Ben Thomas

Mushroom Rock sits high above Colorado Highway 82 overlooking the town of Carbondale. With huge views up the Crystal and Roaring Fork River Valleys, terrain that inspires more desert-Utah than Rocky-Mountain-Colorado, this recreation area feels like a getaway even when it is minutes from Main Street.Start by parking in the lot at the bottom of County Road 107 on the North side of Highway 82. Wa...

From Colorado State Highway 82, turn south onto Highway 133 (toward Carbondale). Continue south past the Carbondale Main Street roundabout. After two miles, turn East onto Prince Creek Road. Follow this four miles to where the pavement ends. After passing through a cattle gate, BLM land lines the road except for areas where private property signs are posted (PLEASE DO NOT CAMP ON PRIVATE PROPER...

Turn south off Colorado State Highway 82 onto Highway 133 toward Carbondale. Continue south past the Carbondale Main Street roundabout. After two miles, turn East onto Prince Creek Road. Follow this four miles to where the pavement ends. This is the best place to park to start biking or running.From there, head up the road until you reach a large cattle gate. If you’d rather start riding single...

Head south out of Carbondale on Highway 133. Two miles from the Main Street roundabout, take a left on Prince Creek Road. Follow this road up to Dinkle Divide and follow the signs to Dinkle Lake. Continue up the road until you see a large, fenced in parking area with a toilet on the left. This is the Thomas Lakes Trailhead (also known on this site as the Mount Sopris Trailhead, it's all the sam...