Name: North Table Loop
Rating: 3.7

Conditions

All Clear 2 days ago

Some Mud History

Getting forecast...

“Big climbs. Rowdy descents. Amazing 360-degree views. ”

— Leslie Kehmeier

Driving Directions GPX File

Dogs Unknown

Features eMTB allowed

Overview

Overall, this is a nice mellow ride that feels somewhat remote, despite being right on the edge of town. There's a decent amount of climbing, so the ride isn't trivial, but it's not technical, and it's straightforward to follow.

Description

From the North Table parking lot, this trail heads due southeast and starts a brutal gravel road climb... Once you're nearly at the top, the trail passes Tilting Mesa Trail and then tops out at its high point. Be sure to soak up the views!

Shortly after cresting the climb, the trail descends. Slightly at first, and then almost as steeply as the initial climb. This descent is raucous and winding, but be sure to keep an eye out for other trail users heading up the hill. At the bottom of the descent, North Table Loop contours on bench cut trail back to the north, bypassing Neighborhood Access Trail on your right and Cottonwood Canyon Trail on your left.

Continue straight, as the trail winds and rolls its way around the table's east side. Eventually, you'll come to the second largest descent of the ride, where you'll be greeted with some very tight switchbacks. Once at the bottom of this descent, you'll be at a junction with Lithic Trail, a short neighborhood access trail. Stay left to continue on the ride.

From Lithic Trail, the ride climbs and then continues to contour the table. This section of the ride is fast, flowing, and fun. So, open it up and really get some speed going! Eventually, after bypassing Table Rock and Mesa Top for a second time, you'll be at the North Table parking lot.

Contacts

Local Club: Colorado Mountain Bike Association

Land Manager: Jefferson County, CO - Open Space Dept.

Full Details

Trail Ratings

3.7 from 173 votes

#1

in North Table Mountain

#36

Overall

3.7 from 173 votes

5 Star		14%
4 Star		52%
3 Star		24%
2 Star		8%
1 Star		2%

Rankings

#1

in North Table Mountain

#15

in Colorado

#36

Overall

2,419 Views Last Month

52,877 Since Jun 17, 2016

Intermediate

		1%
		26%
		61%
		9%
		2%
		1%

Add a Photo

Photos

Rare foggy morning ride on the North Table Loop.

North Table Mountain provides an excellent ride…

Morning sunrise.

Part of the "Table" in North Table Mountain...f…

Along side the basalt cliffs, between downhill…

Even on wagon wheels, you can easily cruise the…

Some good flow and climbing involved rewarded b…

Beautiful singletrack lets you really open it u…

Enjoy gorgeous views of South Table and the Coo…

The final climb up to the top of Table Mountain

Cottonwood Canyon Trail Junction

Family fun on the North Table Loop.

On the North Table loop.

Nice shady resting spot.

Lithic trail down to Golden Bike Park and neigh…

Looking west over Golden on a beautiful spring…

Specialized Stump Jumper Comp Carbon 29 on the…

A very green North Table Mountain in June after…

11 Comments

Chris Bishop

I would highly recommend doing this track the other direction / counter clockwise. The recommended direction takes you up the technical parts and the big drop at the end is just a dirt road. You will also be riding against most traffic too. If you take it the other direction you have a big climb up the road to start and then down the technical with some technical climbs. I use the term technical for this track loosely. There area few good technical spots. Jul 18, 2015

Flag

Definitely better as a counter-clockwise loop. One ball-busting climb followed by a long, fun descent. Jul 22, 2015

Flag

I concur with the previous posts. I rode it clockwise, but a small spill and my lack of athletic prowess, required that I turn around about halfway. I think counter clockwise would have been more fun. Jul 25, 2015

Flag

Yep. Ride it counterclockwise. The descent after the steep road climb is fast and fun. The rest of the trail flows nicely this way, too. Wasting perfectly good downhill vert on a road is just stupid. Oct 1, 2015

Flag

Joshua Harrington
Arvada, CO

Joshua Harrington Arvada, CO

This is such a quick fun getaway as a Denver resident. Riding it CCW is 10-fold better than CW. The steep section is simply a hard-packed gravel road that takes about 6-8 minutes to climb. Once at the top you're greeted with some flat terrain and then a long fun downhill with a few short technical sections. May 19, 2016

Flag

Tom Robson
Boulder, CO

Tom Robson Boulder, CO

Thanks for the feedback. I just edited the ride to go the other way. Not sure why I rode it CW...! :) May 20, 2016

Flag

Tim Speciale

I'd rather get the climbing outta the way early, personally. Aug 17, 2016

Flag

Chris Bishop

Tim Speciale It looks like they may have updated this. Originally it had you climb the trail and drop the fire road. Aug 17, 2016

Flag

How long would it take to complete the full loop, for a novice rider? Aug 23, 2016

Flag

Malcolm Moreno

Just did it today, pretty leisurely pace (apart from the long uphill start, which pretty much has no leisurely pace) and we did it in about an hour, hour and a half if you take your time and have some stops. Also if you are a novice I would watch out for the southern half, I would say the trails there are blue/black. 2/3 of the trail is nice and smooth, though. Aug 29, 2016

Flag

Davo Pil

How do you guys take these cool pics of yourselves on bikes?? Apr 25, 2018

Flag

7.5 Miles 12.0 Kilometers 80% Singletrack	883' 269 m Ascent -934' -285 m Descent
5% Avg Grade (3°) 14% Max Grade (8°)	6,482' 1,976 m High 5,857' 1,785 m Low

North Table Loop

7.5 Miles 12.0 Kilometers

80%

883' 269 m

-934' -285 m

5%

14%

6,482' 1,976 m

5,857' 1,785 m

Shared By Leslie Kehmeier

Conditions

“Big climbs. Rowdy descents. Amazing 360-degree views. ”

Dogs Unknown

Features eMTB allowed

Overview

Description

Contacts

You & This Featured Ride

Rate Quality

Rate Difficulty

Share This Ride

Check-Ins

Stewarded By

Trail Ratings

#1

#36

#1

#15

#36

Photos

11 Comments

Comment Type:

Nearby Rides

MTB Project is part of the REI Co-op family,where a life outdoors is a life well lived.

MTB Project is supported by

Free Widgets: Showcase MTB trails on your site

Mountain Project

MTB Project

Powder Project

Hiking Project

Trail Run Project

National Park Guide

MTB Project is part of the REI Co-op family,
where a life outdoors is a life well lived.

Free Widgets:
Showcase MTB trails on your site