The phrase 'Choose Your Own Adventure' written in red, cursive text on a black background.

Cry Baby - Slaughter Pen

The symbol depicting an intermediate trail used by the IMBA

Cry Baby - Blue

If you're looking for an uphill trail at Slaughter Pen that earns its name, Cry Baby delivers. At just 482 feet long, it's one of the shortest trails in the system — but what it lacks in length it more than makes up for in pitch. Cry Baby holds the distinction of being the steepest trail in all of Slaughter Pen, averaging a 9.8% grade from bottom to top. It's short, it's punchy, and it does not apologize for either.

Cry Baby sits in Phase 1 of Slaughter Pen as a blue-rated uphill alternative to the green-rated Highway to Heaven — the system's wide, gradual main climb that connects riders to both the Flow Hub and the Tech Hub. Both trails get you to the same place. How hard you want to work to get there is entirely up to you.

Cry Baby vs. Highway to Heaven — Pick Your Climb

The choice between Cry Baby and Highway to Heaven is one of the first decisions riders make when making their way to either the Tech or Flow Hubs in Slaughter Pen.

Highway to Heaven is the accessible option. Wide-tread, green-rated, and gradual, it's the climb that keeps your legs fresh for the downhill runs waiting at the top. It's the climb most riders default to on high-lap days, and it earns its place as the main artery back to the hubs for good reason.

Cry Baby is for riders who want to feel the work. At 9.8% average grade across 482 feet of blue-rated singletrack, it hits harder and faster than anything else in the system going uphill. It's not a sufferfest. It's short enough that the burn is gone before it becomes a problem and it carries enough punch to remind you what blue feels like even when you're pointing the bike uphill. Riders who choose Cry Baby over Highway to Heaven on repeat laps know exactly what they're signing up for.

Neither climb is wrong. But if you've been lapping the flow trails all morning and want to feel something in your legs before you drop back in, Cry Baby is your trail.

Map of a hiking trail with blue trail markings, starting from a green dot, near Highway to Heaven, in a green area with nearby roads and streams.

🎯 Why Ride Cry Baby?

  • The steepest trail in all of Slaughter Pen at 9.8% average grade

  • Blue-rated uphill alternative to the green-rated Highway to Heaven

  • Short and punchy at 482 feet

  • Connects directly to the Flow Hub and Tech Hub for repeat laps

  • A natural challenge upgrade for riders ready to push beyond Highway to Heaven

  • Adds real climbing character to an otherwise flow-forward trail system

🚴 Perfect For

  • Intermediate riders looking for a harder climb between laps

  • Riders who've outgrown Highway to Heaven and want more bite

  • Anyone building fitness and leg strength on a lapping day at Slaughter Pen

  • Experienced riders who want to earn their descents the hard way

Cry Baby Trail Pictures

A dirt trail winds through a lush green forest with tall trees and dense foliage. There is a trail signpost on the right side of the path, indicating a bike trail, with a warning triangle on the forest side of the path. Sunlight filters through the leaves, creating a dappled pattern on the ground.
A dirt trail in a lush green forest with tall trees and dense foliage. There is a signpost and a warning sign along the path indicating caution or specific instructions for hikers.
A forest trail surrounded by green trees and foliage on a sunny day.
A forest trail with trees, green shrubs, and two tree stumps along the dirt path.
A dirt trail winds through a lush green forest with trees and foliage on a sunny day.
A sunlit forest trail surrounded by green trees and bushes, with fallen logs and a small dirt path.