Has anyone ever bikepacked this trail before?

http://www.imba.com/epics/maah-daah-hey-trail

http://www.mdhta.com/

Just curious as to what the actual trail condition is and how crowded it can get at varying times throughout the year.

Thanks

Great picture!  That's the scenery I'm looking forward to seeing!

Now another question, do I need to worry about black bears while camping?  Just do the normal, eat away from camp, tie my food up?  

How busy of a road is 285?  Is there a large shoulder to bike on?

Thanks for the replies. I'm really excited for this trip, just want to make sure I'm prepared.

The seatpost rack says it has a 20 pound capacity, but I'm only going to put my tent, sleeping bag, tubes and a tire on it.

If I can just camp along the trail I'll see how the ride goes and determine how far I'll get.

How long is mosquito pass from Leadville to Fairplay?

Hello everyone, I'm looking for some advice for my Colorado trial trip.  I'm hoping to do 3-4 days of riding, possibly to Frisco or Copper Mountain.  I'm a cat 2 roadie, do about 20-30 races/year and I've done 2 24 hour mountain bike races.  I'm hoping to ride 6-10 hours per day and a good pace, but also hope to take some pictures along the way and enjoy the mountains since we don't have them in Wisconsin.  I've been to several places in Colorado and really haven't been bothered by the altitude.

Anyone have suggestions about where to camp along the way?  I plan on doing the same route the CT racers took going to Bailey and taking 285 back to the trail.  How much ground does the average person cover/day?  Also, can you just camp anywhere along the trail, or only in designtated sites?  How long do you think it would take me to get to Frisco or Copper Mountain?  I remember riding from Breck to Copper Mountain over Wheeler pass a few years ago and that didn't seem to take too long.

So far I have my start time as leaving from Denver the morning of Friday September 11th.  Not sure when I'll return, I guess it depends on how everything goes.  I am thinking of riding to Copper Mountain, taking the bike path to Frisco, then riding back to Denver.  What's the best route, and how long would it take to get back to Denver?

So far I have:
-Nemo GoGo tent
-Camelback Alpine Explorer hydration pack
-Topeak Beamrack
-Tools, tires, tubes, patch kit, first aid kit, water filter, food
-Gortex riding gear
-Primus stove with titanium pot
-Garmin 705 and the CT guidebook

Need:
Sleeping bag (not sure if my current bag will pack tight enough)
small sleeping pad
Possibly getting a SPOT from my worried mother and wife.

Thanks for the help!

Hello everyone, great website!  My name is Chad, I reside in Madison WI with my wife and two young children.  I started racing BMX and mountain bikes at a young age, mostly ride road races now all over the place (about 20-30/year) and have just gotten into 24 hour MTB races.

I have a bikepacking trip planned for September 10th along the Colorado Trail.  My wife wouldn't let us move to Colorado, so I'm getting this bike trip as a little present. This website has been a good resource of info for me and I'm sure I'll be posting threads with more questions as I go on.

I'm 190 pounds and run 125psi pos, not sure what my neg pressure is, my shock pump broke.

I had an older version Reba bought in 2007, kind of flimsy fork, but never leaked.  I just installed the 2009 Reba, much better fork, but I've had problems with it leaking.

I should get my new shock pump tomorrow, I'll check my pressures and post them.

I'm thinking of switching my trip to late August, bike racing season has been too good to me.

Is it OK to park at the beginning of the trail south of Denver for an extended period of time?

As far as water and food go, do most people just filter there water along the way and bring all their own food?  Or are there enough places off the trail to ride off and grab supplies?

Hello everyone.  I've recently been bitten by the bikepacking bug.  I'm hoping to spend a week on the Colorado trail at the end of June starting in Denver and seeing how far I get.

How busy will the trail be in the end of June?  What are the chances of snow?

I'm hoping to do the 24 hours of Nine Mile solo at the end of July so I don't want to have this trip to close to that race.