angle, it’s pure magic.