Lions Loop is an interesting mix of trails. For most of its length, it skirts along the top of a lower cliff, while looking up at the top of Mack Ridge. The trail is a wonderful mix of rolling climbs, small rock gardens, and some fun descents. Towards the end it gets a little tedious. If you're bonked and exhausted and ready for the car, the last section of Lions Loop, though boring and uneventful, is a great way to get back to the car quickly without having to face the climbs on Troy Built or Mack Ridge. That is exactly what I needed the first time I rode Lyons Loop (2003).

By the end of that day, I was so tired that I didn't stop to change a flat. I was riding down the last section of Lions Loop when I got a pinch flat on a sharp rock. I had started bonking 2 hours earlier and no amount of food or drink was making me feel any better. I had just under 2 miles to ride back to the car and I knew I had a well built wheel and a spare tire at the car. I rode it out.

Lions Loop is very scenic. If you take it, make sure you skip the last section that leads downhill to the parking lot. Unless you're as bonked as I was, it is a wasted trip. It isn't beautiful or challenging. Its just the fastest way home. You're much better off taking Troybuilt or Mack ridge to get back to the car. Had I had a little more energy, I'd have gone for another flight down Mack Ridge in a heartbeat!!!!

I was in much better shape the time I went through the area in 2005. I enjoyed it much more.

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