An under-used hiking and biking trail needs your help.
The Forest Service and Kokopelli Bike Club are working hard to make the renovated Sage Hen trail a recreation destination.
The trailhead begins off County Road X in the Sage Hen area on the north side of McPhee Reservoir.
Improvements have been made to the trail to prevent drainage rutting. Re-routing was done to avoid archaeology sites.
The 15-mile "lollipop" format is designed to ride clockwise. And there is an upper and lower loop, said Pete Eschallier, of Kokopelli.
"We need people to ride it because the new trail sections are a bit soft," he said.
The trailhead begins on Road X a half-mile east of the Road 25 intersection. There is a locked gate with access for hikers and bikers.
The trail is still unsigned and is easily missed. From the gate, travel 20-30 yards north and look for the trail flagging going to the right, east. That's it!
From here travel 1.25 miles to a unsigned junction that begins the clockwise loop.
Once at the intersection, ride north and travel up and down for five miles to a series of steep ledges ending at an overlook at an elevation of 7,900 feet.
"The reward is a spectacular viewpoint of the Lower Dolores River and all the fingers of McPhee reservoir," Eschallier said.
Next is a blast of a sustained downhill across meadows and through oak-brush forests.
The backside of the loop follows the shore of McPhee reservoir across from House Creek. Leftovers from historic settlements can be found here, and rarely visited McPhee lakeshore is accessible for exploring.
After a few more miles of significant up and down the trail returns to the stem of the lollipop, and back to the trailhead.
The entire loop route is 15 miles, and includes 1,784 feet of elevation gain.
The shorter lower loop is seven miles. Going clockwise, the short cut off trail for the lower loop is not very defined but is flagged with light green tape. About 1/4 mile after the first distinct 4WD road crossing, look for old corrals way off to the right. The cutoff flagging is south to the right where the trail comes to a ravine.
The forest service is planning to install trail signs at Sage Hen soon. So for now pay special attention to avoid getting lost.
Also, the troublesome cholla cactus is thick in this region, dispersing tire-puncturing spines, so bring a spare tire and pump, and avoid contact.
jmimiaga@cortezjournal.com
If you go
Off Colorado Highway 184, take the turnoff to McPhee Reservoir Recreation Complex (County Road 25). Stay on the main road, traveling north across a large irrigation inlet to Road X.
Hang a right (east) and travel a half-mile to the trailhead on the left.
For an informative map go to http://connect.garmin.com/jsPlayer/190759325
