Mineral Belt Trail, Leadville: Length, Access Points and Winter Nordic Skiing

The Mineral Belt Trail is an 11.6-mile paved loop that circles Leadville, Colorado, climbing through the historic Leadville Mining District on a route built over old railroad grades. It is open for walking, running and biking from roughly late spring through fall, and in winter Lake County arranges machine grooming for Nordic skiing, skate skiing, snowshoeing and fat biking. The full loop crosses elevations from about 9,900 to 10,637 feet, so even a short stretch from one of its many access points is a genuine high-altitude outing. From The Big Mack in Twin Lakes, Leadville and the trail's access points are roughly 20 to 30 minutes away by car.

Quick answer

• Length and shape: 11.6 miles, a full loop around Leadville, not an out-and-back.
• Surface and grade: paved asphalt the whole way, average grade about 3 percent, maximum about 5 percent, and built to Americans with Disabilities Act standards.
• Elevation: roughly 9,900 feet to 10,637 feet, sitting above 10,000 feet for much of the loop (mineralbelttrail.com).
• Summer and fall: open to walking, running, biking and Class I and II eBikes; as a rough estimate, most riders take about 1 to 2 hours for the full loop by bike, and walkers should plan on a half day or more.
• Winter: snowcat groomed for Nordic skiing, skate skiing, snowshoeing and fat biking when snowpack allows, and free to use.
• Who grooms it: in 2025 to 2026, Lake County paid Mountain States Snowcats to groom the trail four days a week, December 1 through March 31, conditions permitting. For 2026 to 2027, the Mineral Belt Trail Committee voted in September 2026 to cover half the grooming cost out of the trail's own budget amid county budget cuts, with a plan for the same contractor to groom about twice a week if possible; the final schedule has not been posted, so check Lake County's Winter Groomed Trails page.

A rail corridor turned recreation trail

The Mineral Belt Trail follows sections of three former railroads that once served Leadville's mines, including the Colorado Midland Railway, the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad, and the Colorado and Southern Railway's own Mineral Belt Line, the route the trail is named for. Lake County residents began brainstorming the idea in 1991, a broader project effort organized in 1993, construction started in 1995, and the finished loop opened with a ribbon cutting and group bike ride in the summer of 2000. Converting the old grade also helped cap contaminated mining and smelting soils in the area; California Gulch, on the east side of the loop, was designated an EPA Superfund site in 1983. For more on the railroads that shaped the valley, see our Leadville railroad history guide.

Mining history and signage along the way

About 6 of the trail's 11.6 miles run through the historic Leadville Mining District, where mining pulled nearly 1 billion dollars in gold, silver, copper, zinc and lead out of the hills east of town over about a century, roughly 29 billion dollars in today's money. Riders and walkers pass the Matchless Mine along with the Robert E. Lee, Wolftone and Blind Tom mines, plus donated relics such as ore carts and mine chutes set beside the pavement. Interpretive signs placed roughly every quarter mile explain the mining operations and the people behind them, which makes the loop as much an outdoor history museum as a trail. Downtown, the Tabor Opera House guide covers more of that same boom-era story at street level.

Access points and where to park

The Mineral Belt Trail has no single trailhead; it is designed to be joined and left at several points around Leadville, which makes it easy to ride or walk just the section you want. Published access points include:

• Dutch Henry Hill, the main trailhead, in a dirt lot off Highway 24 south of downtown near Colorado Mountain College.
• Ice Palace Park, at 11th Street and Harrison Avenue near West 10th Street.
• 6th Street and McWethy Drive, parking at Community Field or the nearby school lots.
• East 7th Street, a pullout under the metal footbridge about 1.25 miles from Harrison Avenue.
• East 5th Street, a dirt area near historic mining structures, also about 1.25 miles from Harrison Avenue.
• California Gulch at County Road 2, near the Mineral Belt crossing.
• County Road 6 near the landfill entrance.

Covered shelters sit along the route after mile markers 3, 5, 7 and 10, useful for a weather break or a snack stop on the longer sections.

Biking and walking the loop in summer

Because the entire loop is paved and graded for accessibility, it suits a wide range of groups in one outing, from a family with young kids on a short out-and-back near Ice Palace Park to a fit rider tackling the full 11.6 miles in a morning. Class I and II eBikes are allowed, which helps less experienced riders handle the climbing and the thinner air at over 10,000 feet. Most visitors treat the full loop as a half-day activity rather than a quick stroll, and the best riding and walking conditions generally run from late spring through fall once winter snowpack has cleared the pavement. Whatever distance your group covers, it is worth giving everyone a day to adjust first; see our altitude sickness guide for Twin Lakes and Leadville before pushing hard above 10,000 feet.

Winter grooming and Nordic skiing on the Mineral Belt Trail

Winter turns the Mineral Belt Trail into one of Leadville's main Nordic skiing and snowshoeing routes. Before the 2025 to 2026 season, the county relied on volunteers to groom the trail, which county staff said made grooming less consistent. The Lake County Board of County Commissioners voted on October 22, 2025 to instead contract Mountain States Snowcats, a Torrington, Wyoming grooming contractor, to groom the trail professionally four days a week, December 1, 2025 through March 31, 2026, snowpack permitting, at a cost of about 57,912 dollars for the season. That 2025 to 2026 season itself still ended early after a light snow year. Heading into 2026 to 2027, county budget cuts changed the arrangement: in September 2026 the Mineral Belt Trail Committee voted to pay for half of this winter's grooming out of the trail's own budget, with a plan to bring back the same contractor at about twice a week rather than four, if possible. Lake County had not yet posted a final contract or schedule as of early October 2026, so check the county's Winter Groomed Trails page and the Nordic Pulse grooming reports before you plan a ski day. The trail also hosts the Leadville Loppet, an annual Nordic race day with 10k to 44k classic and freestyle races plus a 5k costume ski, usually held on a Saturday in late February as a fundraiser for trail upkeep. The 2026 race, set for February 21, was cancelled for lack of snow, and the committee aims to bring it back in 2027; a 2027 date has not been announced, so check mineralbelttrail.com for this season's status. For broader winter road and weather planning around Twin Lakes, see our winter at Twin Lakes guide.

Getting there from Twin Lakes

The Mineral Belt Trail's access points sit in and around downtown Leadville, roughly 20 to 30 minutes by car from The Big Mack in Twin Lakes along Highway 24, depending on which access point you choose and winter road conditions. That makes it an easy half-day or evening addition to a longer Twin Lakes stay rather than a trip that needs its own travel day.

A loop with this much history and this much elevation is a good reason to base a group trip in Twin Lakes rather than downtown Leadville itself. The Big Mack sits across the road from Twin Lakes, about 20 to 30 minutes from the trail's Leadville access points, with 4 bedrooms and 2 bathrooms sleeping 12 across three king rooms and a downstairs bunk room with 4 doubles and 2 twins. After a cold lap on skis or a long summer ride, the hot tub, fireplace and full kitchen make it easy for the whole group to warm up and regroup in one house. Check your dates and book direct.