For anyone curious about winter bikepacking, but not quite ready to rough it, there is a perfect solution in Gothic, Colorado. The Maroon Hut, operated by Crested Butte Nordichas been a winter overnight destination for skiers and snowshoers for manyyears. Now, thanks to Crested Butte Mountain Bike Association (CBMBA), blessed with US Forest Service approval, the 3.5-mile route to the hut is groomed so that fat bikers can join the fun.
Gothic, CO is named after Gothic Mountain, which looms above the 138-year-old ghost town. When silver was found in 1879, Gothic boomed and, as with so many other mining towns in the West, then went bust not very long after.
Gothic became a ghost town less than forty years after it was founded. In 1928, several biologists created the Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL), which still operates nearly 90 years later. History Colorado provides a fascinating description of Gothic.