It’s been a weird winter. We got snow way back in early November and were skiing by Thanksgiving, but since then the storms have been few and far between. 

We’ve had several good ski days for sure, but it’s difficult to get into the mindset of putting boards on feet when storms are a month apart and it’s mostly sunny and dry in town. Normally, this time of year my thoughts are turning to high-mountain ski objectives, but with thin snow melting fast in the high country, I don’t see anything like that happening this year.

So, I’m thinking about mountain biking. In a minor revelation of ski-less funk, it occurred to me that right now is an ideal time to check out one of the places I’ve missed so far in my travels:  Lake Pueblo State Park.  

The reason this time of year is ideal is because Pueblo sits on the front range in southern Colorado. At an elevation of less than 5,000 feet it gets hot in the summer. Like triple-digit, I-think-my-skin-is-cooking hot for weeks at a time. Salida is high desert; Pueblo is desert desert.  Mountain biking there in July or August would be unpleasant, bordering on hazardous.  In April, it turns out, it’s delightful.

Lake Pueblo is a reservoir that was formed by damming the Arkansas River. Yep, the same Arkansas River that flows through Salida. The main network of mountain bike trails is on the south shore of the lake.  There are three distinct areas all connected by trails.  

The main area is the one furthest east, closest to the marina trailhead.  It consists of several relatively easy trails that climb the backside of a mesa and multiple technical trails that descend the arroyos that cut from the top of the mesa back down to the lake.  It’s typical desert riding: wide-open vistas, scruffy grass, cactus, and rocks, lots of rocks. For those familiar, I’d say it’s similar to Fruita or Terlingua, except that you almost always have a large body of blue water in view.

Before making the two-hour drive, I oriented myself by watching online videos and studying the map on mtbproject.com. The first thing I noticed when I got there was the online trail ratings are more modest than the actual park ratings.  

I don’t know the history so I don’t know if this is a recent disconnect or just differences of opinion.   Online, many of the descent trails are rated blue or blue/black. On the park map and signs they’re almost all black diamonds. Difficulty is relative.  For me, Pueblo’s black trails have roughly the same pucker factor as Salida’s.  Although in Pueblo, the technical features seem more intense, concentrated in short sections while in Salida they can go on for long distances.

Being a state park and on a lake, the trailhead experience is somewhat more refined than that of your typical mountain bike venue. It still being off-season and the middle of the week, the trailhead was mostly empty the day I was there. Boats were docked at the marina; campsites were empty; bathrooms were clean. I only met one other rider at the trailhead.

The business side of the mesa where you’ll find the technical riding.  Like I said, desert.

Lake Pueblo from the top of the mesa.

Lake Pueblo and Pikes Peak from Pedro’s Point.

Obligatory bike-leaning-against-trail-sign shot.

For the most part, the trails are well-signed. But I discovered there are a fair number of casual trails that look a lot like the official trails.  I found myself going off course a couple of times before I figured out this fun fact. Although, if I hadn’t gone off course, I never would have gotten this cool photo of the Rock Creek inlet to the lake.

And here’s the ride video. It’s always an interesting experience riding new trails, especially technical trails like some of these. You’ve never felt more awake than dropping into a steep, rocky descent for the first time not knowing what’s coming at you next.