Gunnison, Colo. is true grit - authentic despite the merger of a workingman’s town with a recreation hub. You can still get your ass kicked by native Coloradans at the Alamo ba
r on Main St. for getting mouthy, and get it kicked again on-trail by a cowboy who moonlights as a single-speed mountain bike racer.
At around 7,700 feet in elevation, you get everything from sage-lined singletrack to blistering boulders to roiling runoff-fueled rivers to run at your pleasure. Hartman Rocks is the Mecca for local and visiting mountain bikers, and there is some quality climbing and bouldering there as well.
One of the best parts about Hartman’s is it dries out early in the spring due to the pureed, porous granite that layers the landscape. The riding often opens up in April and can last into November, making for a much longer riding season than in the surrounding high country. It can be Sahara hot mid-day in the dead of summer, as there’s little shade (make sure to bring the Diablo or Dipsea), so ride early or late for optimal conditions. Come fall, conditions return to ideal. 
p off your hydration tube, you can just let it go, and it’ll snap back into place on your shoulder harness, out of the way. Although this system works well, we’ve had some question about how exactly to thread your hydration tube/bite valve through the system. So, here’s a primer.
