サウォッチ山脈のバイクパーク・トップ4

A breathtaking path bordered by stunning aspen trees, particularly striking during the autumn season. Along most of the trail you are surrounded by aspens.

At an elevation of 11,312 feet, Monarch Pass features a gift shop, parking, restrooms, and acts as a trailhead for a number of trails. Mountain bikes frequent the trails from the pass, but they are also great trails for running and hiking.

The Monarch Crest Trail shares its path with parts of the Colorado Trail and Continental Divide Trail. This is a super popular trail for mountain biking, but it's a great running and hiking trail, too. The actual "crest" is about 10 miles long and features quite a bit of up and down on its way from Monarch Pass to Marshall Pass. The trail then turns downhill and plummets down to the town of Poncha Springs. Unless you plan on doing a point-to-point run, this trail is mostly utilized in partial segments.

At an elevation of 11,312 feet, Monarch Pass features a gift shop, parking, restrooms, and acts as a trailhead for a number of trails. Mountain bikes frequent the trails from the pass, but they are also great trails for running and hiking.

Enjoy this awesome aspen jungle, turning the Colorado Trail into a tunnel.

Aspen is called in French the false poplar because although it looks like the poplar it belongs to the willow family. It is a tree that seems to come to life because at the slightest breeze of wind these leaves rustle. At the beginning of this path you will walk a whole alley of these trees.

This is the last part of the "Monarch Crest" IMBA Epic Trail before you reach Highway 285 to roll back to Poncha Springs. It's worth looking back to the crest – very impressive!

Hiking along the Continental Divide Trail, you can either shop in the small gift shop at Monarch Pass or hitch into the town of Salida that has to offer everything a hiker could ask for.