The trail can be used as a climbing route to the top of the Magnificent 7 trail system. This will be a big ride, reserved for stronger riders. After climbing 7-Up, descend via any combination of the downhill trails to the bottom of Little Canyon , then exit via the Gemini Bridges Road to complete a loop. Depending on your choice of trails, this will be 30 to 35 miles.

It's also possible to climb 7-Up then do the entire Mag 7 (including the climb up Gold Bar and the long traverse on Golden Spike ). The ride would end by closing the loop on pavement. This is a huge ride (circa 50 miles with brutal amounts of climbing) requiring lots of time, water, calories, and thigh. (So far, I haven't been man enough to do it.)

Most riders are shuttling to the top of the Mag 7 then descending 7-Up. In fact, the trail signs containing maps all aim uphill. So maybe it should have been named 7-Down.

The starting altitude is 4900 feet; top height is 5800. Because of up-and-down riding, total climbing for the ten miles of dirt will be 1400 vertical feet. Highway 313 turns off of 191 at an altitude of 4500 feet. The full uphill route from 191 to the Bull Run Trailhead will be 14.2 miles (4.1 on pavement) with 1800 feet of climbing.

Once you've found it, the trail is very well marked. There are carsonite posts at every trail fork, and the route is painted with blue stripes on the rock. At the top, you'll find the trail on the left side of the small parking area of the Bull Run trailhead on the Gemini Bridges Road.

For those who plan to climb the trail, it's a bit harder to find. It turns off Highway 313 just at the end of the second hairpin turn (you'll know the turn when you see it). It's just after the road climbs steeply through a cut in the rock cliff and about 1/4 mile before the Monitor and Merrimac viewpoint turnoff. There were no signs or markers of any kind as the trail leaves the south side of the road (left if pedaling uphill).

When climbing 7-Up, I suggest you start from Highway 191 and include the 4 miles of Highway 313. Park in the large gravel area at the fork of 313 off 191. Do NOT park along the road where the trail starts! The broad paved shoulder of 313 (to the side of the solid white line) is a BIKE LANE, not a parking strip. (May a roadie pee on your car if you park there.) Also please reserve the parking in the view area (just uphill) for those who are visiting. There's room to park downhill from the trail along the cliff between the hairpin turns (right side of the road as you're heading uphill), but again, make sure you aren't blocking the bike lane.

So let's assume you started from 191. At mile 4.1, just as the road begins to straight out from the second hairpin turn, you'll spot a flattish slickrock area on the left side of the road. Pedal over to the left side of the road at the spot where the rock seems to come closest to the pavement. Look for the tire tracks of downhillers as they've left the rock to join the road. Drop onto the open rock. Pedal straight west on faith for about 200 feet, and you'll begin to see a few cairns and some blue spots on the rock up ahead. Now you've found the trail.

At mile 6.9 (mile 2.8 from 313), fork R as your route hits a DT at 90 degrees.
At 8.2, you'll notice white stripes alongside the blue. A bit later, these routes split. Follow the blue stripes down the rock. (The white striped route rejoins later -- and looks easy -- but hits some soul-sucking sand. Don't go there.) You're now on your first ST section of 0.6 miles.

At mile 8.8, the trail drops back onto the DT. Keep straight and uphill.

A bit later, you'll note another white-blue trail fork. The white-paint route (hard right) is DT that extends north a mile back to 313 and the Navajo Rocks trailhead. Bail out here if you need to. Otherwise, straight ahead to the blue stripes. You've now done half of the dirt and rock.

At mile 10.6, there's another DT fork. Follow the sign and fork left. Then just 1/4 mile later, head right onto ST. This will be a short (1/2 mile) but fun section that rejoins the DT downhill.

At mile 11.3, turn right on the DT. Climb again and enjoy the views. There are cliffs to the right and views across Seven Mile Canyon to Monitor and Merrimac on your left.
At mile 12.2, you've reached a critical DT fork. Straight ahead is a DT shortcut that connects directly to Getaway. Use this option for a shorter boring ride. Instead, turn 90 degrees right.

At mile 12.4, the trail veers left to ST. No more DT for the next 1.8 miles.
This is the best section of the trail. Soon you'll be along the cliffs of a fork of Seven Mile Canyon.

Cliffs in the Entrada sandstone drop off on the left side of the trail. The riding gets a bit more technical, but never too tricky.
After heading around the top of the canyon, you'll follow the opposite side for a while before turning toward the Gemini Bridges Road.

The trail crosses the Gemini Bridges Road at mile 14.1. (Option: At mile 14, you can fork downhill on Getaway as your descending route.) Go straight across to ST.
Continue another 1/10 mile to the Bull Run trailhead. To your right is the connection from parking to the Gemini Bridges Road. Straight ahead is the Bull Run trail.

Here are your options now:
(1) Bail. Climb up the road to 313, then coast back on pavement.
(2) Retrace. Descend 7-Up.
(3) Bull Run Descend for a loop ride (see below).
(4) Getaway Alternate to the Mag 7. Crosses 7-up just before it hits the the Gemini Bridges Road.
(5) Gemini Bridges Road downhill. Another version of Bail.

Here are your two loop options (see by-mile descriptions detailed below). Total climbing will be about 2500 by either route. It's not all downhill from here. Just when you're totally trashed, out of water and calories, you'll have to climb up and over the Moenkopi skirts of the cliffs at the end of the Gemini Bridges Road.

The Mag 7 route is 30 miles. As you finish 7-Up, cross the parking to Bull Run Descend all of Bull Run. Turn downhill on Gemini Bridges Road Take a hike to the Bridges. A bit downhill, turn left onto Arth's Corner singletrack. Follow Arth's to Little Canyon singletrack Keep going downhill to the Gold Bar 4x4 road and drop downhill. Turn right on Gemini Bridges and pedal out to the paved trail along 191 to close the loop.

The Getaway route uses the alternate trails. Instead of going to the Bull Run trailhead, turn downhill on Getaway when it crosses 7-up. Descend about 6 fun miles on the Getaway singletrack. Connect from Getaway directly across the road to Great Escape At the bottom of Great Escape, turn right on Little Canyon ST , then connect to Gemini Bridges road via Gold Bar as above. This version is 31.5 miles.

Bottom Line!
This trail is worth doing as a climbing route. But if you're just out for a bit of peddling fun, there are better (singletrack) rides in the area. 7-up has very nice and almost constant views. I recommend the loop rides, but only for very strong intermediate to advanced riders. I don't know why you'd want to do 7-Up as a shuttled downhill, because the Mag 7 trails are so much more fun.

See the Getaway page for more information about the loop ride.

Getting there:
Southbound from I-70:From Crescent Junction, drive south on US-191 for 20 miles. For the loop ride, park on the large gravel area right where 313 forks to your right off 191.
Northbound from Moab: Drive about 9 miles north of the Colorado River on Highway 191 to Highway 313. For the loop ride, park right along 191 and start riding west on 313.
Upper trailhead for downhill: Drive 13 miles on 313 to the Gemini Bridges sign and turn left onto dirt road N38 34.390 W109 47.548. Find a spot to unload there, or descend just over a mile down the road to the Bull Run trailhead on your right. 7-Up is on the left as you enter the parking zone.
Bathrooms: No
Water: None on trail or at TH (convenience store across 191 from 313)
Camping: Horsetheif CG; Dead Horse Point