A local favorite, challenging but not strenuous.

by Contributor

Overview
This ride is a Boulder favorite, beginning with a four-mile, rocky descent followed by a steady-but-easy ascent to Mount Alto Picnic Ground.

The Trail
Take the northerly dirt road (not the single-track trail at the east end of the parking area) and descend. The road is rocky in some sections before passing through the hamlet of Sunset (4.0 miles). Continue on Forest Road 109 to regain your elevation and climb steadily to Mount Alto Picnic Grounds (7.5 miles), a convenient lunch stop. Continue on the road and cross Gold Hill Road (8.7 miles). The route becomes a level two-track trail. At a trail split (10.8 miles) with a dead-end sign, take the right fork. The last half of the trail is flatter and much smoother along an abandoned railroad bed, before ending in a talus field near Sawmill Road.