Round Trip Distance: 4.8 miles
Difficulty: Strenuous
MTB Skill level:
Elevation: 6443 - 6628 feet
Cellphone: 3-5 bars
Time: 1 hrs. 15 mins.
Trailhead: Phil's World
Fee: none
Attractions: Less traveled loop
The Ledges Loop is located in the Phil's World Mountain Bike Trails System near Cortez, Colorado. The trail travels around the rocky hillside in the northeastern area of Phil's World where it ascends out of Ava Gulch before looping back along higher ground toward where it began.
The Ledges Loop begins at the end of the Abajo trail. Ledges is an optional trail that can be skipped by taking the right fork
The trail begins along an easy route across a sagebrush flats.
When the trail reaches the north side of the hill it turns and begins following the rim.
The trail stays easy to moderate as it continues east along the edge of the hill losing a little elevation as it goes.
As the trail begins regaining elevation the hillside becomes rocky with both loose and embedded rocks.
Rather than removing some of the fallen trees or cutting out sections for the trail to pass through the trail builders ramped over the logs.
The combination of scenic ledges and twisted trees creates views that are continually changing.
The trail drops into Ava Gulch and then begins climbing along broken slickrock. At its easternmost point the trail begins looping back in the other direction.
The trail gains higher ground as it slants up the hillside where there are a few rocky ledges and outcrops to climb over. At a highpoint on the hill near the 3.3 mile point there is a spur trail that connects the Ledges Loop and the Stinky Spring Loop.
After the Stinky Cutoff the trail continues with the same semi rocky track as before. Near the end of the loop it changes back to a similar smooth track like what it began with.
