This trail was on my wish list for sometime and just got a chance to do it this week and see the fall colors.

I must say this trail was a little bit of a disappointment. Usually with an epic ride you get long climbs followed by long descents with great scenery. The problem with this trail is that large portions of the climbs are unrideable, in other reports I read before going I had read that you'll have to push the bike for about a mile. However When our ride was over we had pushed our bikes almost 3 miles according to the GPS. The last mile.of both climbs you will be pushing no doubt. These uphill battles really don't pay off because the descent is comprised of much of the same features that made the climb unrideable. You may be walking down hill for periods of time depending on your skill.

The scenery is truly amazing at the top, just such a great concentration of larch and exposed rock and water. Wow wow wow!  For this year this may have been the last weekend to ride due to snow coming in. It snowed about an inch the day we were there and it will get more this week. 

The trail doesn't have much flow in it's long mid portion, it's pretty rutted out at parts from the horse traffic and motorcycles that share the trail. That is fine by me because that is probably the reason the trail exists in the first place. The last 3-4 miles are fun and flowy on the way back to the car. A nice break after all the scree.

After driving 4.5 hours and camping out to ride this trail I was glad to finish it so I don't feel like I have to come back. Glad to have done it but will never do it again.