Round Trip Distance: 0.64k
Difficulty: Moderate
XC Skill level:
Elevation: 9651 - 9723 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 15 mins.
Trailhead: Priest Lake Nordic Trails
Fee: $15 donation
Attractions: Steep hill
The Lollipop trail is located in the Priest Lake Nordic Trails area near Telluride, Colorado. The trail begins off of the Railroad Grade trail where it makes a short but steep climb up to a turnaround point. The shape of the trail gives it its name and the steepness of the trail gives it its 'Most Difficult' rating.
The Lollipop trail begins within a few hundred yards from the end of the Railroad Grade trail.
Lollipop connects to the Railroad Grade trail in 2 places that are about 100 feet apart. Both routes come together after a short distance and become a single trail after that.
The trail, which receives the same grooming as the other trails around Priest Lake, cuts a wide swathe through the trees.
The upper end of the trail is a little steeper than the rest. The average grade is 8% with only about 74 feet of elevation gain.
The groomer packed out a big cul de sac at the end of the trail. It appears to be all private property beyond that point.
We're not sure how deep the snow was on the day we were taking pictures for this post but there was a power line overhead that is low enough to reach up and touch. (Which of course nobody would ever want to do.)
Those that make the effort to climb the Lollipop trail have a nice quarter mile downhill run to look forward to.
