Live · updated every morning

High Country Opening Day 2026

The high country is open. The alpine holds snow into summer, then comes into season fast, and the window is short. Here are the high trails riding well right now, highest first, plus what is opening next and the last holdouts still under snow. Refreshed every morning from real SNOTEL and SNODAS snow data. Informational only.

116

Riding well up high

~13,000 ft

Snow line

Still snowed in

The snow line

How high can you ride?

Snow line~13,000 fthigh trails ride clear below it, still snowed above

14k

13k

12k

11k

251

10k

589

214

Snow-free & ridingStill snowed in

Every high trail we track, binned by elevation. Bar length is how many trails sit in that band; teal is snow-free, blue still holds snow. From real SNOTEL and SNODAS data.

The alpine, right now

Riding now, up high

The alpine that has come into season — high trails snow-free and riding well today, highest and best first.

Still snowed in — the last holdouts

The highest peaks, still under snow. No snow station sits high enough to date these, so we track them as they clear rather than guess.

Black Cloud Trail · Colorado Backcountry14,416 ft · snowed in Mt. Harvard/horn Fork · Salida & Buena Vista14,406 ft · snowed in South Mount Elbert Trail · Colorado Backcountry14,403 ft · snowed in North Mount Elbert Trail · Colorado Backcountry14,403 ft · snowed in Continental Divide Trail · Summit County14,252 ft · snowed in Grays Peak Trail · Summit County14,252 ft · snowed in Grays Peak Trail · Summit County14,249 ft · snowed in Grays/Torreys Connector Trail · Summit County14,245 ft · snowed in Mt. Shavano Trail · Salida & Buena Vista14,209 ft · snowed in Mt. Princeton · Salida & Buena Vista14,177 ft · snowed in Mt. Princeton Trail · Salida & Buena Vista14,167 ft · snowed in Maroon Peak Trail · Aspen & Snowmass14,114 ft · snowed in North Maroon Peak Northeast Ridge · Aspen & Snowmass13,970 ft · snowed in James Peak South · Winter Park & Fraser13,310 ft · snowed in Italian Mountain Trail · Crested Butte & Gunnison13,307 ft · snowed in Continental Divide NST · Colorado Backcountry13,258 ft · snowed in Jones Pass Trail · Summit County13,222 ft · snowed in Argentine Pass Trail / Continental Divide National Scenic Trail · Colorado Backcountry13,192 ft · snowed in Wheeler Peak Trail #90 · Taos & Angel Fire13,123 ft · snowed in Wasatch Trail · Colorado Backcountry13,061 ft · snowed in Wheeler Peak Summit Trail #67 · Taos & Angel Fire13,041 ft · snowed in Boulder Gulch Trail · Durango & San Juans12,995 ft · snowed in Twining-Blue Lake Pack Trail · Taos & Angel Fire12,890 ft · snowed in Chicago Lakes Trail · Colorado Backcountry12,867 ft · snowed in Little Browns Creek Trail · Salida & Buena Vista12,831 ft · snowed in Little Browns Creek · Salida & Buena Vista12,831 ft · snowed in

Catch it

Never miss opening day

The high country opens fast and rides best in a short window. On any trail's page you can set a one-tap melt-out alert and we will email you the day it clears. Through the melt, the weekly Dirt Report doubles as the melt tracker (how many trails opened this week).

Melt-out FAQ

Which high mountain bike trails are open right now in the Western US?

About 116 high-elevation trails are snow-free and riding well today. This page lists the alpine trails that have come into season, highest and best first, plus what is still holding snow, refreshed every morning from real SNOTEL and SNODAS data. The high season is short, so catch it while it is in.

When do the high mountain bike trails melt out?

Most high trails across the interior West melt out from late May through July, lowest elevations first. This calendar tracks what has opened, what is opening next (with a plus-or-minus date window projected from the snowpack melt rate), and the highest holdouts still under snow. Where no snow station sits high enough to date a trail, it is tracked as it clears rather than given a made-up date.