Handlebar view on the easy campground loops. Photos and trail review by Bruce on October 28, 2015. Updated May 2017.
Horsethief Campground Trails
Wrangler and Rowdy Loops, and a bit of the Chisholm TrailThe Horsethief Campground lies just off Highway 313 (the route to
Dead
Horse Point
) around 11 miles from US 191. Along the southern border of
the camping area are two short and easy mountain bike loops, Wrangler and
Rowdy. Also passing near the
campground and connecting to these loops is the
Chisholm
Trail
-- which connects across Highway 313 to the
Mustang Loop
and the other
Horsethief
Area trails
and to
Big Lonely
of the
Navajo Rocks Loop in the north -- and the
Rodeo
trail.
These trails are great for beginners. On Wrangler in particular, the trail is firm, flat and
smooth with plenty of clearance. This loop is the superb for small kids.
At an altitude of
around 5800 feet, the riding season is April through November.
Looking east on the southern limb of the easier Wrangler Loop.
On the far east side of the Rowdy loop, we're riding north (toward the campground) on slickrock. To continue the loop, we'll fork left at the sign.
There are three access points to the loop trails from the campground, but these should be reserved
for campers. Riders who are coming in for the day should start from small
Chisholm trailhead
parking spot (on your left shortly after turning off the highway toward
the campground) and
take Chisholm south then west to the campground trials. You can also use
the Highway 313 (Chisholm)
trailhead and ride one mile to the loops.
Access for non-campers via the Chisholm Trail
Starting southbound on Chisholm from the mountain bike parking lot.
The
Chisholm Trail
passes by Horsethief Campground, with an alternate path that goes through the campground. The
West Horsethief (Chisholm) trailhead is on the road to the campground,
on the left 1/10th mile
after turning off 313.
From the trailhead parking, pedal south
(away from the gravel road) 0.1 mile. When you reach the trail sign on
slickrock, turn right (west) downhill and follow the green stripes another
0.1 mile to the Rowdy/
Rodeo
fork.
If you're staying in the campground, there are spurs from
the camping loops to Rowdy and Wrangler. (You can also get on northbound
Chisholm by
pedaling out the main campground entry road and straight across to
singletrack. This connector trail joins Chisholm in around 100 feet. See
the
Chisholm Trail page
for details on other rides using Chisholm.)
In the campground, Rowdy starts at the far southeastern corner of the east camping loop
We're in the north end of the parking area of the trailhead on Highway 313, looking east. To get to the campground trails, we'll turn around and cross the road.
If you're starting from the main Chisholm (Horsethief Area) trailhead on the east side of Highway
313, you'll ride 1.1 miles to reach the loops. Start by crossing the road
heading west.
The trail has a barely perceptible downslope as it winds toward the campground. The track will
alternate between dirt and slickrock. In slickrock areas, the trail is
marked with pale green
stripes on the rock.
You'll reach a fork after 0.9 miles, with a trail sign bolted to slickrock. Here the campground
spur veers left downhill (easy to ride past, because once you reach the
sign you've gone 20
feet past the trail fork). After another 1/10th mile, you'll reach the
Rowdy Loop.
On slickrock areas, the trail is marked with pale green stripes.
View south where the spur to Wrangler leaves the far end of the western camping loop.
The Wrangler Loop is the easiest trail in the area, suitable for true beginners and kids. It's
0.7 miles around the loop with virtually no elevation change.
There are two spurs that connect Wrangler to the campground roads. One is at the far west end
of the western camping loop -- and at the far west end of Wrangler. The
other is at the far
northern edge of the Wrangler Loop, connecting to southwestern corner
of the east camping loop.
The riding surface is mostly hardpacked dirt. The trees are juniper with an occasional pinion
pine. Shrubs are sage, Brigham Tea, and bitterbrush.
Riding east (clockwise) on the northern half of the Wrangler loop. The trail goes past the rock outcrop, not over it.
Looking west on the southern side of the loop as the trail crosses a slickrock area.
On the slickrock spots, the trail is marked with pale blue paint stripes. The slickrock areas
are smooth and flat. There's nothing tricky here.
At the eastern end of the Wrangler loop, a spur takes you through a metal gate to the Rowdy
Loop.
The trail passes through a gentle slope on the southern side of the loop.
Looking south (toward the Rowdy Loop from the eastern end of the Wrangler loop) as we pass through the gate between the two trail loops.
The Rowdy Loop has a couple of ledges and a bit of gentle rolling dirt path, so it's a tiny
bit more difficult than Wrangler. But it's still a very easy 0.5 miles.
The southern side of the Rowdy Loop is the easiest. There are two sets of ledges on the northern
side -- easy for experienced intermediates, but enough to make kids and
beginners nervous.
Riding the loop counterclockwise puts these ledges on the downhill.
Westbound (riding counterclockwise) on the northern side of Rowdy, we're approaching a one-foot drop.
View west on the southern side of the Rowdy Loop as we pass over slickrock. The trail is marked with pinkish-orange stripes.
The riding surface alternates between slickrock and hardpack dirt. There's plenty of room for
newbies to bobble around.
The eastern loop connects to the campground roads only through Wrangler or via the Chisholm
trail spur. (The eastern side of Rowdy shares 100 feet of trail with the
spur from Chisholm.)
Chisholm
would be your connector from the campground to
Rodeo
,
Mustang
and the main
Horsethief
Area trails
, or to
Navajo Rocks
via northbound Chisholm.
We're heading clockwise on northern Rowdy. This is one of two spots that make me recommend you go counterclockwise. This short bumpy climb is very do-able by intermediates but will make beginners get off the bike to walk. Going counterclockwise puts it on the downhill.
Rolling east (counterclockwise) on the southern side of Rowdy.
At the far east end of Rowdy, the southern side of the loop connects to
Chisholm
and
Rodeo
at a 4-way intersection. If you're going counterclockwise, fork right to continue the loop.
Then after 100 feet, fork right again for Rowdy north, or keep straight
to continue to the
campground.
Ride from Highway 313 (Chisholm):
0.0 Left from parking, cross road
N38 34.859 W109 47.868
1.0 Keep R (L = Rowdy return)
N38 35.014 W109 48.518
100 feet, then L (R = to CG,
E
loop)
N38 35.023 W109 48.567
1.2 R through gate N38 34.969 W109 48.739
20 feet, then keep R on
Wrangler
1.3 Keep L (R = to CG, SW E loop)
N38 35.017 W109 48.811
1.6 Keep L (R = to CG, W loop)
N38 34.939 W109 49.026
2.0 Finish Wrangler, fork R
N38 34.975 W109 48.743
through gate to Rowdy, keep
R
2.3 R on Chisholm
N38 35.014 W109 48.518
3.2 Back at highway parking
Aerial view of the Horsethief Campground area.
Getting there:From I-70 and Crescent Junction, drive south on US-191 for 20 miles (about
9 miles north of the Colorado River if you're driving out from Moab) to
Highway 313. Drive uphill 11 miles.
Horsethief Campground Road Trailhead: Turn left on gravel
road at the campground sign 11.8 miles from Highway
191. After 0.1 miles, turn left into the fenced parking area. Pedal south
on Chisholm 0.1 miles, then fork right and go another 0.1 miles to Rowdy.
From the Campground: Use the campground connectors ONLY if you're camping.
The CG entry is 0.3 miles down the gravel road, on the left. From your camp spot, pedal around either
campground loop. You'll find a marked trail entry at the far end of either the
eastern or western camping loops, and at the southwest corner of the
eastern loop.
Highway 313 Horsethief Area (Chisholm) Trailhead: At mile 12.5, spot the
trailhead kiosk on the left side of the road. Turn into parking. Start the
ride to the campground loops by taking the
Chisholm singletrack westbound
across the road.
Bathrooms: Horsethief Campground Water: Horsethief Campground Camping: Developed campground,
nightly fee
