Half Time

Quick red-dirt connector through Colorow’s pinion and sage

Two-thirds of a mile of red dirt winding through pinion, juniper, and open sage on the Colorow plateau. Half Time exists to connect things — it links the network’s climbs and descents so you can build a loop of whatever length the evening allows, and with barely 80 feet of gain in either direction it rides fast both ways. The tread is classic Colorow: smooth, tacky red dirt with just enough curve through the trees to keep you working the bike. Group rides stack up here at golden hour, when the sage flats catch the last light and the sky over the valley goes pink.

Use it to reach Stairway to Heaven or Stevie G’s, or lap it as a quick after-work spin when time’s short. It rides fine in either direction and makes a friendly warm-up before the more committing Colorow descents. For newer riders it’s a good first taste of the area: flat enough to be forgiving, twisty enough to stay interesting. Give the red clay a day to dry after a storm.

What the stats miss is the light. Evening group rides — a half-dozen-plus, kids included — stack up at the junction, and the plateau rim frames a long sunset look into banded canyon walls, with the moon coming up through the juniper silhouettes as you finish. The corridor is sculptural old-growth pinyon and juniper, silver skeletons and all. Tread runs from deep red clay to chalky pink-tan hardpack with a few embedded-cobble stretches, so give it a day after a storm — the shaded bends hold snow and the red clay rides muddy at the edges into spring.

More on this trail: View on MTB Project → (original description contributed by community members on MTB Project)