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MTB TRAIL STATS

Avg Rating:	22 trail reviews
Status: Wet / Sketchy updated 3/16/10 by kuala_tahan Closed Open Wet / Sketchy	Difficulty: Intermediate
Length: 8 miles	Global Rank: 837
Tread: Singletrack	Configuration: Lollipop
Ridden: 133	Wishlist: 37
Avg. Speed: 5.74 mph	Avg. Time: 1hr 29min

 

Reno / Flag / Bear / Deadman in Crested Butte

 

Hall Ranch in Lyons

 

Keystone Resort in Dillon

 

West Magnolia in Nederland

 

  
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 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 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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