The Hogbacks area in Canon City is home to a large network of old social trails. However, the local builders have recently been constructing legitimate, well-built bench-cut singletrack trails here. The city is on board and has constructed brand-new parking lots and is in the process of adding even more trailhead facilities. As of the time of this writing (3/17/15) some of the trails that are planned for this area are still under construction, most noticeably the Ridge Trail. This trail will undoubtedly be spectacular once it's finished, as the current section is already great.
As for the trails that are already finished, the Lower Bench Cut trail is a mellow, rolling, well-built trail that runs from end-to-end in this area. The other trails spur off of it.
The Upper Bench Cut trail is partially finished, and right now the best way to access it is to pedal up the steep doubletrack trail that dissects the Lower Bench Cut trail about half way through. Climb the doubletrack, and look for the trail splitting off through the rock piles to the left about half way up.
The Upper Bench Cut trail is really only rideable top to bottom and has some sweet, technical rock gardens and rock features along its length. The descent is over quickly, and while it's short, it's definitely sweet!
Right now this trail system is really best as an in-town locals trail, and can be accessed from local neighborhoods at multiple points. While there isn't a ton of mileage here yet, future trail development could possibly turn this trail system into a place that's well-worthy as a day trip. As it stands, if you want to make a day of it, I suggest adding in either Section 13 or Oil Well Flats in Canon City as well.
Core Trail | 2 mi | ||
Dakota Ridge | 2 mi | ||
Gallineros | 2 mi | ||
Old Skyline Drive | 1 mi | ||
Upper Bench Cut Trail | 1 mi |
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Dakota Ridge is definitely black diamond -- rocky and chunky. One could spend a lot of time sessioning some of its challenging features. There is some steep exposure here with rock and cacti below, so play it smart. Plus, even though the trail is in town, there is a bit of adventure because of a good hike-a-bike section getting up to the ridge ... which could also make for a very technical descent.
Thank |Nice system, especially if you live in the Canon City area or the other higher Front Range trails are snowed in or muddy. At about 5500' it does tend to stay drier than most trails in the Front Range region in the winter. Graneros trail is a nice curvy climb up and flowy cruise down. The Dakota Ridge trail is definitely black diamond -- rocky and chunky. One could spend a lot of time sessioning some of its challenging features. There is some steep exposure here with rock and cacti below, so play it smart. Plus, even though the trail is in town, there is a bit of adventure on Dakota Ridge because of a good hike-a-bike section getting up to the ridge. Though short, the trails are interesting enough to do a couple of laps through the system to get a more complete workout.
Thank |The Hogbacks are great due to their immediate proximity to town. The system is composed of mostly parallel lines along the base, traverse, and top of a large hogback ridge running along the residential western border of Canon City. The network has some great cross country riding along the traverse and some gnarly downhill connecting trails, but overall, it can be hard to put together a consistently entertaining loop. Watch out for the cholla!
Thank |This trail is now finished, and it is an absolute blast! Some sections are extremely technical, but are oh-so-good!
Thank |Nothing spectacular, but provides access to other great trails.
Thank |For the very beginners
Thank |Rocky, techy descent that's very entertaining.
Thank |Advanced, techy trail, with great views.
Thank |Quality singletrack, but no challenge. Would be a good, short beginner ride.
Thank |I'm giving this four stars due to the quality of some of the trails. But granted, this area doesn't have much mileage to offer... at least not yet.
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