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Beall - Ridge - Rotary Loop

RECOMMENDED ROUTE
Intermediate Intermediate
 4.4 (46)
  1. Areas
  2. CO
  3. …Northwest Rockies
  4. Steamboat Springs
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“A great long loop that has it all; long climbs, stellar views and rippin' descents. ”

Leslie Kehmeier
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Map Key

15.8

Miles

25.5

KM

85%

Singletrack

8,198' 2,499 m

High

6,800' 2,073 m

Low

2,169' 661 m

Up

2,152' 656 m

Down

5%

Avg Grade (3°)

21%

Max Grade (12°)

Dogs Unknown

E-Bikes Unknown

Closed December - June 30 for elk calving, but sometimes is opened early.

Overview

The Beall - Ridge - Rotary Loop is a great option for a longer ride near Steamboat. The route is accessed from Cow Creek on the backside of Emerald Mountain.
Rotary can easily be ridden as a great separate 4-mile loop, it shares a short section with Ridge. It is not closed during calving season.

Description

The Beall - Ridge Rotary Loop starts with a short warm up on Cow Creek Rd from the trailhead at the bottom of Ridge. The dirt road is mostly flat and well-packed.

Look for a trailhead on your left after a couple of miles. Pass through the gate and bear right onto Beall. The lower reaches of the trail start in open and shrubby vegetation, transitioning to dark evergreen and mature aspen forest. The route climbs steadily but not overly steep. Halfway through, the Beall crests a lower ridge and provides a short downhill.

From here to the intersection with Ridge, the route contours and climbs gradually to the top of Emerald Mountain. Near the summit, there are fantastic sweeping views to the south and west.

Stay left at the top of Emerald Mountain to continue the ride on Ridge. From here you can also add mileage with some of the front side trails on Emerald Mountain and Howelsen Hill.

Get ready for a fantastic part of the ride! Ridge runs from the top of Emerald Mountain all the way down to Cow Creek. It's a rowdy and fun adventure.

At the top intersection with Beall, Ridge drops initially with one quick climb and then a sweeping right-hand turn through a high meadow. From here to the bottom, the trail descends steadily along a fenceline, crossing an old doubletrack several times.

The trail travels through tight vegetation, mostly oak brush. Be advised, some of the bends in the trail are blind so balance speed with safety.

Every once in awhile the canopy breaks and you'll be treated to amazing views of the surrounding Western Slope landscape.

Towards the bottom of the route, pass the first intersection with Rotary to maximize the descent. Turn right at the lower intersection.

Rotary begins with an easy climb, twisting and turning its way through oak brush and across sage meadows. To do Rotary only start up Ridge to the right then left on Rotary for a great little loop.

At the top of the climb, Rotary intersects with an upper connector to Ridge. From here Rotary transitions to a more gravity-style experience with banks, berms and rollers.

After the last series of rollers, the Rotary transitions across a large flat meadow and crosses a large boardwalk. The final bit of trail runs along the hillside above Cow Creek back to the start of the route.

Contacts

Local Club: Routt County Riders

Feb 8, 2024: Trail Counter Program Report + Data Tables 2023

Feb 7, 2024: 2024 Community Access to E-Bikes Program Announcement

Feb 6, 2024: 2023 Bike Match Season at a Glance

Land Manager: BLM Colorado - Little Snake Field Office

Shared By:

Leslie Kehmeier
Full Details

Trail Ratings

  4.4 from 46 votes

#2

in Steamboat Springs

#372

Overall
  4.4 from 46 votes
5 Star
52%
4 Star
39%
3 Star
9%
2 Star
0%
1 Star
0%
Recommended Route Rankings

#2

in Steamboat Springs

#108

in Colorado

#372

Overall
14 Views Last Month
25,155 Since Jul 9, 2013
Intermediate Intermediate
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Photos

Berms and flowers are plentiful on the Rotary trail.
Jul 10, 2013 near Steambo…, CO
Pedaling the upper reaches of Beall. Open meadows and awesome views!
Jul 10, 2013 near Steambo…, CO
May Riding Through the Wild Flowers
Apr 10, 2021 near Steambo…, CO
Ridge Trail
Jul 18, 2015 near Steambo…, CO
Horses don't care about my video intros, cows seem to love me as much as I love them and Alex goes over the bars on one of Steamboat Springs' marque courses: The Steamboat Stinger Race Loop. 25 miles. 3,600ft of vert. With beer & pizza. Enjoy!
Oct 11, 2019 near Steambo…, CO
A beautiful spring ride on Wild Rose.
May 16, 2017 near Steambo…, CO

4 Comments

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Current Trail Conditions

Minor Issues 86 days ago
Add Your Check-In

Check-Ins

Sep 25, 2024
Amy Butalla Rosene
Great ride. Go with recommended direction. 14.7mi — 2h 37m
Jul 24, 2024
Andrea Sinclair
Maybe the best ride in the area. Less city noise and people.
Oct 2, 2022
Beck M
16.7mi — 2h 09m
Sep 5, 2022
Atsuko Ohtake
Jul 11, 2021
Sean Corley
1st time. Riding with dudley.
Oct 18, 2020
J Welle
Oct 15, 2020
Ben Mottinger
14.4mi — 1h 32m
Sep 22, 2020
Nuts Von Crazy
Such an fun float track. Epic terrain 18.4mi — 3h 24m

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Stewarded by Routt County Riders
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