The tiny town of Dolores, Colorado is a gem. The Dolores River runs through town and out into McPhee Reservoir, there is a fantastic brewery with a nice outdoor beer garden, and Boggy Draw trail network offers great mountain biking. This time, I was there to ride some gravel.
Apparently there used to be a gravel race in the area so I found the route they used and mostly followed that. I started right from the main Boggy Draw Trailhead and immediately headed out on dirt/gravel. It was a pretty hot day in the mid 90s but a little cooler up here in the shade of all the trees. The first 15 miles follows the same road as it twists up onto the mesa and through the forest. On a weekday I only saw a few cars, but lots of cows.
There aren’t any steep climbs on this section, just a gradual ascent. I passed a few turnoffs and started heading downhill eventually, with a peekaboo view of Lone Mesa. Once at the junction with the paved road out to Groundhog Lake, I turned left and headed down. This road is not heavily used and I didn’t see any cars. I’d never been up here before so was amazed by the giant canyon that ran deep along the road. I never got a great view down into it, unfortunately. I tried.
After a few miles I stopped at the intersection with another dirt road. I whipped out my phone to see that it was called Bean Canyon Rim and looked like maybe if I took it, I’d get a view after a few miles. It also looked like the road would turn, descend, and meet back up with the road to House Creek Campground. Off I went. The dirt road was pretty good for a couple miles and then became rutted before petering out into double track. This section was rough and not ideal but I kept going until it climbed back up a very rocky section to the road. I’d skip this section next time.
Back on the road, I climbed up and up back onto the mesa before winding back to the start. It’s unfortunate this section is all paved but with some more exploration I think I can make it more dirt. Until next time, enjoy these pics.
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