This 7.5-mile singletrack trail connects the Pilot Hill and Happy Jack trail systems.
Since Pilot Hill forms a crucial singletrack connection, it's designed "to be really friendly to all user groups," according to Grace Templeton, Community Engagement for Wyoming Pathways. "That includes hikers, horseback riders, [and] mountain bikers from either direction."
"It's definitely a blue trail," said Kusiek. "You're going to gain 800 feet, leaving the parking lot at Happy Jack to get to the end of phase one." The trail passes through beautiful aspen groves and high desert meadows. Where the singletrack breaks out of the trees, riders will enjoy stunning views of the nearby mountains just across the Colorado border to the south and the endless Wyoming plains to the north.
Even though much of the terrain is a high desert environment, the trail peaks at 8,600 feet in elevation. It will typically be rideable from late May to late October, depending on snowfall.
Helping make the trail connection as seamless as possible, the trail passes through a grazing tunnel under a highway, which keeps riders from having to deal with dangerous high-speed car traffic.
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