Round Trip Distance: 3.4 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
MTB Skill level:
Elevation: 6292 - 6394 feet
Cellphone: 2-5 bars
Time: 45 mins.
Trailhead: Phil's World
Fee: none
Attractions: Close-in singletrack
The Trust Loop is located in the Phil's World Mountain Bike Trails System near Cortez, Colorado. The trail begins at the Phil's World trailhead where it heads east across the sagebrush flats to a nearby hill. After a climb that gains about 100 feet of elevation the trail loops back to the parking area. The Trust Loop provides the only access to the Hippie House Loop and is connected to by the tail end of the 2-More trail.
The Trust Loop trail begins on the east side of the parking area.
The trail takes off through the sagebrush on a well packed adobe dirt singletrack.
Around the quartermile point the trail is crossed by 2-More. From there it makes a little drop and continues eastward.
Just past the half mile point the trail drops into a wash where a wooden bridge carries it across the seasonal stream.
On the other side of the wash the trail begins climbing moderately up a small hill along a section of trail they call 'Rookh's Climb'.
Rookh's Climb transitions to Panther Rim where the trail passes a giant cairn.
The trail continues following an easy route through the pinyon and juniper forest until at the 1.5 mile point it comes to its intersection with the Hippie House trail. The natural sequence is to ride Hippie House which will bring you back to the Trust Loop and then head on back to the trailhead.
The return side of the Trust Loop is almost a half mile longer than the other side of the loop.
The extra distance comes when the trail takes off across the flats toward Mesa Verde and then turns and heads back in the other direction.
Most of the trail travels pretty fast.
A small hill comes up where there is another giant cairn that was erected along the rim.
