Name: Boggy Draw Loop
Rating: 4.0

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Dogs Off-leash

E-Bikes Not Allowed

No E-bikes allowed.

Overview

The Boggy Draw loop is the core of the Boggy Draw trail system. It is just under 9 miles of generally smooth, flowing singletrack. Boggy Draw is a great place to ride in the heat of the summer as it is mostly shaded and cooler than other local rides like Phil's World.

Need to Know

Cattle grazing is prevalent in the Boggy Draw area. The cows usually arrive towards the end of May and stick around until July. Most fence crossings have a ride over crossing but there are a couple of gates. Please leave them as you find them to respect the local ranchers. Be prepared to splash a few cow pies.

There are several small ponds along this ride that generally hold water, making it pretty dog friendly.

Description

The Boggy Draw loop starts a few miles up the hill from the town of Dolores in a signed trailhead parking lot. There is a kiosk near the parking lot with a trail map showing the various recreation trails in the area. To access the main Boggy Draw loop, continue East on County Rd W out of the parking lot for a couple hundred yards and take the signed singletrack on the right.

Once on the singletrack, follow it through some good camp sites and across a small dam. There is often wildlife including ducks, geese, frogs, and songbirds around the pond on the backside of this dam. Shortly after the pond you'll encounter a signed intersection with the Mavericks Loop trail. Stay left to continue on the Boggy Draw loop.

The trail rolls through the cool Ponderosa forest for a while with a few forest service road crossings. The trail is obvious at all of these crossings and should not cause any confusion.

Near mile 3 you'll cross the main county road again and begin a slight descent that flows really well. The trail then turns up for a short climb that will get your heart rate back up but is not terribly difficult. At the top of the climb, go through the cattle gate and drop into another slight descent that has a few small rocky areas.

Continuing on the singletrack takes you by a couple more small ponds and across an open meadow back into the trees. There is another signed intersection with the Bean Canyon Loop here. Stay left again and ride through a previously logged area. Another intersection with the exit of the Bean Canyon Loop comes in from the right, but stay left to get back to the parking lot.

Ride across the big meadow and follow the singletrack right back to the parking lot where you started.

History & Background

The Boggy Draw loop is the original trail in the Boggy Draw network. Much of this trail was built by linking together cow paths created by the cattle that graze here every summer. Eventually, the Mavericks trail was added along with the Bean Canyon Loop and Italian Canyon Loop. There is now over 30 miles of singletrack in the network with many more miles proposed. A new connector trail to access the network from Dolores without riding up the road has finally been approved. Construction is expected to start in 2014.
The trails are mostly maintained by the Kokopelli Bike Club.