Home Destinations United States ColoradoNorth Vail Descent Ride

Moderate

Cycling

🇺🇸 United States

Recorded Trail

This track was recorded on the ground by an actual expedition vehicle.

ID: US-CO-17

North Vail Descent Ride

Added on 9 Oct 2026

Logged by @trailxon16 June 2024

16.7 km mostly dirt descent from about 3,090 m north of Vail down into the Gore Creek valley.

Trail Map

Initialising Map Engine...

Trail Profile

General Instructions

Check your brakes before the long descent and carry layers for the high start.

Mission Logs54 waypoints

Distance	Direction & Instruction	Gradient
0.0 km	N Start Point	0%
0.1 km	E Terrain Change	-7%
0.3 km	SE Steep Descent	-14%
0.8 km	NE Steep Descent	-21%
0.8 km	SE Steep Descent	-14%

Note: Gear suggestions are based on terrain gradient and are for reference only.

Weather check

At Start

3088m

Sampling Micro-Climate...

39.7138, -106.3846

Slide to preview conditions across the entire route • Point: 39.7138, -106.3846 @ 3088m

Quick Stats

Distance

16.71 km

Type

Cycling Sector

Elevation Range

2482m - 3088m

Max Elevation

3088 m

Max Gradient

11%

21.3%

Highlights

Vail Village
Gore Range
Gore Creek

Field Radio Protocol

VHF-UHF Communication

Signal Verified

Emergency Simplex

146.520MHz

Team Coordination

446.006MHz

Scout Primary

146.400MHz

Propagation Telemetry

Ridge Line

92%

Gorge Floor

18%

Sector Relay: Sector Alpha Relay• 12-18 KM Range

Regulatory Compliance

VHF/UHF frequencies are for monitoring and emergency coordination only. Transmitting on these bands may require an Amateur Radio License or regional government permits. Check local telecommunications laws before operation.

Technical Analysis

Total Ascent

+62 m

Total Descent

-639 m

Ruggedness Index

Terrain Roughness Index

Vertical displacement per km. Typical range: 0 (Smooth) to 100+ (Extreme Mountain).

0 (Smooth)50 (Steep)100+ (Extreme)

42.0

Tortuosity Index

Route Curviness Index

Ratio of actual path to straight line. Typical range: 1.0 (Direct) to 3.0+ (Switchbacks).

1.0 (Direct)2.0 (Winding)3.0+ (Serpentine)

2.02

Gradient Distribution

Flat (0-3%)42%

Moderate (3-8%)43%

Steep (>8%)15%

Surface & Hydrology

Paved27%

Unpaved73%

Surface Spectrum Analysis

Asphalt

27%

Dirt Track

73%

Water Crossings

Includes only technical water fords where the vehicle actively enters a stream or riverbed. Permanent bridges are excluded from this count.

Difficulty Analysis

SCORE: 38

Difficulty is determined by a technical multi-vector analysis of elevation profile, surface quality, and topographic intensity.

Resulting CategoryModerate

Bounding Box (WGS84)

MIN LAT: 39.638377

MAX LAT: 39.713791

MIN LON: -106.405627

MAX LON: -106.372949

Point Spacing: 3.2 m • Engine: TrailX Precision GPX ANALYTICS v1.0.0

Reviews & Discussion0

Expedition notes, route modifications, and surface updates shared by the community.

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Plan this trip

Before you go: North Vail Descent Ride

Best time to go

Jul–Sep

July through September is the window for high trails and passes; many 4x4 routes stay snowbound into June or July. Start alpine hikes early to avoid afternoon thunderstorms, which are common in summer.