Kokopelli Trail, Mary's Loop

Closest Major City: Grand Junction

Distance: 15.70 miles (25.26 KM)

Description:
Turn left on the dirt road which is signed for Mary's Loop and climb up and over the rise. The road descends steeply and takes a hard, gravelly left (be careful). Take your next right (at one-half mile) on a steep jeep road that has several signs at its start. Climb up to the rim of the canyon where a Colorado River vista unfolds. Follow the dirt road high above the Colorado River. At 2.4 miles, stay left along the rim of the canyon. The road ends and the single-track begins. At 4.6 miles, turn right, heading away from the river into the desert. At 5.2 miles, stay left on the signed trail. At 5.8 miles, turn left onto the signed Lion's Loop single-track. The trail becomes more technical from here with short, steep ascents and descents, and the aforementioned exposed sections above the red rock. Where the single-track ends, continue straight and climb steeply up a rough, jeep road, away from the river and red rock desert and into a more barren area. At 9 miles, stay straight and uphill on the Lion's Loop at the intersection with Kokopelli's Trail. At 10.2 miles take the downhill left. This is a fast, long steep descent. At 11.1 miles, the descent peters out onto a flat frontage road. Stay left here and then go left again at 11.2 miles. The graded dirt road parallels I-70 and is a good cool down back to the start/finish.

Directions to the trail:
From Grand Junction, which is four hours west of Denver along I-70, drive 16 miles west on I-70 to the Loma Exit (exit #15). Cross over the highway and turn right at a fork. Turn left across a cattle guard onto a dirt road at the next junction. Go up and over the rise and continue 0.3 miles until you see a dirt parking area on your right and a road forking off and going up, just beyond, on the left.