Skyline Trail and Goose Loop (Out and Back)

Dogs Leashed

E-Bikes Unknown

Features Views

This route is entirely in Loudy Simpson Park. It is only a mile south of the City of Craig and is a beautiful open space/park with a seasonal ice rink, clean restrooms with running water, river access, picnic shelters, playgrounds, fishing ponds, baseball and soccer fields and hiking/walking trails along the river.

You may see Beaver, Pelicans, Canada Geese, Great Blue Herons, Osprey, Bald Eagles and Redwing Blackbirds. There is lodging, supermarkets, a brew pub, several coffee shops, a bookstore, restaurants and great Mexican food in town.

To ride the entire loop, pick up the trail from Ranney Street Extension as it starts up Thompson Hill. Turn right onto the singletrack behind the Ice Arena. There are a couple of short steep climbs to get up on top of the ridge. The trail roughly follows the border between the wheat field and the edges of the bluff. (The field is also owned by the County - Loudy Simpson Park. Please respect the farmland by staying on the trail.)

Follow the trail as it starts down the bluff to meet a farm road by the soccer field parking lot. Make a hard left and climb up the farm road. The trail goes off to the right near the top. This is the easier part of the trail. There are some fun corners and dips as you ride west along the ridge. There are great views of Black Mountain and The Bears Ears to the north.

You'll pass a barbed wire fence and start to descend into a gully with some tight switchbacks. They are both rideable down if you put your front tire on the very outside of the trail as you enter the switchback. In the gully, you can continue down onto the mowed trails in the main part of the park or split off left to the new Goose Loop Trail. This trail was brand new on May 13, 2021 so you may encounter some loose dirt as you climb up the switchbacks out of the gully to continue west. You may need to push your bike here but it is very short. Follow around the gully edge and continue west.

As you approach the final gully the trail splits at an anthill. The loop can be ridden in either direction. The trail crosses a shallow gully and brings you back to the anthill. Ride the trail in reverse back to the starting point at Ranney Street Extension.

The new switchbacks on Goose Loop are rideable on the way down if you go slow and pay attention to tire placement. Please stay on the trail as this earth was recently disturbed and we want to avoid erosion.

Also, after the farm road, climb back up on the bluff and watch to your left for the Flume Trail. It is a downhill-only trail with some banked turns that brings you back to the climb. It doesn't get much use so it may be a little overgrown but is a fun little loop if you want more of a challenge.