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The main loop of the infamous Phil's World trail featuring the "Rib Cage"


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Map Key

10.6

Miles

17.0

KM

0%

Singletrack

6,523' 1,988 m

High

6,283' 1,915 m

Low

795' 242 m

Up

797' 243 m

Down

3%

Avg Grade (2°)

13%

Max Grade (7°)

Dogs Unknown

E-Bikes Not Allowed

Overview

Where the legend began, take a spin on the trails that made Phil's famous.

Description

Head North out of the parking lot through the gate to the trail intersection where you'll see the return route coming in from the right. Drop your daily user fee in the pay box if you don't have an annual membership and take a look at the trail map and kiosk.

The buff singletrack winds through pinion and juniper forest, gradually gaining just over 100 feet to the "saddle". Prepare for a super fun screaming descent down the Coco Race section. After this fast and twisty descent you'll cross through a big arroyo and grunt up a short but steep climb followed by some flat recovery spinning through the pinions.

At the intersection on top of the next saddle, stay left again for the Lemonhead section unless you are short on time and want to go straight for the Rib Cage. Lemonhead drops off a couple of ledges, traverses the hillside and then climbs up to the top of mesa for some more fast cruising. After a few miles, you'll come to the Cortez overlook which is a good spot to regroup and look West to great views of Totten reservoir and the City of Cortez.

Following Lemonhead is a quick drop into the Maze section with an easy log jump and some tight corners. Prepare to get your climb on as you exit the Maze and climb back up to the Elbow section. Elbow takes you across some slickrock style riding with a couple of technical sections. With the right lines, you can make quick work of these tricky sections, but use caution as there have been a few unfortunate mishaps here.

After the Elbow, the trail returns to smooth, hardpacked singletrack heading East with some terrific views of the LaPlata mountain range. Take a left at the Abajo junction (straight is a shortcut into the lower half of Ribcage) and climb up to the Abajo overlook. It is customary to stop here for a snack and regroup. On a clear day you'll see mountain ranges in all direction including the LaPlatas, the Wilson group, the Abajo near Monticello and even the LaSals near Moab.

From the Abajo overlook, traverse the ridge on excellent tread to the Ledges turnoff going left. For this description we'll stay right and skip Ledges but it is a great loop that you can add on if you have time to tack on 30-60 minutes to your ride. Ledges will come back in to the main trail just down the way from where you left it.

Shortly past the Ledges Turnoff, there is an intersection for the Stinking Springs Loop. If you want to avoid this and get straight to the top of the Rib Cage, go straight.

Contacts

Shared By:

Jeff Fox with improvements by jason byrd

Trail Ratings

  4.8 from 82 votes

#2

in Phil's World

#81

Overall
  4.8 from 82 votes
5 Star
82%
4 Star
16%
3 Star
2%
2 Star
0%
1 Star
0%
Recommended Route Rankings

#2

in Phil's World

#25

in Colorado

#81

Overall
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7,809 Since Dec 24, 2013
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Photos

Catching some air on the upper reaches of the Rib Cage.
May 18, 2015 near Cortez, CO
Catch some great views and a little bit of exposure at Abajo Overlook.
May 18, 2015 near Cortez, CO
Patrick rounding the lookout.
May 13, 2014 near Cortez, CO
Jeff around the bend
May 13, 2014 near Cortez, CO
A playful series of rollers on the Here For More section of Phil's World.
May 18, 2015 near Cortez, CO
Phil's World - Cortez, CO - Heading up towards LemonHead and Main Loop
Sep 9, 2017 near Cortez, CO

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Current Trail Conditions

All Clear 11 days ago
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