After about a mile on the Orange Trail, the loop forks right on the Blue Trail, as the Orange Trail continues south towards Temple Mountain. The Blue Trail takes you back to the main gravel road, where you make a high-speed cruise back to your car.

Many climbs are difficult, because loose sandy dirt sucks your momentum before you can hit the ledges. Some are simply too steep to ride. This trail originated as a trials motocross trail -- for advanced motorheads -- so it's almost impossible to ride everything on a bike.

On the Red Trail, the riding surface is Coconino sandstone. Although a tad smoother in grain than the Navajo sandstone of Slickrock, Coconino has cross-hatching "ribs" that create lots of ledges and rough spots. Many climbs are extreme, intended for trials motocross.

While there are a gazillion small ledges, you don't have to take big air on descents. But many of the downhill spots are spooky-steep and rough, yet require a fair amount of speed because of upward-facing ledges. We think this is fun stuff.

While there are a lot of tricky spots on the Red Trail, Cement Hill will stick in your mind. This is a steep, rough descent on sandstone, dropping into the bottom of Iron Wash. Take a deep breath and go for it. It's very rideable.

The mesa areas are covered with a soft yellow dirt, with bits of broken rock (including geodes) lying on top. There's sage brush, juniper, desert plume, and pinion pine. This veneer is supported by a thin layer of Kiabab Limestone. Where the limestone has eroded away, the underlying Coconino Sandstone rapidly breaks up into hundreds of rough tiny valleys. Sand fills the bottom of each small wash. Pinion pines cling to life in cracks in the rock.

The dirt of the Blue Trail feels like glue under your tires. You'll tend to sink in a little -- not enough to bog down -- and work extra hard to keep the bike cruising. Although you gain only 700 feet in 6 miles, you'll feel the burn in your thighs. Think of this section as a "toning and conditioning" ride.

This trail is remote. Although the trail seems well-traveled and easy to follow, you won't see many fellow bikers here. (Coming back to the Red Trail 10 days after a previous visit, my tire tracks were the most recent!) If you're riding alone and can't get yourself back to your vehicle, you'll probably die. When you bike the San Rafael, you must be prepared with adequate water, food, emergency tools and supplies -- and a biking buddy.

Getting there:  On US-6 approaching Green River, turn right (westbound) on I-70. Drive 25 miles and exit at Ranch Exit 131. (Note: this exit was numbered 129 until a few years ago, and is still shown that way on most maps.) Turn left under the freeway, then veer right with the road. Keep straight at all intersections. Note a first cattle guard at mile 3.2. After crossing a second cattle guard at 6.7, descend and turn left on a small road at mile 7.6. Park on the left 0.1 mile down the road, just before the wash, N 38° 47.340' W 110° 42.583'. Begin the ride by continuing on the road.