Brian Smith
MTB Project Journal

A hidden mountain biking gem within spitting distance of 7 million people

Ever heard of Del Norte, Colorado? Didn’t think so. What about Salida, the Monarch Crest, Wolf Creek Ski Resort, or Great Sand Dunes National Park? Odds are good that you’ve heard of—or even been to—one of the aforementioned locales.

Nestled below the foothills of the San Juan mountains at the edge of the San Luis Valley, the town of Del Norte is a stone’s throw from these more well-known destinations. And it’s well within a day’s drive of Colorado’s rapidly growing Front Range metropolis.

The 8000-square-mile San Luis Valley is bound on all sides by some of Colorado’s tallest and most stunning peaks. The San Juans form the valley’s western boundary while, to the east, the Sangre de Cristos blast dramatically upward to dominate the skyline. Because of their prominence, these peaks wring out the atmosphere’s moisture, leaving the valley with a classic high desert climate. And you know what high deserts are good for?

Mountain biking.

And, apparently, gator farms. But we’ll get to that later.

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