Singletrack/MTB
Gravel/All-road
Dirt-road Touring
Fat-bike
The Grand Loop is a stunning 365-mile route that hits the Tabeguache Trail, Kokopelli Trail, and the Paradox Trail in Southwest Colorado and Utah. After more than a 10-year hiatus, 14 riders set off earlier this month to try their luck at riding the full route. Find a recap and a selection of photos from the event here…
Words and photos by Tim Tait, Gregg Dunham, Damian Wallner, and Ryan McKee
After more than a decade hiatus, The Grand Loop Race is officially back. Ask those new to bikepacking about The Grand Loop Race, or GLR, and they may respond with a blank stare. Seemingly vanishing off the map, The Grand Loop Race can be directly attributed to inspiring the Tour Divide, Colorado Trail Race, and the Arizona Trail Race.
In the early 1990s, the Colorado Plateau Mountain Bike Association (COPMOBA) set out to establish multiple long-distance mountain bike trails in Southwest Colorado and Utah. Because of this effort, the Tabeguache Trail, the Kokopelli Trail, and the Paradox Trail were born. Established long before modern-day singletrack, these trails leverage the labyrinth of existing dirt roads and doubletrack found across the region—most remnants of historical mining booms.
Don’t be fooled, though. While the amount of singletrack is small, these trails still boast technical riding through chunky 4×4 roads and mandatory hiking. The 365 miles of the Grand Loop bring all three of these trails together into a single experience, taking the rider through an ever-changing range of ecosystems with expansive and breathtaking views. Elevations range from 4,500 feet in the heart of the Utah desert on the Kokopelli Trail up to 10,000 feet in the deep forests of the Uncompahgre Plateau.
The Grand Loop route piqued the interest of the endurance athletes of the day to challenge themselves to complete the loop in a self-supported fashion, and the Grand Loop Race was born, becoming one the main events in the then small ultra-bikepacking community. A handshake agreement to be self-reliant, complete the loop as fast as possible, no prizes. Renegades!
Fast forward 30 years to a sunny June morning in Nucla, Colorado, where 14 bikepackers gathered to embark on the Grand Loop Race, starting on the Paradox Trail and following a clockwise route. Intimidating is an understatement, with the first resupply 200 miles away in Fruita, several days of challenging riding from the start.
The weather seemed favorable, with a slight chill in the air and no signs of rain. But the Grand Loop is a hard one to time right; late spring and early summer means seasonal water sources may still be available, but snow could still be present up high on the plateau. Usually, early June offers the best opportunity to both beat the heat and avoid major snow, but this year’s record-breaking snowfall in Southwest Colorado had everyone anxiously monitoring the SNOTEL reports from the Uncompahgre.
This year, the higher elevation sections of the Tabeguache Trail proved to be impassable, diverting riders to main county roads and keeping the list of Grand Loop finishes at its historical numbers. This is not the first time that attempts to complete the full loop have been thwarted by impassible conditions. As riders rolled back into Nucla after several days, Paul Koski (creator of the Paradox Trail) let us know that only a “fun loop” was completed.
The official finisher lists of the Grand Loop Race is quite short, likely less than 25 finishers over the 20+ years it’s been in existence. The Grand Depart will again be in Nucla in 2024. Stay tuned for further details!
The Grand Loop 2023 Route
Further Reading
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