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| Steve's Loop
Peter Beers 8/28/2005 PedroGringo@yahoo.com |
The name of this trail depends on what map you're looking at and how long you've been riding these trails. When I first started riding these trails, it was called Handcuffs. It is a wonderful little band of single track that is nestled in the bench below Mary's Loop and Lions Loop. Most of it is visible from the top of Mack Ridge. The BLM decided a few years back to name it after one of the people who did a lot of trail work in the area. So Handcuffs became Steve's Loop. No matter what you call this trail, it is SWEEEEEEEEEET!
Steve's loop can be ridden in either direction and can be accessed from three points. The first is a turn off from Lions Loop. The other end of the trail is a spur off of Mary's loop. You can also reach it from higher up on Mary's loop and get a nice little downhill ride into the canyon. I strongly recommend the third option. The upper trailhead on Mary's loop is pictured above. Be careful though... there are two big rock steps going down... one has about a 4' drop on it.
I met 5 tandem teams at the spot on the trail pictured above. This is the point where the spur from Mary's loop meets up with the rest of Steve's loop. Unfortunately I was a little slow in getting the camera ready and didn't get a good photo of the tandem teams.
After riding along the cliffs for about a mile, the trail turns West and heads back into the canyons. You get some good views of the Colorado River, and some even better views of the cliffs you'd just ridden past.
The real feature of this ride is a trail that skirts the edge of a canyon that turns back to the north. This canyon is quite narrow and at some parts is an easy stone's throw from one side of the cliff to the other. I imagine it would have made a great hide-out for the outlaws of the late 1800s.
The top of the canyon provides a great view of each side of the trail. You can see how close they are together. This section of trail has a few rocky sections and exposed single track. Many people hiked a little on this part (including me).
All this nice, level single track couldn't last for ever. Eventually you have to actually climb out of the canyon and head for home. This is where the climbing started. It got a little steep further up, but its all rideable.
Eventually I had to pry myself away from the beautiful views. I was running low on water and the day was getting a little warm. Live to ride another day... that's what I'd heard a few times that day.
The trail back to Lions Loop and Mary's was pretty uneventful. It gave you a good chance to absorb the beauty you'd seen in the last hour or talk with friends as you head back to the car.
This is possibly the most scenic loop on the Kokopelli side of the trails.
That is saying a lot since there are so many beautiful things to look at around
here. Don't miss this ride!
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