- Created: October 15, 2019 6:30 pm
- Updated: July 21, 2022 11:23 pm
- Distance Instructions
- Distance 8 miles
- Time 0 s
- Speed 2 mph
- Min altitude 6598 ft
- Peak 8241 ft
- Climb 2149 ft
- Descent 2159 ft
High Drive to Buckhorn via Bear Creek
Since Section 16 has become a major highway, this has now become my favorite route. Not that you can't still ride 16, at 4 a.m....on a Monday...to get a good ride in, but sometimes you don't like to crawl out of bed so early.
Getting There
- Take HWY 24 to 21st.
- Go south to Lower Goldcamp Road
- Park at the bottom of High drive at the close gate, or pretty much anywhere you can find a spot. If it is in the afternoon...parking somewhere in Nebraska might be your vest bet.
Trail Description
Section 16 will be VERY busy so 99% of the parked cars will be on that trail. This route will bypass that nightmare. Anyway climb up High Drive and go through the gate. This is a closed road, not to be open anytime soon from what we can tell so riding this will not be an issue. Climb the road going past the trailhead for Palmer/Section 16. Climb roughly another quarter mile and look for trail 666. That's right 666. It's a hell of a climb! Many people steal the trail sign either because they are offended, or think it's funny to have this in their bedroom, so the trail might not have one, but that's the number. If you take curve left on the road through the either open or closed gate (sometimes it's open and sometimes not) you have gone too far. The trailhead will be right in front of you as you climb up but if you go around the curve you need to look behind you.
From there the fun starts. You have two stream crossings with log bridges for the weak. Then you have what is a gut wrenching climb. If you thought High Drive was bad, just wait. This trail is hit and miss for traction. Sometimes the scree is so deep you will have to walk. In fact, you will know when you have to make a turn when you have to get off your bike and walk the last 30 feet or so to the hairpin turn back toward buckhorn. You can go beyond this point, but the trail has been closed, and the trail police have loaded a mile's worth of old tree branches on the trail to keep people from riding it. Believe me...once you get to the barricade across the trail, just turn around. It's not worth it.
After the hairpin is where the climb gets a little easier. Follow the trial and when you get to the saddle which is the top of Buckhorn ride south east and take the short climb till you get the the Captn Jacks Downhill. This is where the fun starts. This downhill is loose, but fun. When you get to high drive, cross the road and go left on the trail. From here you just follow the trail back to Goldcamp road. What I like to do is take a little known trail (that's on the track here) as a VERY technical downhill which drops me about 50 yards from the Chutes. It's a VERY black run so be prepared to walk if you don't have skills.
Follow Goldcamp downhill for a couple of miles or so. You will pass all the houses where people have money until you see a dirt lot on your right. Take a right here, hit the trailhead past the gate and look left for the single-track. This will take you back to bear creek road and where you parked, or where you can have Uber pick you up to take you back to Nebraska.
High Drive to Buckhorn via Bear Creek
Since Section 16 has become a major highway, this has now become my favorite route. Not that you can’t still ride 16, at 4 a.m….on a Monday…to get a good ride in, but sometimes you don’t like to crawl out of bed so early.
Getting There
- Take HWY 24 to 21st.
- Go south to Lower Goldcamp Road
- Park at the bottom of High drive at the close gate, or pretty much anywhere you can find a spot. If it is in the afternoon…parking somewhere in Nebraska might be your vest bet.
Trail Description
Section 16 will be VERY busy so 99% of the parked cars will be on that trail. This route will bypass that nightmare. Anyway climb up High Drive and go through the gate. This is a closed road, not to be open anytime soon from what we can tell so riding this will not be an issue. Climb the road going past the trailhead for Palmer/Section 16. Climb roughly another quarter mile and look for trail 666. That’s right 666. It’s a hell of a climb! Many people steal the trail sign either because they are offended, or think it’s funny to have this in their bedroom, so the trail might not have one, but that’s the number. If you take curve left on the road through the either open or closed gate (sometimes it’s open and sometimes not) you have gone too far. The trailhead will be right in front of you as you climb up but if you go around the curve you need to look behind you.
From there the fun starts. You have two stream crossings with log bridges for the weak. Then you have what is a gut wrenching climb. If you thought High Drive was bad, just wait. This trail is hit and miss for traction. Sometimes the scree is so deep you will have to walk. In fact, you will know when you have to make a turn when you have to get off your bike and walk the last 30 feet or so to the hairpin turn back toward buckhorn. You can go beyond this point, but the trail has been closed, and the trail police have loaded a mile’s worth of old tree branches on the trail to keep people from riding it. Believe me…once you get to the barricade across the trail, just turn around. It’s not worth it.
After the hairpin is where the climb gets a little easier. Follow the trial and when you get to the saddle which is the top of Buckhorn ride south east and take the short climb till you get the the Captn Jacks Downhill. This is where the fun starts. This downhill is loose, but fun. When you get to high drive, cross the road and go left on the trail. From here you just follow the trail back to Goldcamp road. What I like to do is take a little known trail (that’s on the track here) as a VERY technical downhill which drops me about 50 yards from the Chutes. It’s a VERY black run so be prepared to walk if you don’t have skills.
Follow Goldcamp downhill for a couple of miles or so. You will pass all the houses where people have money until you see a dirt lot on your right. Take a right here, hit the trailhead past the gate and look left for the single-track. This will take you back to bear creek road and where you parked, or where you can have Uber pick you up to take you back to Nebraska.