Return to Pueblo Reservoir- Voodoo Loop and Canyon Trails

Last week I visited Pueblo Reservoir to mountain bike.  I had a great time riding the trails but only scratched the surface.  There are nearly 40 trails and more than 40 miles of riding.  I focused on more of the flowy cross country trails.  While I had fun on these trails, they are not overly technical.  There are quite a few more challenging trails that drop into the canyons in the trail system that offer more advanced riding on technical terrain.  There is also a longer cross country loop called Voodoo that I didn't get ride.  I decided to head back and ride some of the trails I missed.

The first mile of my ride retraced some trails I rode last week.  My goal was to start with a ride into the canyons.  The first trail into the canyons I hit was Freeride.  Freeride started with a steep drop from a trail called Rollercoaster.  Quickly the trail quickly narrowed into rocky terrain and then a nearly unrideable section that is spanned by wooden bridges.  There are a couple lines down the bridges to choose from but all are relatively steep with little room for error.  After clearing the bridges the trail continues a short distance over a fairly technical drop.  The excitement is short lived however as the trail quickly smooths as it leaves the technical stretch.  Freeride is only .3 miles long and quickly exits onto the lower part of Skull Canyon which is also fairly mellow by this point.

Dropping into Freeride

Bridges on a sketchy section of Freeride

A closer look at bridges, it's steeper than it looks

Freeride mellows out quickly

Then end of Skull Canyon brought me to South Shore.  I rode South Shore a short distance on a spur that followed immediately along the edge of the water.  A short stretch along the spur was actually flooded.  I took a detour on a short trail that I didn't ride before called Creekside.  At the end of Creekside I continued to Driftwood, which I rode last week.  From the end Driftwood I skipped Inner and Outer Limits and followed Pronghorn to the Voodoo Loop.

Riding a few feet from the water

Continuing along the water

Last week I attempted to ride the Voodoo Loop.  The loop is separated from the rest of the trails by an arm of the lake.  There are two trails that lead to the loop.  Early in the season both routes are accessible.  With snow melt and rising lake levels rising, the access trails to the loop are flooded.  The shorter approach is completely impassable due to water levels.  The lake is quite wide in the channel.  The other trail is less direct and ends at a narrow creek.  I turned around last time not aware exactly where the trail went.  After getting some details from other riders, I found out a short detour upstream allows you to cross the creek at a shallow spot.  I found the obvious crossing and was on my way.

A trailhead sign for Voodoo

Near the water crossing before the
start of the Voodoo Loop

The Voodoo Loop is the longest trail in the system.  According to the park map, the loop is 9 miles.  The trail winds through the prairie before reaching the shores of the lake.  The trail runs near the edge of the cliffs rising high above the lake.  At one point the trail was within 2 feet of the cliffs.  There are dips and climbs where the trail passes through washes along the way to break up the flat sections.  The trail is never too technical though.  Occasionally the trail passes through stands of juniper to break up the ride through prairie.

Riding through the prairie early on the loop

The singletrack appears to vanish into the lake

The trail is only a few feet from the cliffs at places

Heading into some Junipers

Nearing the end of the loop

Canyons across the water near the end of the loop

Voodoo had a similar feel to Inner and Outer Limits that I rode last week.  The scenery is consistent throughout with plenty of views of bluffs along the lake and mountains in the distance.  Voodoo is a worthwhile trail to ride.  The entire route is a fun ribbon of singletrack with good flow.  I was lucky enough to see some pronghorns grazing on the prairie while I was riding Voodoo.  At first I spooked a lone pronghorn.  It ran a little bit and joined a herd of about ten animals.  When they felt they were a safe distance they continued grazing before walking out of sight.

Male and female pronghorn

More pronghorn

The herd watching me from a safe distance

View riding away from Voodoo

After riding the Voodoo Loop, I was ready to explore more of the canyon trails.  The first trail I reached was Waterfall.  Waterfall dropped fairly steeply through a narrow canyon to Creekside.  Waterfall is one of the few technical trails on the west side of South Shore and the longest drop.

Looking back Waterfall at the steepest drop

Descending deeper in the canyon on the
tumbleweed lined trail

Leaving Waterfall on Creekside

After Waterfall, I was back in the main section of canyon trails.  I started with a ride up Stonehenge.  I climbed Stonehenge on a relatively easy trail.  Though somewhat technical, it didn't have any features that I couldn't clear as I climbed.  The most interesting feature on Stonehenge is the rockwork.  The trail passes a section of cairns built in interesting formations.  This rockwork is what gives Stonehenge its name.

Rocks on Stonehenge

Another formation on Stonehenge

Big area of rockwork on Stonehenge

Looking down the canyon on Stonehenge

My bike along a rock formation on Stonehenge

From the top of Stonehenge I headed to Rollercoaster and eventually descended my next canyon on Broken Hip.  Broken Hip started out steep but the crux of the trail is early.  After the crux, the trail continues downhill on fairly smooth singletrack before reaching South Shore.

View across the canyons

Another canyon view

Looking back at the steepest part of Broken Hip

I continued on South Shore toward the main trailhead.  I followed the same route as last week riding Conduit, The Duke, Rodeo, and Rodeo Ridge back to the Red Gate.  Rather than wrap up my ride however, I headed for one more canyon trail.  I descended Rock Canyon, which is one of the longest canyon trails.  Unlike the other canyon trails where the most technical section is near the beginning, Rock Canyon gets more technical as it descends.  In many places in the canyon, there are numerous lines to follow.  Compared to the other canyons that I rode, Rock Canyon seemed to have the longest stretch of technical riding.

Rock Canyon

Continuing in Rock Canyon

Rock Canyon ends at South Shore.  From South Shore I followed the windy singletrack of Cuatro Sinko back to the Red Gate.  By the time wrapped up the ride, I covered 30 miles in about 3 hours.  At least half of the riding was on trails that I didn't ride before.  Again, it was an enjoyable day mountain biking at Pueblo Reservoir.  For mountain bikers looking for off season riding while the higher elevations are still too messy to ride, Pueblo Reservoir is worth checking out.

Click on the link to see the map of trails Trail Map

To see more photos of the trails and scenery as well as descriptions of other trails you can see my previous blog post by clicking on the following link.  Mountain Biking Pueblo Reservoir

Mountain Biking at Pueblo Reservoir

After nearly 15 years, I finally put my Trek 8000 out to pasture.  Since I moved to Colorado, I am close to an abundance of great mountain biking options and I am riding more than I have in years.  My Trek was getting tired and I was finally ready to pull the trigger and get a new ride.  I found a direct order company called Airborne Bicycles that offered well equipped bikes for far less cost than a local bike shop could offer.  A sale price at the end of the year sealed the deal and by late January I bought my first new mountain bike since 2000.

Since I live over 7000 feet in elevation, a lot of the trails have been snowy or muddy.  A warm spell in February allowed me to finally do a couple rides.  These rides were mostly on dirt roads just to get a few miles in on the new bike.  I had plans of traveling to do some more serious riding but other plans got in the way.

One of the popular winter riding destinations not too far from home is Pueblo Reservoir.  There are more than 40 miles of singletrack riding close to the shores of the lake.  Much of the winter the Pueblo area stays clear of snow.  Just as I was ready to take a trip to Pueblo, the area was hit with a few storms and cold spells that made the area unrideable.  The past week the weather warmed up to the mid 80s in the Pueblo area and the trails dried.

My original plan this week was to climb a 14er, but my partner for the hike had a last minute plan change.  With the warm weather I shifted my focus from hiking to mountain biking.  The trip almost didn't happen though.  I was set for a ride Tuesday but a quick weather change brought showers and a nearly 30 degree temperature change from the previous day so I bailed on my ride.  I was supposed to work Wednesday but the job was postponed so I got another free day to get in my ride.

The reservoir has a couple of trailheads to choose from.  Since the bulk of my riding focused on loops at the west end of the system, I started at the Red Gate trailhead.  Since this was my first ride on the bike and my serious ride on a 29er, I was looking for a flowy ride that wasn't too technical to get a feel for the bike on actual trails.

My ride started on a trail called Cuatro Sinko.  This was a smooth and flowy singletrack that generally went downhill through a mostly grassy area.  After a couple of turns I found myself on Driftwood.  Like its name implies, there are piles of old wood that apparently were dumped there from the time the reservoir was created.  Driftwood was windier than Cuatro Sinko and traveled through and around the wood.  The trail brought me to the bluffs above the lake. The start of the riding was a bit chilly as the temperature was still in the 30s.

The first view of part of the lake

Driftwood

An early look at the bluffs along the lake

A canyon along the trail

Riding high above the lake

Looking toward some canyons

Rock formation above South Shore

From Driftwood, I followed Inner Limits and Outer Limits.  These trails are similar in nature with more windy and flowy singletrack that rides high above the lake shore.  The scenery was nice with numerous views of canyons, bluffs, and distant mountains as it weaved through the grass with sections of desert vegetation along the way.  I followed these two trails for nearly 10 miles.  At the end of Outer Limits I started to ride the Voodoo Loop.  My ride on the Voodoo Loop was cut short however as both directions of the trail appeared to dead end at a flooded arm of the lake.  Rather than waste time trying to find the trail, I headed back toward my starting point via a lazy singletrack called Route 96, that roughly parallels the actual road Route 96.  There were plenty of other trails to explore.

Buttes from Inner Limits

The buttes from another angle

The trail riding toward the lake

The trails rode on the bluffs along the lake for miles

Looking across the lake

The Wet Mtns in the distance looking over an
arm of the lake on Outer Limits

Long straight away in the prairie
along Outer Limits

Since Voodoo was a bust I decided add a loop close to my trailhead.  This loop started on a trail called South Shore.  South Shore followed an arm of the lake as it headed toward the main trailhead by the campground.  South Shore was only 2 miles long but offered some decent short but steep climbs and descents.  The scenery along South Shore was quite interesting as I rode toward some desert rock formations.

Near the beginning of South Shore

Tree cholla along South Shore

South Shore winding ahead

Rock formations

More interesting rock formations in the
distance along South Shore

Close up of the rock formation

From the campground I headed toward my trailhead via Conduit, The Duke, Rodeo, and Rodeo Ridge.  This section of the ride offered the most desert scenery with plenty of cacti including tree cholla, prickly pear, and a few other types of cacti.  Rodeo, although short had the most varied terrain in this section as the trail climbed through a small canyon with a little more technical terrain than the other trails I rode.

Tree Cholla along The Duke

Rodeo

I rode just over 24 miles with 100% of the riding on singletrack.  Most of the trails I rode had good flow and few technical sections with generally fast conditions, just the kind of ride I was looking for on my first real ride on the new bike.  Now that I have feel for the bike I plan on hitting some more technical rides.  I hope to visit this area again before it gets too hot and ride some of the more technical canyon trails that I passed on this time.

By the time I finished riding it had warmed to the low 60s, even though it wasn't too sunny.  Just two days prior this area saw temps in the mid 80s.  I would never consider riding here in the summer.  It is usually quite hot in Pueblo and there is no shade.

Generally I heard good reviews on the riding at Pueblo Reservoir before I rode it myself.  I enjoyed the riding.  While the area lacks big mountain terrain, it does offer a lot of trails and some variety. One thing it had plenty of was singletrack, with pretty much every trail a narrow ribbon through the prairie/desert. I wasn't expecting much in scenery but the area is interesting.  It offered a mix of high prairie/desert terrain with canyons, bluffs, and rock features.  And of course, there are plenty of views of the lake, one of Colorado's largest bodies of water.  In the distance Pikes Peak seemed fairly close.  The Wet Mountains still held some snow on the summits and to the south the Spanish Peaks towered over the low terrain to the south.

Pikes Peak

Greenhorn Mtn in the Wet Mountain Range in the
distance with a snowy cap

Close up of interesting rock formations

After finally riding a real ride on my new bike, I am impressed.  This was my first extended ride on a 29er and disc brakes.  It was also my first time riding a 2x10 drivetrain.  Everything on the bike felt so much better than my venerable Trek.  I look forward to many miles and new trails this riding season.

My new Airborne Goblin along South Shore

Click on link for a trail map of the area.  Pueblo Reservoir Map

Mt Peck and Peel Point- Overlooked Mountains on the Continental Divide

The past month or so I have been getting outside with a number of close to home outings.  I spent some time on my mountain bike just a few miles from my house along the Arkansas River to take advantage of dry and warm weather in February.  Snow and cooler weather moved back into the area and I explored the Hayden Pass area on cross country skis a couple times.  I also hiked a couple of shorter hikes to explore an interesting area of rock outcroppings called Turkey Rock just a few miles from home.  None of these trips were big outings, mostly just exercise to keep me in shape and enjoy nature.

Skiing toward Hayden Pass with Galena Peak and Mt Otto 

Skiing in the aspens near Hayden Pass

The past few weeks saw quite a bit of snow in the mountains and made travel unsafe in many areas due to avalanche concerns.  This week things warmed up and the snow conditions settled a bit.  My last trip to higher elevations was in late January and was eager to get back into the high country.

I have done several hikes this winter with Drew Petersen.  For a quick alpine experience close to Salida, he often hikes along the Continental Divide from Monarch Pass.  He was heading there on Wednesday and I joined him.  

In my last blog post we hiked north along the Continental Divide from Monarch Pass to Bald Mountain.  This time we headed south.  This stretch to the south is called the Monarch Crest and known as a huge mountain bike destination in the snowless months.  In winter however, the area sees very little traffic and it's easy to find solitude.

Our hike started at the summit of Monarch Pass at over 11000 feet.  From the pass we headed south on a snowcat track that is used to service a communication tower.  We started with snowshoes in chilly conditions and the snow was hardpacked  along the cat track.  We quickly passed a junction for the Continental Divide Trail.  Because of deep snow we stayed off the CDT and headed toward the ridge even though this meant more elevation gain.  We quickly left the cat track and headed off trail toward Mt Peck.

The ridge approaching Mt Peck

Because of the high elevation start, we quickly climbed above treeline.  We briefly descended into sparse trees before climbing the ridge to Mt Peck.  The summit of Mt Peck sits at 12208 feet on the crest of the Continental Divide.  From the pass, it's a short three mile hike to the summit.  Even though the views are beautiful from the summit, not too many people visit Mt Peck's summit.  Most traffic in this area is mountain bikes.  The bikes stick to the CDT and few wander off the trail even though the summit sits only a couple hundred feet from the trail.  Mt Peck stands as Colorado's 1194th highest mountain.  People are drawn to 14ers and 13ers but few people have interest in a low 12000 foot summit, even if the views are as good as this.  We didn't linger too long and continued along the divide to the next high point along the crest.

The slightly lower north summit of Mt Peck

Looking at the route ahead from Peck

San Juans in the distance from Peck

Descending Peck looking toward Ouray and PT 13472

We dropped down from Peck and continued along the Continental Divide as we moved toward Peel Point.  We occasionally could see the CDT but didn't necessarily follow it as we moved along the divide. The route became more windblown and we took off our snowshoes the last mile or so to Peel.  From Peck, Peel doesn't look like much, but as you approach you can see the well defined point of Peck.  Even though the CDT travels just a few feet below Peel we stuck closer to the ridge as we climbed.  The 12145 foot summit of Peel Point is unranked and probably sees fewer people than Peck.  The views are even better from Peel than from Peck standing on top of the Continental Divide.

Crossing open tundra toward Peel Point

Getting close to Peel Point

Large cornice on the east side of the divide

Looking back at Mt Peck from Peel Point

Both summits have far reaching views with awesome scenery.  The vast San Juan Range takes up the view to the southwest.  14ers San Luis Peak and Uncompahgre Peak are easy to pick out in the San Juans.  To the north 13ers Taylor and Aetna dominate with 14ers Shavano and Tabeguache nearby.  In the distance the Front Range 14ers of Pikes Peak and Mt Evans are visible.  Most impressive are the views of the surrounding nearby peaks.  The long alpine ridge to the south leads to Centennial 13er Mt Ouray which seems enormous from Peel Point.  Chipeta Mtn, Pahlone Peak, Antora Peak, and PT 13472 all add to the beautiful skyline in the southern end of the Sawatch Range.

Pt 13472 on left and Mt Ouray on right

Looking south along Continental Divide with Mt Ouray on left
and Antora Peak on right

Looking north along Continental Divide

Mt Aetna- pointy peak on left, Mt Taylor to its right,
 14ers Tabeguach and Shavano on right

The wonderul alpine scenery greeted us the entire route.  Since the route is essentially above treeline the entire way, the views are pretty much continuous.  The dramatic drop to the east side of the Continental Divide adds to the landscape as well.  Much of the drop holds large cornices.  Several old avalanches are easy to pick out including huge slide below Peck.  Below the drop there are several large alpine basins.

Alpine basin below the Continental Divide

The return trip retraced our route to Monarch Pass.  It is possible to return on the CDT, however, the snow is deeper along the trail. Some effort is saved heading back up and over Peck.  The scenery is also better sticking to the ridge and heading back over Peck.  The total hike covered 9 miles, and despite starting at over 11000 feet, we climbed about 3000 vertical feet from start to finish.

Aetna, Taylor, Tabeguache, and Shavano 

Approaching Mt Peck on the return

 I plan to visit this area again in warmer weather to mountain bike the Monarch Crest.  I am glad I visited this area in winter.  In summer you are sure to share this area mountain bikes, but in the winter this area is deserted.  For a quick alpine escape, this area has to have some of the best bang for the buck.  The entire route features nearly uninterrupted alpine views as you travel along the Continental Divide.

14ers get all the hype in Colorado, but this hike had better scenery than some of the 14ers I have hiked.  If you don't care about checking off a list of mountains, I highly recommend checking out the Monarch Crest, particularly out of the mountain bike season to get a feeling of alpine solitude and killer views.  If this trip doesn't offer enough alpine escape, it's possible to continue along the divide for a even bigger dose alpine fun.  The Continental Divide stays above treeline for several more miles to the south before jumping back into the trees near Marshall Pass.  Although we didn't see wildlife there were some clear mountain lion and probably bobcat tracks in the snow as well.

Closeup of PT 13472 and Ouray

Closeup of Aetna, Taylor, Tabeguache, and Shavano