Boulder Trip

I consulted my Magic 8 Ball and it said: Definitely probably not

There are those who will say go south but nothing's gonna be snow free within an hour. Where did you read that a guy can count on riding that time of the winter?

Now, snowboarding within an hours drive? Heck yeah!

Well, yeah, if you're OK with riding trails covered in snow...guaranteed there's riding within an hour's drive.

Mostly agreed w/ xcguy... it does come down to the 8-Ball:

Temperature: In Jan/Feb we do have occasional days at 50~60*F. But way more often expect 30~45*F (or much lower if in a cold spell).

Snow Cover: We start getting some big dumps around this time... so totally possible for 12" to fall the week prior. In which case, even if you have a bunch of ~60* days after (I've seen happen before), it won't likely be dry yet.

Knowing where to go helps. I find that trails away from (east of) the mountains helps, as does going up north to Lyons. (For example Rabbit Mountain remains dry much of the year).

Best bet would be a drive down to Pueblo (2~3hrs) where its noticeably drier and warmer.

travisvt said:

Looking to visit a couple friends in Boulder for a snowboard trip with my wife in January/February. So the big question... Is there still Mountain biking to be had mid winter anywhere within an hour or so if boulder? From what I have read there is. Mountain biking on dirt I should specify... not snow or ice lol. If the answer is yes, any recommendations on local shops I could rent a mountain bike and any specific trails to ride? Will not be bringing my bike.

Thanks

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I’m curious to what you read and where that says this.

stripes said:

I’m curious to what you read and where that says this.

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Secret Limon trails.

As others have said it's very weather dependent. There have been years I've ridden most of January in sunny warm conditions and others when everything is snowed in. Your best bet if things are dry are trails in the foothills on the Front Range. For Boulder that means Hall Ranch and Heil Ranch. Just a bit north of Boulder is Bobcat Ridge, Devils Backbone, Horsetooth Mountain Park, Horsetooth Reservoir, and Lory State Park, all of which could be dry in Jan/Feb. 45 mins south you've got Apex, Centennial Cone (although Centennial Cone may close for wildlife if I am remembering correctly) and if you're really desperate North Table Mountain and Green Mountain.

The best bike shop in Boulder is University Cycles aka ubikes www.ubikes.com

provin1327 said:

As others have said it's very weather dependent. There have been years I've ridden most of January in sunny warm conditions and others when everything is snowed in. Your best bet if things are dry are trails in the foothills on the Front Range. For Boulder that means Hall Ranch and Heil Ranch. Just a bit north of Boulder is Bobcat Ridge, Devils Backbone, Horsetooth Mountain Park, Horsetooth Reservoir, and Lory State Park, all of which could be dry in Jan/Feb. 45 mins south you've got Apex, Centennial Cone (although Centennial Cone may close for wildlife if I am remembering correctly) and if you're really desperate North Table Mountain and Green Mountain.

The best bike shop in Boulder is University Cycles aka ubikes www.ubikes.com

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Good point. I would agree that Ft Collins area, or Pueblo or Oil Well Flats would be best bets. Possibly. Still weather dependent.

There will probably be some dry parts of some trails on some days in Jan/Feb some winters. But not every day, and not every year. There can be patches of snow and mud even if the trail is open. Even concrete and gravel paths can have patches of snow/ice days or weeks after the last snow storm.

Many days everything will be covered under a layer of fresh snow stretching across most the state. Trail closures and first-hand trail condition reports are spread out across a maze of different websites for all the different trails, so it can be hard to figure out what the true trail conditions really are until you go to the trailhead, only to find it is too muddy to ride. It can be too muddy in the morning, and dry enough to ride by mid-afternoon. Or the ground may be still frozen in the morning and OK to ride, but then too muddy by mid-afternoon.

Definitely not reliable enough to plan for on a vacation.

What that story doesn't tell you, is that if you get the trail conditions wrong, you will lament in a bounty of impending funk. Or funk in an impending bounty of laments. Or impend a funking lamenting bounty (or some other mix of fancy words).

Thanks.

As I stated in the beginning for people asking me where I got my information it was a simple Google search. Which I am well aware is very unreliable and is the whole reason I made my post on here in the regional forums to get advice straight from the source. By the sounds of the responses it seems that it is possible some years depending on the weather to find dry trails. By no means am I planning my vacation to mountain bike, we are planning a vacation to visit friends and snowboard. Mountain biking was going to just be a bonus for my trip. As I know Colorado has a vast difference in climate throughout the state and I have never been to Boulder. The temperature is no issue, I ride all winter long in the snow in Vt. I was just asking (hoping) for dirt and ideally dry dirt to be more specific.

Anyways I appreciate the feedback, I'll play it by ear and see what mother nature brings.