Ancient fossils still lie hidden in the bold and bronzen buttes of Badlands National Park, a protected wilderness penetrated by hiking and biking trails.
The Ceran St. Vrain trail is a scenic route through dense pine forest. The first two miles are a meandering singletrack heading slightly downhill, followed by a steeper and more technical climb up an old jeep trail. From here, trails lead off in various directions if you want to extend your ride with more exploring.
Details
Location:
Northwest of Boulder, near Jamestown
Length:
5 miles round-trip
Difficulty:
Intermediate
Aerobic Difficulty:
Easy
Time To Allow:
1 to 2 hours
Trailhead Elevation:
300
Season:
April to November
Map + Directions
Basic Directions
This is an easy trail which gradually loses elevation as it follows the South St. Vrain Creek downstream for 1.9 miles.
The trail meets up with FDR 252, a very rough 4WD road, seldom used by motorized vehicles. It climbs steeply 0.5 miles northwest to a four way intersection from which it is a steep half mile to the left up to Miller Rock. The Miller Rock Spur cuts off the corner, coming in to the main road southwest of Miller Rock.
An unmaintained social trail continues along the creek for several more miles, but be aware that there is no way to exit the canyon other than to retrace your steps back to the trailhead.
The section of the maintained trail from the Ceran St. Vrain Traihead to Miller Rock is becoming increasingly popular with mountain biking, so please watch for other users.
Dispersed camping is permitted in the area. Please camp at least 200 feet from the trailhead, trail and creek.
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