! P ! P ! P ! P Elevation: 6,300 ft. Elevation: 5,310 ft. Low Point Elevation: 5,158 ft. Escalante Rim Loop Delta and Montrose Counties Escalante Rim Loop Delta and Montrose Counties 6.6 6.6 0.3 0.3 1.3 1.3 3.7 3.7 0.4 0.4 4.3 4.3 0.6 0.6 2.6 2.6 4.3 4.3 Sawmill Mesa Road 1.25 miles that-a-way Sawmill Mesa Road 1.25 miles that-a-way Ride up or down Sawmill Mesa Cutoff Road (a gravel road) Ride up or down Sawmill Mesa Cutoff Road (a gravel road) You can use Escalante Rim Road (an easy gravel road) to shorten your ride. You can use Escalante Rim Road (an easy gravel road) to shorten your ride. Alternative Routes: Alternative Routes: ride on a non- technical jeep road (this way is more fun!) ride on a non- technical jeep road (this way is more fun!) or or This map was created in 2017 using the best information available. Mountain biking can be a dangerous sport, so be careful and if anything does go wrong it ain’t my fault. If you do have any comments you can send them to: [email protected]. 2017 James Hodge C Distance Between Points in Miles Distance Between Points in Miles 1.0 1.0 0 1.0 Miles 0.5 Trail Difficulty for Mountain Bikes Intermediate Two-Track Trail Other Gravel or Dirt Road Other Two-Track Trail (open to bikes) Public Land Private Property - No Trespassing The trails in the Escalante Rim area that are open to bikes are also open to motorized vehicles, including motorcycles, ATVs, and jeeps. The trails in the Escalante Rim area that are open to bikes are also open to motorized vehicles, including motorcycles, ATVs, and jeeps. ! P Parking Area (undeveloped) No Water Shuttle Parking Shuttle Parking e t n a l a c s E e t n a l a c s E e t n a l a c s E m i R m i R R i m p o o L L o o p L o o p e t n a l a c s E l l i m w a S l l i m w a S a s e M a s e M f f o t u C m i R R o a d d a o R d a o R Easy Two-Track Trail Easy Gravel Road Club Gulch Reservoir Club Gulch Reservoir There are no developed trailheads in this area, nor any restrooms that don’t involve greenery and/or a digging implement. K e l s o o r g e N y r D k r o F G u l c h h c l u G ) y l s u o i r e s ( P a r k C a c t u s County County Delta Monstrose Don’t like long climbs? You can avoid a thousand feet of climbing by parking at car in Cactus Park and shuttling to here. Sawmill Mesa Cutoff Road is okay for most cars Don’t like long climbs? You can avoid a thousand feet of climbing by parking at car in Cactus Park and shuttling to here. Sawmill Mesa Cutoff Road is okay for most cars Hiking or Equestrian Trail (no bikes) Closed Trail
Transcript
!P
!P
!P!P
Elevation: 6,300 ft.
Elevation: 5,310 ft.
Low PointElevation: 5,158 ft.
Escalante Rim LoopDelta and Montrose Counties
Escalante Rim LoopDelta and Montrose Counties
6.66.6
0.30.3
1.31.3
3.73.7
0.40.4
4.34.3
0.60.6
2.62.64.34.3
Sawmill Mesa Road1.25 miles that-a-way
Sawmill Mesa Road1.25 miles that-a-way
Ride up or downSawmill MesaCutoff Road
(a gravel road)
Ride up or downSawmill MesaCutoff Road
(a gravel road)
You can use Escalante Rim Road(an easy gravel road)to shorten your ride.
You can use Escalante Rim Road(an easy gravel road)to shorten your ride.
Alternative Routes:Alternative Routes:
ride on a non- technical jeep road
(this way is more fun!)
ride on a non- technical jeep road
(this way is more fun!)
oror
This map was created in 2017 using the best information available. Mountain biking can be a dangerous sport, so be careful and if anything does go wrong it ain’t my fault. If you do have any comments you can send them to: [email protected].
2017 James HodgeC
Distance Between Points in MilesDistance Between Points in Miles
1.01.0
0 1.0 Miles
0.5
Trail Difficulty for Mountain Bikes
Intermediate Two-Track Trail
Other Gravel or Dirt Road
Other Two-Track Trail (open to bikes)
Public Land
Private Property - No Trespassing
The trails in the Escalante Rim area that are open to bikes are also open to mo to r i zed veh i c les , i nc lud ing motorcycles, ATVs, and jeeps.
The trails in the Escalante Rim area that are open to bikes are also open to mo to r i zed veh i c les , i nc lud ing motorcycles, ATVs, and jeeps.
!PParking Area (undeveloped)No Water
Shuttle ParkingShuttle Parking
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Easy Two-Track Trail
Easy Gravel Road
Club GulchReservoir
Club GulchReservoir
There are no developed trailheads in this area, nor any restrooms that don’t involve greenery
and/or a digging implement.
K e l s o
o r g e N
y r D
k r o F
G u l c h
h c l u G
)ylsuoires(
P a r kC a c t u s
County
CountyDeltaMonstrose
Don’t like long climbs?You can avoid a thousand feet of
climbing by parking at car in Cactus Park and shuttling to here. Sawmill
Mesa Cutoff Road is okay for most cars
Don’t like long climbs?You can avoid a thousand feet of
climbing by parking at car in Cactus Park and shuttling to here. Sawmill
Mesa Cutoff Road is okay for most cars
Hiking or Equestrian Trail (no bikes)
Closed Trail
Getting to the Trailhead
A Note On the Trails
Obligatory Guilt Trip
The Escalante Rim Loop is located west of Delta, Colorado, about an hour’s drive south of Grand Junction.
From Grand Junction: Take State Highway 50 east out of Grand Junction towards Delta. After about 33 miles, and still roughly eight miles or so from Delta, just after the highway makes a curve to the left there’s a turn lane on the right for G50 Road (there’s a sign saying something about a correction facility).
Take G50 Road for 2.8 miles to Sawmill Mesa Road (along the way you’ll cross some railroad tracks and the Gunnison River). The intersection is at a weird angle. Turn right on Sawmill Mesa Road. After 4.5 miles you’ll come to where the road curves sharply to the left and there are two dirt roads: one to the left and one straight ahead. Take the dirt road to the left (it’s signed “Escalante Rim Road”).
Just a quarter mile down this dirt road, the road drops down a hill. Right at the top there’s a pretty rough ledge that may be a problem if you car is low clearance. If so, you may want to park in one of the clearings at the top of this hill and start your ride from here (it’ll add 2.8 miles to your ride).
1.4 miles down the Escalante Rim Road will take you to the Cactus Park area. There aren’t any developed trailheads, you just need to find a nice clear spot along the side of the road.
From Delta: Start by heading west on W. 5th St., either from Main St. or from Confluence Drive. Very shortly, without getting off of 5th St., it becomes G Road, and then it becomes Sawmill Mesa Road (all the same road). At 2.1 miles from Main St. you’ll come to the intersection with G50 Road. Continue on Sawmill Mesa Road just like the directions above.
Obligatory Disclaimer
This map was created for the Delta Area Mountain Bikers in 2017 using the best information available. Getting this map right wouldn’t have been possible without the generous help of the great people at the Bureau of Land Management, you guys ROCK!
Mountain biking can be a dangerous sport (and we all have the scars to prove it!), so be careful and if anything does go wrong it ain’t our fault. If you do have any comments, compliments, suggestions, or gripes you can send them to: [email protected]. This map and a bunch of other trail maps can be found at www.copmoba.org.
Loops and other areas in the Grand Valley, then you may not find these trails all that fun. The trails of the Escalante Rim Loop are two-track ATV and jeep road with some optional gravel roads; most of the trails are technically easy, and even those trails that are considered ‘intermediate’ are still pretty tame (just some ledges).
These trails are, though, hilly and can be physically challenging. The whole loop has 1300 feet of climbing, and if you ride it clockwise (anyone remember round clocks?) you climb an uninterrupted 1000 feet of that right at the start. If you ride counterclockwise, then you’ll find the route is basically a bunch of stair steps: short uphill pitches with flat-ish stretches in between. The loop can be a really good workout. Fortunately, it’s also really scenic out here. All of which adds up to a fun ride. Enjoy!
If you’re the kind of person who enjoys ‘high adreneline’ singletrack trails like those found at Lunch
Some of the trails on this map, and a whole lot more mountain bike trails in western Colorado, would not have been possible if not for the hard work of many great people at COPMOBA. If you like mountain biking and you like these trails, please consider joining. You’ll be helping to maintain these trails and to create many new ones. Thank you.
