Since October has Halloween, and is thus considered a spooky month, we wanted to feature a trail in an area with an exciting and chilling past. After much consideration, we decided to locate a trail near the ill-fated Alfred Packer Expedition of 1874. For those of you unaware of Alfred Packer -he was the only man ever convicted of cannibalism in the state of Colorado.

In the winter of 1873, Packer was hired in Utah to guide a group of men to Colorado to seek their fortunes mining. The winter was especially rough, and the group became stranded near Lake City without supplies. Several months later when Packer made it back to civilization completely alone, he admitted that he had to cannibalize the other members of his group to stay alive.

When we arrived in Lake City we went to the local bike shop, San Juan Mountain Bikes, to get more information. We learned that the location of the historical Packer campsite, where the brutal murders took place, and we also learned where to find several trails in the area. Because of its proximity to Lake City, we decided to ride the Chrystal-Larson Trail.

This trail starts next to the old town cemetary, and goes into the Uncompahgre National Forest. For the first three miles, the trail ascends ruthlessly up Slaughterhouse Gulch towards Chrystal Peak. While riding this stretch, we were surrounded by Aspen trees that had recently lost their leaves. Because of this, it seemed like we were riding on a trail of pure gold. Along the way, we were treated with spectacular views of the surrounding valley. When the trail topped out over 11,000 feet, we were treated to a rolling mix of doubletrack and singletrack. According to our map, the trail passes above Larson Lakes, and continues for miles to the north. We explored north a little bit, but the brutal climb and high altitude had taken their toll, and we turned back. Even though we turned back earlier than we would have hoped, we still had an incredible ride.

We felt that Lake City was a very enjoyable town, and everyone we met was very nice. The owners of the local bike shop, San Juan Mountain Bikes, spent plenty of time describing the local trails to us. Even the local law enforcement seemed nice. Even though I was obviously driving too fast through town, an officer politely motioned for me to slow down instead of giving me a ticket. Thanks, Officer! Overall, we highly recommend visiting Lake City, and riding the local trails. Be sure to check out our trail slide show so you can see the trail firsthand. Happy riding!