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01.(6310ft,mile00) START-END NORTH-WEST: Gypsum 02.(6340ft,mile01) turn right onto Valley Road 03.(6540ft.mile03) turn left direction Cottonwood Pass 04.(7660ft,mile08) top of Blue Hill 05.(7270ft,mile09) turn left onto signed FR529 (Brewster Gulch), slightly beyond the low point between Blue Hill and Cottonwood Pass 06.(8821ft,mile12) TOP: junction of FR529 and FR 430 (Fitzpatrick Gulch), as well as FR430-1A to Old Man Mtn. Route continues towards left on FR430 07.(7220ft,mile17) trail terminates onto Gypsum Valley road. Profile continues downvalley to left. 08.(6540ft,mile22) same as point 3 09.(6340ft,mile23) same as point 2 10.(6310ft,mile24) START-END NORTH-EAST: Gypsum

Approaches

From North West. The route begins in Gypsum following the Cottonwood Pass road. After crossing the first summit, Blue Hill (which is classified as a pass in Helmuth's book "Passes of Colorado" ), the route descends to the low point between Blue Hill and the proper summit of Cottonwood Pass. Ever so slightly past the low point a signed double track trail, FR529 heads for the hills on the left. The surface is smooth, the grade steep. The road rolls along like a miniature roller coaster. Most of it should be rideable, if not then because of exhaustion but not trail factors. All intersections are signed (Aug/06). It is only necessary to stay on FR529. The bulky, slanting landforms of the Flattops and Glenwood Canyon come into view, as well as the forested canyons to the north, terminating into the light  colored, mottled Gypsum rocks below. At the summit FR529 turns to FR430 and intersects with a one way spur that heads further up the gentle forested inclined plate to Old Man Mountain.

From South West. The route is described in a downward direction. Staying on FR430 is, in my opinion, more scenic than the spur to Old Man Mountain. Contouring down along the edge of the mountain, the route roughly follows a power line. That's not the scenic part. But the views into the Colorado Valley with its red to blue colored rocks are. After crossing several drainages, the road gradually takes on an abandoned character. But it is still very ridable, becoming more and more single track. Finally it seems like even the end of the single track is near. The red canyon wall behind Gypsum Creek comes into view and there is nothing left but a short descent to the smooth surfaced Gypsum Valley road (extension of Valley Road). But not so fast. The abandoned road ends at a locked private gate. To get around it a single track heads downvalley towards the north. Parts of it are rough, and in my case necessitated walking. Most parts are adventurously ridable. While descending you can't help but notice that a the rather large Gypsum Creek is between you and the road in the valley. But it all works out. The trail finally crosses the river on a solid wood bridge. The trail head where the route terminates into Valley Road is rather hard to recognize when traveling in reverse. A sign states Forest Trail "14xx", where x stands for a digit I can't remember. But it is rather hard to see when traveling on the road. The profile turns down Gypsum Valley, finally traversing a parkway with widely separated lanes. By the time this page is finished, the area will probably filled with new suburban houses.

Tours

Dayrides.  A dayride starting in Dotsero, continuing to Gypsum, traversing the route as described and returning to Dotsero measured 45 miles with 4800ft of climbing in 4.5 hours, using an onboard cyclometer with altimeter. This also includes less than 5 miles and less than 500 feet riding down the spur to Old Man Mountain.

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