Name: Holy Cross
Rating: 4.6

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Mostly ridden downhill. Don't attempt uphill on weekends or busy days/times

Overview

With too much pedaling to qualify as a downhill trail, Holy Cross is one of the finest, and most challenging purpose-built mountain bike trails in the Grand Valley. It's second only to perhaps Moore Fun in technical difficulty combined with physical exertion.

The trail can humble even the most advanced riders with its tight, technical requirements and line commitment. However, the trail can and should be attempted by those riders wishing to measure their skills against a higher watermark. After all, every mountain bike trail is also a hiking trail!

Description

From the Tabeguache trailhead, climb Tabeguache Trail to the base of Widow maker Hill. Holy Cross begins on the left (east) side of the small plateau at the base of the hill. (There is an excellent, primordial, blessing of a flat rock sticking up out of the ground at the intersection which provides respite from the desert sun).

Begin east on Holy Cross, passing Prenup after a few hundred yards on the right. Holy Cross is uninterrupted from this junction to Holy Bucket. Begin what initially has the feel of a technical flow trail before entering a technical up an down adjacent to a cliff on the right.

After this unnerving section of trail, Holy Cross climbs and descends through a series of unrelenting physical, technical and mental challenges all the way to Holy Bucket trail at a fork on the right.

Continue left at this junction, at which point most of the technical fun is behind and ride to another trail junction with Clunker on the right. Climb left at this intersection to Coyote Ridge Trail near the intersections with Miramonte, Miramonte Rim, Ali Ali Loop, and Ali Alley trails, and the terminus of Holy Cross.

To return to the Tabeguache trailhead, take Ali Alley to Raven Ridge. Go right and descend Curt's Lane.