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Kokopelli Loops: Troy Built Loop to Salt Creek

After Work Adventures | Thursday & Tuesday, November 16 & 21, 2023

After hiking the Lion’s Loop Trail to its junction with the Troy Built Loop on Tuesday, I thought it might be a good idea to return to the Kokopelli Loops after work on Thursday afternoon so I could finish hiking the Troy Built Trail, especially since a storm had just moved through the area earlier in the day and left some nice clouds in the sky. I thought that there had been enough time for the road to the top of Mack Ridge to dry out, but as I started driving up it I quickly found out that it was still muddy and slick in places, so I turned around and decided to hike a shorter section of the Troy Built Trail from its northern end near I-70. Thankfully, this northern portion of the trail had already dried out and wasn’t muddy, since hiking on muddy trails is not looked upon too kindly by the mountain bikers who mostly ride these trails.

Kokopelli Loops: Lion’s Loop to Troy Built Loop

After Work Adventures | Tuesday, November 14, 2023

After work this afternoon I returned for the third straight week in a row to the Kokopelli Loops on Mack Ridge so I could hike yet another section of the Kokopelli Trail. This time I started out from the Lions Trailhead between Loma and Mack and followed the Lion’s Loop Trail for about three miles to it’s junction with the Troy Built Trail and then returned the way I had come. This trail followed a bench above the Colorado River in Horsethief Canyon which offered some nice views along the way, especially at sunset. The hike ended up being about 6 miles in length and I returned to my Jeep just as the sun was setting for the day, so I was able to squeeze it all in before darkness set in. Here are a couple photos from the short hike.

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Kokopelli Loops: Wrangler Loop & Mary’s Loop

After Work Adventures | Tuesday, November 7, 2023

After hiking the western ends of Mary’s Loop and the Wrangler Trail last week on Halloween, I returned to the Kokopelli Loops right after work today so I could finish hiking the eastern ends of both of those trails. Even though we just had the Daylight Savings Time change over the weekend and afternoon sunlight would be limited, I figured that this loop would be short enough and I would be able to squeeze it in before sunset. I started my hike near the Kokopelli Trailhead and followed the Wrangler Loop to the point I had hiked to last week and then returned down Mary’s Loop to complete the loop. Even though it was a bit windy this afternoon, the clouds and light were a lot nicer than during my hike last week and I enjoyed the views along the way. In the end, the loop was just over 5.5 miles and I returned to my Jeep shortly before sunset, so the timing was perfect.

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Kokopelli Loops: Mary’s Loop & Wrangler Trail

After Work Adventures: Halloween Edition | Tuesday, October 31, 2023

With the Daylight Savings Time change coming up this weekend, I wanted to get out for one more longer hike after work this week before it really starts getting dark early and I thought it would be a good idea to head on over to the Kokopelli Loop Trails in the McInnis Canyons National Conservation Area located between Loma and Mack. Although I have hiked and mountain biked about half the trails in this system over the years, there are still some I have not been on before and I thought that completing the rest of them would be a good project to start working on next. I may not finish them this year, but I can always pick up where I left off in the spring. For today’s hike I started at the upper Lion’s Trailhead and followed Mary’s Loop and the Kokopelli Trail east along the Colorado River and Horsethief Bench, then I looped back up and around on the Wrangler Trail which made a nice 7.5 mile loop.

Ruby – Horsethief Canyons of the Colorado River

Canyons of the Black Ridge Wilderness | Average CFS: 3,390
Sunday – Tuesday, August 13-15, 2023

After having a great season on the rivers this spring, I realized that I had not been on a float trip through Ruby – Horsethief since 2016 and was long overdue for a return, so Jackson and I planned a late summer trip down this local stretch of the Colorado River for late August and were able to secure camping permits for two nights. Besides inviting a couple of close friends along, Diane was also going to be joining us on this trip with her Stand-Up Paddleboard, and she was looking forward to getting back on the river when the water was not super high, since neither of us had much fun that day! We all met up at the Loma Boat Ramp on Sunday morning and got the boats rigged while the shuttle was run and then were on the river around 10:30am. It was pretty warm out already and was going to end up being a pretty hot trip!

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Tag: loma

Kokopelli Loops: Troy Built Loop to Salt Creek

Kokopelli Loops: Lion’s Loop to Troy Built Loop

Kokopelli Loops: Wrangler Loop & Mary’s Loop

Kokopelli Loops: Mary’s Loop & Wrangler Trail

Ruby – Horsethief Canyons of the Colorado River