Billed as "Mountain Bike Capital U.S.A.," Winter Park has created an impressive network of inter-connected and well-documented trails. The west side of the valley gets most of the attention, but trails on the east side deserve just as much.

The described route covers both sides of the valley, and is considered an intermediate course. Other routes accommodate beginner and advanced riders with shorter and longer options.

From easy, family-fun trails to the gonzo abusive "Wall of Death," there's a trail for every riding level.

Bicycle: Mountain bike.

Location: East of Winter Park and Fraser.

Surface: Dirt road and paved path.

Distance: The loop is about 22 miles.

Difficulty: Moderate.

Ride Time: Two to three hours.

To reach Jim Creek/Winter Park: From Interstate 70, take U.S. 40 toward Winter Park. About 1.5 miles past the entrance to Mary Jane, look for the trailhead on the right just before the entrance road to the Winter Park ski area.

OTHER RIDES

-Winter Park West: This side of the valley boasts the most single-track trails. One moderate and really fun route traverses the bottom portion of the trail network. From Winter Park, hop on the paved Fraser River Trail to go west on Church Park Road. Go left on Crooked Creek for 0.4 miles to catch the Northwest Passage Trail. Go right on St. Louis Creek then resume Northwest Passage. From here the trail connections are Chainsaw, Elk Meadow, D-2 and Vasquez Creek back to Winter Park. This is just one of the many available route combinations. Pick up a free trail map, available at any bike shop in town.

-Corona Pass: Crossing 128 at about 4.0 miles, the historic Corona Pass Road follows the old railroad grade to the top of Rollins Pass at more than 11,000 feet. It climbs at a steady 6 percent grade past several historic sites, over high bridges and through the eye of the needle tunnel. This is a good out-and-back ride up to the Continental Divide, but can also be ridden to the east side of the Moffat Tunnel portal and into the town of Rollinsville.

E-mail Ted Crawford at tcrawford@dslbroadband.com. His column is also available online at www.Rocky

MountainNews.com.