Donkey

Rating: 
One-way Distance: 1 mile
Difficulty: Moderate
MTB Skill level:
Elevation: 6251 - 6532 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 30 mins.
Trailhead: Elephant Skin Staging Area
Fee: none
Attractions: Singletrack

The Donkey trail is located in the Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area near Delta, Colorado. The trail stretches for 1 mile between the Elephant Skin Road and the Red Rocks trail. The trail provides an alternative route to a short section of the Elephant Skin Road as well as access to the scenically popular Red Rocks area.

Dinosaur Road

Rating: 
One-way Distance: 1.9 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
MTB Skill level:
Elevation: 5473 - 6335 feet
Cellphone: 2-4 bars
Time: 1 hr.
Trailhead: Peach Valley Road
Fee: none
Attractions: Scenic overlook

The Dinosaur Road is located in the Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area near Delta, Colorado. It begins off of the Peach Valley Road and climbs to the ridge overlooking the Gunnison River at a point downstream from Black Canyon National Park. At the top of the ridge the road is crossed by the Red Rocks/Nighthorse trail. Near its midpoint it is crossed by the Sidewinder trail.

Black Ridge Connector

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 1.8 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
MTB Skill level:
Elevation: 6464 - 6693 feet
Cellphone: 0-3 bars
Time: 1 hr.
Trailhead: Chukar Road
Fee: none
Attractions: Fun connector or loop.

The Black Ridge Connector is located in the Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area near Delta, Colorado. The trail begins off of the Chukar Road and connects to the Black Ridge trail in 2 different places. One spot is higher up on Black Ridge about midway to the top and the other is in a wash near the base of the ridge. Both routes can be used to create a loop or as spurs to connect Black Ridge to the Chukar Road.

Smith Mountain Loop

Rating: 
Round Trip Distance: 12.6 miles
Difficulty: Strenuous
Skill level:
Elevation: 5113 - 6426 feet
Cellphone: 2-4 bars
Time: 2 hrs. 30 mins.
Trailhead: Smith Mountain Saddle Trailhead
Fee: none
Attractions: Scenic views

The Smith Mountain Loop is located in the Gunnison Gorge National Conservation Area near Delta, Colorado. The loop is formed by combining the Smith Mountain Jeep Road with the South River Road. The entire loop is a double track with all of it being accessible by vehicles with moderate clearance. The roughest part of the loop is where the Smith Mountain Jeep Road makes its final descent toward the Gunnison River. The complete loop is more suited to OHV and mountain biking than it is hiking and horseback riding.