One-way Distance: 1.9 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
MTB Skill level:
Elevation: 6050 - 6869 feet
Cellphone: 1-4 bars
Time: 1 hr.
Trailhead: Jumbo Mtn.
Fee: none
Attractions: Fun sigletrack
Slant-N-Dicular is one of the Jumbo Mountain Trails in Paonia, Colorado. The lower end of the trail begins off of the Powerline Road at the 'Tower of Power' where it has a junction with the Big Man Climb and Elitches trails. From there it follows a ridge that leads to singletrack trail that it follows up to the 'Grassy Knoll' where it meets up with the Jumbo Ridge, Big Man Climb and Ridge of Doom trails. The frequently used trail is often used as a moderate route up to the Grassy Knoll by mountain bikers seeking to ride one of the downhill ridge routes.
To get to the trailhead head east on 3rd Street in Paonia and turn left onto Rio Grande Avenue. Follow Rio Grande as it crosses the creek and turns into Pan American Avenue and begins climbing the hill. The trailhead is at the end of Pan American Avenue. There is only room for a handful of vehicles to park at the trailhead but there is additional parking at the bottom of the hill at the Apple Valley Park where there is also a restroom.
This post is beginning at the top of the trail at the Grass Knoll where it branches off from the Jumbo Ridge trail. We got to this point by coming up the Big Man Climb trail.
The trail starts out over the meadowy shoulder of the mountain as it passes by the Grassy Knoll.
Within short order the trail becomes secluded with the pinion and juniper forest that covers the west side of the mountain.
Just over a quarter mile from the Grassy Knoll the trail passes a short spur that runs over to the Ridge of Doom. As it continues it finds a sturdy bridge that makes easy work of a gully that comes up.
As the trail continues it bumps right up close to Big Man Climb which is a double track route. Some maps show the Big Man Climb ending at that point and continuing to the Grassy Knoll via Slant-N-Dicular. We didn't see any tracks from anyone making that connection though it is there as an option if you can find it.
Slant-N-Dicular is a smooth roll for the most part going in the downhill direction.
One or two places pop up along the way where the trees open up enough to catch a glimpse of some of the incredible scenery the area has to offer.
As the trail reaches its lower end it comes out of the trees at a 3-way junction where Big Man Climb comes in on the right and Peter's Patty branches off on the left. From here Slant-N-Dicular and Big Man Climb briefly share routes as they travel down the ridge.
