Round Trip Distance: 6.4 miles
Difficulty: Moderate
Elevation: 4563 - 5168 feet
Cellphone: 3-4 bars
Usage: Hiking - Biking - Equestrian
Time: 2 hrs. 30 mins.
Facilities: none
Trailhead: Parking lot at end of Hawkeye Road
Fee: none
View Troy Built Loop in a larger map
The Troy Built Loop trail is part of the Kokopelli Trails system just south of Interstate 70 between Loma and Mack. The Kokopelli Trails are some of the most popular mountain bike trails in western Colorado. To access the Troy Built Trail you can take the Mack exit off of Interstate 70. Instead of turning north, towards Mack, turn to the south. There is a parking area just off the Hawkeye Road but if you turn west and follow the Hawkeye Road for about a mile there is another parking area that is a little over a tenth mile from where the Troy Built Loop begins.
I left the parking area and continued on foot along the Hawkeye Road. After walking .15 miles I came to the beginning of the Troy Built Loop. My plan was to hike out on the Troy Built Loop trail from this point and make the return trip on the road portion of the Lions Loop trail that crosses Mack Ridge. The Troy Built section, which forms the west side of the loop, extends for 3.8 miles from this point out to where it rejoins the Lions Loop trail.
Just a little over a half mile into the hike the trail turned up a solid rock draw. The trail only followed the draw for about a 100 feet before it climbed out the other side.
From the draw the trail crossed around the hill and up the gentle slope until it came to a flat rocky area. Some of the rocks were weathered into some interesting shapes. This area was right at 1 mile into the hike.
The trail dropped down the hill towards Salt Creek and the railroad tracks. Before reaching the bottom of the valley the trail levels off and heads south along the broken sandstone cliffs. The junction of the Kokopelli trail that heads over to Rabbit Valley comes up just under 1.7 miles into the hike.
At about 2.6 miles the trail makes its first eastward bend as it rounds a rocky cliff and at 3.2 miles it reaches its closest proximity to the Colorado River. From here the trail is heading mostly east. The dew covered grass that was quickly sprouting formed a large thick mat that glistened in the bright morning sun. An emerald carpet that would last until the summer heat arrives and turns it golden.
The trail crossed the grassy area and worked its way up the hillside and rejoined the Lions Loop at 4.12 miles. This section of the trail is now a very rough 4-wheel drive road. The trail climbs up and over Mack Ridge for a little over 2 miles before it is back at the beginning of the Troy Built Loop. I met several pairs of trail runners and a pickup as I hiked along the road. There weren't any bikers out yet but there were plenty of tracks that indicated there have been a lot of riders since the last rain.
There were good views of the Loma and Mack area as I came down the ridge. I reached the parking area after hiking for 2 and a half hours. The temperature was about 29 F when I set out but it had warmed up 10 degrees in the mean time. The Troy Built Loop section of the hike was the most enjoyable part of the trek. The hike over the ridge on the Lions Loop was pretty nice but coming down the ridge to the parking area became a little tedious. It would have been much more enjoyable if it hadn't been a 4-wheel drive road. Over all it was a great hike. It looked like a nice place to go whether you are hiking, biking or running. If you want to check it out for yourself then all you have to do is 'Take a hike'.
