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Explore the gravel roads around the western San Juan mountains and the southern Uncompahgre Plateau in southwest Colorado.
Situated in the Uncompahgre Valley, Ridgway emerges as one of the most scenic rural Colorado gravel bike destinations. Stunning natural beauty, relaxed small town feel, and gateway status to the San Juan Mountains make Ridgway a nexus point for gravel enthusiasts to explore the roads of Ouray and Montrose Counties.
Southwest Colorado’s landscape and western heritage inspired a number of film locations, including John Wayne classic True Grit (1969) and Quentin Tarantino’s The Hateful Eight (2015). This creative synergy with nature fuels the imagination of any gravel adventurer seeking to discover their next great place to ride gravel.
Route options range from fast and smooth gravel county roads to off-piste double track forest service roads, to the high desert plateau riding in the West End of Montrose County. The towns, terrain and landscape between Uncompahgre Valley and the Utah border will appeal to the imagination of many adventure cyclists.
Framed by the rugged San Juan Mountains, any given vista on a ride will reveal why this part of the state calls to endurance athletes of all skill levels. It challenges and rewards cyclists seeking to explore the region’s alpine peaks and public lands, including the Uncompahgre National Forest.
The Ridgway Area Chamber of Commerce invites the gravel community to discover the mixed terrain of the Western San Juan Mountain region. Ride here and be captivated by our majestic alpine setting, laid-back friendly Old West spirit, and small town hospitality.
An exciting element to this guidebook is the chance to introduce adventure cyclists to the gravel riding in the West End of Montrose County. Composed of Nucla, Naturita, Bedrock, Redvale, Paradox, and Norwood, you’ll appreciate the many towns, one community attitude of this tightly knit collection of towns eager to attract dirt-curious cyclists.
Along with partners in Montrose County, we encourage everyone to visit and create unique gravel memories. With a number of lodging and dining options available, the routes featured here support curated loop rides that both start/end in each town, and offer backcountry excursions into the mountains, mesa, and desert.
Come and see for yourself why Ridgway is the gateway to an exceptional gravel adventure in the Western San Juan Mountains.
Montrose and Ouray Counties are part of the ancestral lands of the Ute people. They were nomadic, and maintained a strong connection to the diverse ecosystems that supported their hunting, gathering and trade. Utes forged extensive trade networks with other tribes well before the arrival of Europeans. They expanded pathways over mountain passes, adopted horse usage from the Spanish, and developed trade centers.
Forced removal in the 19th century by the U.S. government led to European-American migration into the Uncompahgre Valley. This increased substantially with the discovery of gold and silver. Early migrants were mine laborers, or sought to establish farms and ranches. The railroad spurred further development of farm to market roads, while also hauling minerals away. These rural roads continue to support the local economy and population today.
The 19th century engineering legacy of Otto Mears is undeniable. Relocating from Saguache, Colorado, his entrepreneurial attitude left a mark on the region. Mears established toll road charters for road construction, and made them at grades suitable for railways. He subsequently built the Rio Grande Southern Railroad between Durango and Ridgway, the Silverton Railroad, and Silverton Northern Railroad. A speciality was the narrow gauge track design, where the distance between the inside edge of a rail is less than 4 feet and 8 ½ inches.
Montrose and Ouray Counties hold significant portions of public land, including the Uncompahgre National Forest, within their boundaries. The Ouray Ranger District is headquartered in Montrose. Established on June 14, 1905, the early years of Forest Service management saw a number of misunderstandings with the general public around the purpose of the National Forest system emerge. Unchecked use of the land, including timber, uranium, radium, and vanadium extraction, contributed to development of many roads and trails on the plateau and Utah border region.
Start navigating and recording your ride on the Ride with GPS app with just a single tap, or get spoken turn-by-turn directions for your routes using the signature voice navigation feature. No data? No problem! You can download routes to navigate while offline and record rides without a data connection. The GPX file is also available for your cycling computer/head-unit.
On the following gravel route pages, scan the QR code with your smart phone to land on our digital route page, making it easy, safe, and fun for cyclists to go on great rides.
We encourage people to get outside, reconnect with nature, and embark on two-wheeled adventures. The Ride with GPS mission is to build a global community of riders who create and share routes, discover new adventures, and go on better rides, more often.
Settlement of the Uncompahgre Valley began when Montrose was incorporated in 1882, followed by Ouray in 1884, and Ridgway in 1891. The West End of Montrose County saw settlers arrive in the same time frame. Each of these communities emerged as railroad supply hubs during the 19th century mining and agricultural booms.
Ridgway and Ouray gained population due to silver and gold mining efforts. Camp Bird Mine outside Ouray produced approximately 1.5 million gold and 4 million silver troy ounces between 1886 and 1990. That production is now worth $2.1 billion. Many of the region’s roads go by old mine structures, tramways, and ghost towns.
The West End of Montrose County took a different course with relation to natural resource extraction. Post-World War II brought a boom in uranium mining. Part of the Uravan Mineral Belt, a uranium rich deposit, extends across the West End. Cold War tensions resulted in a demand for uranium as the U.S. developed nuclear weapons and power plants for civilian use. Currently the U.S. has over 90 nuclear power reactors that collectively generated 18% of all the country’s electricity in 2022.
Fertile land, with irrigation from the Uncompahgre and Gunnison Rivers, attracted pioneers to Montrose County. Reservoirs and canals, along with climate and soil conditions, produced diverse crops such as grains, vegetables, and fruit orchards (apples/peaches). Livestock ranching benefited from expansive stretches of rangeland. Farming and ranching continues to influence the local economy.
A shared trait across southwest Colorado is resiliency. Each community has adapted to confront economic challenges of boom and bust cycles. The instability of resource extraction pushes an interest to promote sustainable recreation and tourism. A belief is gravel cycling helps harmonize the needs of the region to balance economic development with historical and natural resource preservation.
Another positive sign of a resilient community is for creative people to be naturally attracted to it as places to live, work, and play. The peaks, forests, and rivers of Montrose and Ouray Counties possess that powerful draw. They’ve inspired many individuals to make everything from films to cottage industry businesses that offer local art. The will to create is strong in southwestern Colorado and is contributing towards diversifying the local rural economy.
Not only did the rugged landscape surrounding Ridgway serve as the setting for a number of notable western films and television, but convinced some actors, like Dennis Weaver, to call Ridgway home. Star of the shows Gunsmoke and McCloud, he was a proponent of sustainable architecture. Weaver commissioned the design of his home to use recycled materials like car tires and discarded cans, and solar power.
Another example is Billings Artworks, a small Ridgway workshop, where John Billings has crafted the Grammy Award since 1983. As a silversmith, he took over the awards show contract after apprenticing with the original fabricator in Los Angeles. Being a fly fishing aficionado, he found an outdoor lifestyle in Ouray County that complements his creative livelihood. Billings also designed the light fixtures for Dennis Weaver’s Earthship home.
Creatives being drawn to rural towns like Ridgway is important. Arts and cultural production represent about 3.9% of Colorado’s GDP, which is more than mining or transportation. Since being designated a Colorado Creative District, Ridgway has reinvigorated itself with art galleries and shops, a theater and microbrewery. Space to Create is a housing development built for artists and creatives seeking to call the town home. Creative types are helping transform the western San Juan Mountain regional economy.
Balancing conservation and economic priorities is no easy task. The legacy, and volatility, of resource extraction industries forces adapting sustainable solutions. Natural scenery, historic sites, and diverse rural roads make southwest Colorado an attractive gravel bike destination.
Sustainable gravel advocates for common understanding of conservation efforts at a local level. Land stewardship in Ouray and Montrose Counties is about preserving a rural quality of life that can positively impact the regional economy.
While cycling tourism is economically important, the surrounding natural ecosystem is critical to its overall sustainability as an industry sector. Adventure cyclists are strongly encouraged to respect the land, water, wildlife and people who call a gravel bike destination home.
Mining’s environmental legacy requires constant vigilance in relation to how it impacts residents and visitors in Ouray and Montrose Counties. Conservation and stewardship is about healing past stresses associated with land use, while promoting eco-friendly engagement with the outdoors.
The sustainable gravel philosophy of this guidebook is influenced by the stewardship perspective of Utes, who maintained an admiration for balance and harmony via practices and rituals between them and the natural world. Mountains, rivers, and geologic features go beyond physical meaning because they provide sustenance and spiritual power. Is the ritual of cycling not but a chance to find balance and harmony?
Efforts around water conservation in Ouray and Montrose Counties revolve around improving habitat, water quality and water management. Tactics center on infrastructure upgrades, river channel improvements, and floodplain restoration.
Addressing water management extends beyond the human population. More people recreating forces wildlife to seek refuge. Access to water in winter ensures species survival for a number of animals when food is more scarce.
Benefits to local forest management include improved wildlife habitat and water quality. Trees filter pollutants from water and air, while enhancing recreation activities like gravel cycling by providing shade, biodiversity and aiding climate resilience through carbon storage.
An example of critical forest heath are montane fens in the San Juan Mountains, which are unique peat-forming wetlands that rely on groundwater sources. They develop over thousands of years. Restoration is difficult if destroyed. Fens support rare plants, insects, along with a host of mammals. Deer and livestock graze in them, while humans benefit from their shallow aquifers. Montane fens are important atmospheric sinks, contributing to climate resilience.
Regional concentration on landscape resilience and adaptability improves wildlife habitats through protection and restoration. Cooperation between the Rocky Mountain Elk Foundation, Colorado Department of Transportation, Southern Ute Indian Tribe and Colorado Parks & Wildlife is ensuring the long-term stability of elk populations in the region.
At Gravel Adventure Field Guide, we're committed to providing the best possible cycling experience for our customers. We carry a wide variety of bikes, from high-end racing bikes to budget-friendly options for beginners. We also offer a range of accessories and apparel to keep you comfortable and safe on the road. Our team of experienced cyclists is always here to help you with any questions or concerns you may have. Visit us today and discover why we're the top choice for cyclists in the area!
With mining having a significant influence on the economic fortunes of Ouray and Montrose Counties, it is worth understanding the production of silver, gold, and uranium along with they're environmental impacts. There are distinct means to the processing of each due to contrasts in geological characteristics, extraction methods, and end uses of the minerals.
Silver and gold are associated with mineral deposits such as quartz or hydrothermal veins. They are extracted from ores that contain these two precious metals. Unfortunately, open tunnels, tailings and waste rock later allow pollutants to leach into water sources. Contrarily, uranium is found in deposits of sedimentary rocks, sandstone, or other formations. It's often present as uraninite, a uranium rich mineral. Extraction results in land disturbances such as changes to topography and fragmentation in ecosystems.
Precious metal involves the traditional approach of open-pit and underground mining. The extraction process may include crushing, grinding, and a chemical process to separate the minerals from the ore. This can produce excessive sediment that harms aquatic habitats. Meanwhile, uranium methods vary depending on the type of deposit. In-situ recovery and open-pit or underground methods are common. In ISR, a solution is injected into the ground to dissolve the uranium, and then pumped to the surface for processing. A drawback to this process is that heavy metals can contaminate water sources.
Production of silver and gold involves using a cyanide solution to extract the metals while the ore is crushed, ground, and leached. Use of chemicals has led to contamination of waterways. Uranium requires crushing the ore and extracting the uranium with chemicals. "Yellowcake" is the resulting uranium concentrate, which is further refined to produce uranium fuel for nuclear reactors. Regrettably, this mining process can release radon gas and radioactive particles into the air, which poses health risks.
The end uses for silver and gold are varied, but commonly they're used for jewelry, coins, circuit boards, cell phones, electronics, industrial applications, and investments. Uranium is primarily used to fuel nuclear power plants. It is the fuel for nuclear fission in reactors, releasing heat that generates electricity.
When it comes to market dynamics, silver and gold are influenced by the trends and demands of end users. Uranium is primarily impacted by the demand for nuclear energy, regulations, and potentially geopolitical considerations. While they share some commonalities as extractive industries, silver, gold, and uranium differ most from unique geological characteristics and end uses. Each requires specific technologies, processes, and environmental management practices.
An exceptional off-road bike destination is made possible by the dedication and effort of passionate individuals. West End Trail Alliance (WETA) is an organization that promotes non-motorized recreation in hopes of diversifying the economy of western Montrose County.
The work WETA does attracts drop and flat bar enthusiasts alike by inventorying a range of trails, old uranium mining roads, and county maintained gravel roads. WETA also maintains and builds purpose designed single-track trails in the West End.
The magic of riding in the West End resides in smaller crowds. You’re not likely to see another cyclist for hours, and public land provides adventure cyclists with plenty of camping spots.
Future plans focus on expanding the singletrack network in the Sawtooth and Naturita Flats areas. WETA’s hard work is already paying off. New lodging, bike shops, and grocery stores now offer amenities that make the West End worthy destination to check out. Learn more and donate: westendtrails.org
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