Two Elk Creek
Epic Riding in Colorado
Words by Jeremy Schaab.
Date: 2008-11-04
I had a bit of a North Van homecoming recently with my bro Cam Arduini in Vail. Cam is from North Van and he's the guy that introduced me to mountain biking back in college 10 years ago. He played me North Shore Extreme 3 and the rest is history. 
Cam driving us up to Vail Pass
Cam lives in Denver now and we have only ridden together a handful of times over the past few years, but whenever we get together the ride is one to remember. This year was no different and he promised to show me his favorite trail in Colorado; Two Elk Pass. This trail is a point to point that connects Vail Pass to the small old mining town of Minturn. 
The trail head to Two Elks Creek Trail at 10,500'. The trail was looking clear despite the snow we could see in the alpine.
I arranged to rent a bike in Golden, CO at Golden Bike shop and they had a sweet Intense 5.5vpp waiting for me. It was just my size and dressed in the latest fashions with a full XT grouppo, it looked like just the ticket for sloggin’ around the Rockies above 10,000'. 
Granger and Cam Arduini take a minute to catch their breath at 11,000'. Click image for larger shot.
I have never ridden in Colorado before and I was a bit worried if my sea level heart and lungs could keep up with the Colorado crew on the trail that promised to take us to nearly 12,000' (3600m). To make things even more interesting it snowed a solid 6" at 8500' (2600m) the day before so it was guaranteed that there would be snow on this ride. 
I felt like a chump with my sea level lungs reaching Two Elk Pass at 12,000'. Click image for larger shot.
Our friend Andy is recovering from a broken leg that he earned racing a Mega Avalanche race in France last month, so he was eager to shuttle us on the point to point. With epic looking snow covered 14ers surrounding us at the trail head it looked like the heartache of not being able to join us hurt a lot more than his broken tibia. 
A little late for alpine flora but snow capped 14ers didn't disappoint. Click image for larger shot.
This wasn't the longest or most tech ride in Colorado, but it is one of prettiest. We were shuttled from Vail up to Vail Pass then west up an FSR to the trailhead at 10,500' where we had a modest 4.5 mile 1300' climb to get into the alpine. The snow made for some interesting conditions to say the least and we did have to do a fair bit of hike a bike. Once we got to the meadows we were able to climb a descent pace and although you could feel the altitude, the cool crisp fall air made for great climbing conditions. 
The author stoked for a day in the alpine with his old friends.
We reached our day's summit less than an hour later at a breathtaking 11,800'. There was 6" of snow on the ground and we were surrounded by some of Summit County's gorgeous snow-capped mountains. We took some time to catch our breath, drink a bit of whisky and take it all in. I'm not joking when I say my religion is the mountains because it truly felt like transcendent experience. Nothing compares to being on top of the world, knowing that your bike got you there and that you have 20km of sweet downhill single track ahead. 
Granger & Cam were merely passengers as they couldn't really tell when the next snow covered root would grab a tire.
We descended though stands of lodgepole pine and aspen, hanging on for dear life as the snow covered trail was hiding plenty of slick roots and rocks everywhere. I think everyone had a good spill or two as we rallied through the forest. We had a solid 30 minutes of forested tech single track before entering the awe inspiring sub-alpine meadows that would lead us to Vail's backside bowls. As we entered the south facing meadows, the snow disappeared leaving nothing but top shelf hero dirt single track that seemed to go on forever. 
After crossing Two Elk Pass the descent to Vail's back bowls was south facing so it presented us with 15km of buff and tacky downhill single track. Cam and Brendan begin an hour long rally. Click for full size, un-cropped version.
After stopping for a Clifbar at Vail's Blue chair, we continued along a really tight and exposed traverse along Two Elk Creek. This was a solid 5 miles of tech rocky single track with rock goblins at every turn waiting to rip your derailleur off. Thankfully we all escaped unharmed and bikes intact, but you definitely had to bring you’re A-game to rally this section of trail. 
Cam Arduini hauls through Vail's back bowls. With the tall grass you really had to watch pedal placement. There were tonnes of granite goblins sprinkled along the trail waiting to snag a pedal.
When you only see your old riding buddies once or twice a year there is a certain pressure to make the ride unforgettable and as we ripped the last mile of single track I knew we had just ridden one of the most memorable rides of my life. There was so much beauty and diversity throughout this ride I would definitely put it on your list of life's must ride trails. 
Granger, Cam and Brendan were gracious enough to guide me to the goods, but they did accuse me of being a Japanese tourist with my camera. Click image for full size, un-cropped shot.
When you're ripping sweet single track like this it is really hard to pull back and stop to take a picture, but we managed to make a couple quick stops along the way and take it in. Take a look at the gallery below for some shots of the days adventure.
Granger, Jeremy, Brendan & Cam taking a break on Vail's Blue chair. 
Click for larger version of maps.
The route of Two Elk Trail from Vail Pass to Minturn provided 25km that was 70% descent. Now that is a shuttle! Click through to see large versions of these maps.
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