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Heil Valley Ranch Mountain Bike Trail
Boulder, Colorado
MTB TRAIL STATS
Avg Rating:    |
35 trail reviews |
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Status: updated 12/19/11 by tmoney149 |
Difficulty:  Intermediate |
| Length: 8 miles | Global Rank: #1351 |
| Tread: Singletrack | Configuration: Lollipop |
| Ridden: 187 | Wishlist: 59 |
| Avg. Speed: 5.89 mph | Avg. Time: 1hr 30min |
| Elevation Gain/Loss: +3,265/-4,111 ft | |
 1 trail check-ins |
Directions:
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Description: Another run ride near the Boulder area. Fairly bumpy from what I remember(hands hurting afterwords) Some good climbing up to the overlook, very nice view.
Description: Another run ride near the Boulder area. Fairly bumpy from what I remember(hands hurting afterwords) Some good climbing up to the overlook, very nice view.
added on April 12, 2005 by 
SIMILAR TRAILS
Riders who liked this mountain bike trail also liked:Zippety Do Dah in Fruita
Winter Park Resort in Fraser
Reno / Flag / Bear / Deadman in Crested Butte
Mary's Loop / Horsethief Bench in Fruita
TRAIL REVIEWS review this trail
reviewed by tmoney149 on December 19, 2011
awesome trail. well maintained. good climbing to start the legs off and fun flowy loop at the top of the overlook. rode the wild turkey trail and it was perfect for an afternoon ride.
reviewed by Bwpaulk on October 22, 2011
Just so we're clear; They're called the Rocky Mts for a reason. Coming from 3 guys in their 40's that live Kansas, this trail was awesome. Took Pic Rock 2 Turkey 2 Pondy and back down. This is truly a trail building work of art: built up switchbacks, armoring, great flow. Boulder County has IT GOING ON. Great help from Dave at Redstone Cycles in Lyons. Wish it was in my backyard.
* Review edited 10/22/2011
Similar Trail: Buffalo Creek, Centennial Cone
reviewed by alyanne on September 4, 2011
This is a quintessential mtb trail. Pretty different from the stuff on east coast-rocky by those standards, but seems to be typical colorado trail. For only my second time on a mtb, I felt challenged but confident. steep climbs open up to beautiful vistas. cool ranch setting. I almost preferred the shalllower, wider trail head where you could pick up mega speed on generous curves.
reviewed by mattics on June 25, 2011
It's a fun trail although as others said, it is pretty rocky. I actually felt like I took more punishment heading up the climb with the rocks than heading downhill. For me, the section on the Wild Turkey trail from the Ponderosa Overlook to the Picture Rock trail was particularly fun. Not necessarily hard or technical, but a good fast sweeping singletrack.
reviewed by UniballLenny on June 7, 2011
Ummm... yea. It says intermediate but unless you have buns of steel and hands like iron you will be beat up after riding this trail. You never relax. You are constantly on guard and climbing up very rocky terrain. If you like that kinda stuff (like me) this trail is fun and challenging.
reviewed by tickledpickle on June 6, 2011
Heil is a very nice trail surrounded by beautiful scenery and great wildlife. Came across wild turkeys and deer. Not very technical but extremely rocky, especially toward the top of the mountain and Ponderosa Loop – though worth riding the Ponderosa Loop just to see the overlook. Glad I checked it out but won’t be returning to Heil anytime soon due to the overload of loose rocks.
reviewed by JMWatt91 on October 24, 2010
Pretty bumpy at parts, but all in all a good trail. the Ponderosa Loop leads to a nice overlook and was fun to ride.
reviewed by Nick_Shea on October 22, 2010
The ride was pretty chill, I don't know why everyone thinks that it is too rocky, I have a hard tail and i didn't mind it one bit.
reviewed by Tr0gd0r on July 26, 2010
This trail is a blast. I can do without a lot of the really loose, rough stuff up top, but the Picture Rock trail more than makes up for it. Not the most challenging trail around, but fast, twisty, and well-made, with just enough obstacles to keep it interesting. Really fun.
Similar Trail: Walker Ranch
reviewed by mwalsh23 on May 25, 2010
Fun route, close to Boulder. Up towards the top there are some pretty rocky sections that will jar your bones pretty good. Within the last few years they added an additional loop (which connects to Hall Ranch in Lyons) and it is a great new route. I highly recommend this outer loop over the inner loop.
reviewed by kuala_tahan on August 19, 2009
Review strictly for Picture Rock trail. Really well done trail, has great flow, steady climbing all the way up (if you park off Red Gulch Road). Nice and smooth ride the first half to three quarters of the trail (nothing like Heil), then the remainder of the trail (getting close to the Turkey Loop at Heil) turns semi-rocky, making it a little more challenging ride (and a little more similar to Heil). Nice winding, twisty trail, designed really well. Coming down is a blast, can rip it (might want to holler coming around blind corners though, almost got in a big head on collision). If you're feeling like a big ride, trail brings you into Heil and you can ride around in there. Out and back Picture Rock is 11 miles.
reviewed by Speedman on July 7, 2009
This Picture rock section of this trail is a memorable ride, and a nice change from the other trails near Boulder. After the wet spring of 2009, the trail cut through beautiful fields of top-tube tall grass and wild flowers. The trail is mostly smooth non-tech single track more than half way up with neat turns and berms. The second half of the climb gets a bit rocky, but that is why we ride mountain bikes. I suggest linking Picture Rock to a loop on top at Heil for a great 15+ mile ride. I reiterate nejmensi's thanks to all those who built it. Thank you!* Review edited 7/7/2009
* Review edited 7/22/2009
Similar Trail: Heil Ranch, Walker Ranch, Hall Ranch
reviewed by mistertarcy on July 6, 2009
Overall a great ride. The initial climb is tough, especially given how rocky the trail is, but manageable. Great shade, and not too busy if you hit the trailhead fairly early (I started out around 8:30am). Great wildlife opportunity, as I saw a family of turkeys waddling along the dirt road up to the trailhead. Great 1.5 hour workout!
reviewed by cdrigg on June 26, 2009
This is a great new trail. It's a nice, gradual incline that combines singletrack (first 2.5 miles or so) with some slightly techie rock gardens (second 2.5 miles). Right now it's absolutely gorgeous in that valley. My only complaint is that it's a bit challenging to get much momentum on the downhill - at least during the "techie" section. It wasn't steep enough to get much speed to effortlessly carry you through the rock gardens (for me at least). That said, not being very steep sure is nice when you're going uphill! All-in-all this is a fun trail. I highly recommend it -- especially for beginner to intermediate MT bikers.
reviewed by rblasko55 on June 13, 2009
Good Ride. NOT AS ROCKY as people make it out to be. It is pretty typical for the front range with the exception of the Ponderosa loop. The Ponderosa loop is full of very, very loose rocks, with that in mind I would ride this loop in the clockwise direction. Other than that I had a great time here. The down ll back to the car is great on a full suspension. Hard tails may want to stay away.
* Review edited 6/13/2009
Similar Trail: Deer Creek Canyon, CO
reviewed by kuala_tahan on June 7, 2009
Fun loop off Ponderosa Loop. Smoother than Ponderosa
Similar Trail: Heil
reviewed by nejmensi on June 2, 2009
Beautiful and easy trail at the outset (starting from Lyons). Lots of twists and turns, scenic sites (old farm ruins and silo), and overall good flow. At about roughly midpoint it turns rocky and slightly more technical before it intersects with Wild Turkey and ultimately the Heil Ranch loop. Fun ride. Highly recommend. Thanks to Boulder Mountain Bike Alliance and IMBA for building this trail!
Similar Trail: Hall Ranch, Walker Ranch, Rabbit Mountain, Betasso
reviewed by Speedman on May 29, 2009
The Wild Turkey Trail is highlighted here. I rode the Ponderosa loop to the top where it meets up again with the Wild Turkey Loop.
This is the key trail that connects to the Picture Rock trail
reviewed by bikecandy on November 8, 2008
The trail is good in either direction. From the Lyons side it is mostly a gradual climb. This trail connects to Wild Turkey of the Heil Ranch trail system, so balloon loops or epics including Hall and Heil are possible. Picture Rock is a mix of smooth single track and frequent square-edged rock obstacles with the two to three miles near Lyons being almost all smooth, flowing singletrack and the two to three miles near the Wild Turkey junction fairly rocky. Not too technical but enough to keep you on your toes or improve tech skills. The grades are never very steep but enough to be able to flow over almost obstacles on the way down without pedaling or test your legs on the single-speed on the way up.
reviewed by steve32300 on November 2, 2008
Yes it is rocky here at heil,although it is a cool trail to ride that has a new trail called picture rock that connects hall ranch to heil ranch now so a rider can make a good ride out of both without driving back and forth.We were thinking it would be cool to shuttle to hall ranch and ride down to heil,would make for a cool ride.The rocky sections are not all together technical but there are some square edge rocks that can make a rider remember what trail he's riding.The climbing here is not too awful steep so riding through all the rock is'nt all that bad.
reviewed by kuala_tahan on October 20, 2008
I loved the trail, real rocky, but not killer rocky, they don't interrupt trail flow at all. Very reminiscent of east coast (Boston area) trails with the rocks. Fun on the way down
reviewed by Wiseclam on August 27, 2008
I'm not a big fan of Heil. But here are the pros and cons... Pros - Very accessible (close to home), never too crowded, rideable most of the year, very nice surrounding environment, always a good workout, lots of wildlife (saw a bear here once!). Cons - Way too rocky. Depending how hard you hit the initial climb Heil can be physically demanding. Of course that's true for a 3 mile flat road, too. But the initial climb to the upper loop is not technical and can be fairly easy (there's maybe one tough section with lots of loose rock and sandy dirt just before the loop). The loop is fun and the new section adds some variable terrain. The real problem with Heil is the extremely rocky sections of the loop and on the downhill. We're not talking rock garden (which can be fun) but lots of 4 to 8 inch diameter fixed and loose rock which rattle the teeth even on my full suspension. Heil is worth doing once but in my opinion it isn't worth going back - at least not often.
reviewed by radpresley on July 12, 2008
Why is this trail so popular? I have been riding a long time and this is by far the worst trail I have ever been on. Even with the new trail addition I still couldn't wait to get done with this awful ride. It is definitely worth driving somewhere else.
* Review edited 7/12/2008
reviewed by jaredlovenduski on October 8, 2007
TOO ROCKY!. Even on a dual suspension you'll be not stoked about how unnesessary all of the roughness is. This was once a great intermediate ride but now is much better used for hiking. Don't bother as theres lots of better stuff in the area
reviewed by blankind on October 7, 2006
This *used* to be an outstanding trail before a rainstorm about 3 years ago wreaked havoc on the surface of the trail. Yeah, the previously nice mix of smooth and rocky terrain is nearly all rocky now and it is such a shame. The downhill on the way back used to be a blast, but it is now just average. I used to like this trail as much or more than Hall Ranch, but the scales are definitely in favor of Hall Ranch now. It still is a great ride and is a nice 1.5-2 hour ride depending on how many loops you do up top. There are also plenty of deer and elk around to gaze at.
Similar Trail: Hall Ranch
reviewed by BOYD983@HOTMAIL.COM on September 12, 2006
There are too many rocks for this to be a 8 or 9 for me. It is very pretty, but for a hardtail rider and traveling with a less experienced rider it is lucky to get a five. All up and then all downhill is not my idea of**reat trail ride.
reviewed by stumpy00 on July 9, 2006
This trail is alright...not very challenging and lots of loose rock. The scenic view midway through the loop is nothing short of spectacular, but the trail is not as fun as it could be.
reviewed by dauw on June 25, 2006
I like rocks, but not for the entire ride. It's all ridable though. I didn't enjoy this trial that much. Too many rocks, and not much scenery with exception of the overlook. The one good things is the return is all down hill to your car. In my opinion there are much better trails on the Front Range to ride.
reviewed by lukewiens on April 14, 2006
a nice easy trail with tons of rocks. the rocks get kind of annoying, although the grade is low enough that you can blast right up the mountain. pretty fun on the way down, lay off the brakes and hang on to your teeth and your water bottles. loop took one hour average 7.9mph.
reviewed by petersbike on October 19, 2005
Nice easy trail with beautiful overlook at top of loop.
Similar Trail: Betasso preserve
reviewed by gravitysesh on September 19, 2005
I am a beginner mountain biker and I absolutely loved this trail. I have to admit it was technical enoug to freak me out at first and the climb was tougher on me than what others have said. Either way, I thought it was an awesome trail for someone just getting into mountain biking. For beginners, slow and steady wins the race.
reviewed by Rebus on August 26, 2005
The first 2+ mile climb took a lot out of my wimpy legs, but after I made it to the top, the loop made it all worthwhile. Great views, fun rocky sections, and that long descent back to the car. Very fun ride.
Similar Trail: Hall Ranch
reviewed by JJonas on July 1, 2005
Although its rocky, its all rideable. At 8 miles, it's a pretty short ride, but good for a quick spin after work. They've been doing some trail work and it looks like they'll fix some of the rough sections. I enjoyed it, but wished it was longer.
reviewed by idyll23 on June 11, 2005
I actually love this trail despite the rocky terrain. A lot of riders hate the loose rock on the climb up, but it makes for a fun challenge on a fairly short climb up. The downhill after the overlook is bumpy as all hell and you stand a chance of pinch-flat or a bent rim if you bomb it, but nevertheless. When you're heading down you won't be able to wipe the grin off your face for hours.
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