It’s mountain bike bliss, but the trail running’s pretty great, too
CRESTED BUTTE» Outside of Crested Butte, there is a trail that delivers intrepid mountain travelers to a high-altitude paradise erupting with wildflowers, lush meadows and views so arresting that you won’t believe your eyes.
This trail, the 401, climbs 1 ½ miles out of Schofield Pass, elevation 10,707 feet, through an evergreen forest to access a high-alpine moraine. Then it meanders through grassy fields rimmed with boulders and scree fields before gently descending more than 2,000 vertical feet over seven miles. As it drops, the 401 plunges through fields of cow parsnips and delphiniums, vibrant red and purple wildflowers that burst skyward as high as your chin during peak wildflower season in the last half of July.
The 401 is Crested Butte’s most celebrated mountain bike ride, and in 2016, Outside Magazine dubbed it the “most epic loop of single-track riding anywhere.” But here’s a secret: As good as the 401 is for mountain biking, it’s even better for trail running.
I discovered this firsthand last September while reporting on an athletes summit in Crested Butte that was sponsored by La Sportiva, a maker of technical mountain footwear — including running shoes. For three days, the athletes, some of the best ultrarunners (long-distance runners) in the world, tested various models of footwear and apparel, posed for catalogue photo shoots and talked upcoming races. Meanwhile, I huffed to keep up when we were on the trails. But though my legs and lungs were no match for those of the pros, it didn’t matter, thanks to the sublime surroundings.
On the day we bounded down the 401, the flat-topped Gothic Mountain towering to our right and layers of peaks and valleys peeling off to our left, endorphins flooded my nervous system, adding spring to my step and sparking an epiphany. Though Crested Butte has long been a mecca to mountain bikers — it’s even home to the Moun-