Zeni’s Trail

Legacy singletrack out to a rocky 360-degree overlook

Zeni’s is old-school New Castle — user-built singletrack that predates the official network and got formalized in the 2017 BLM plan. Over its 1.1 miles the trail trades climbing and descending in roughly equal measure, threading red dirt through pinion, juniper, and scrub oak that goes gold in October. The payoff is a rocky outcrop near the high point where the trees open completely: Colorado River valley one way, the red-striped flanks of the Grand Hogback another, town rooftops below. It’s a legit 360, the kind of spot where every ride stalls out for a few minutes. The climbs are short but honest, punchy enough to spike your heart rate before handing you back a fast, flowy stretch.

It rides well in both directions, which isn’t true of most trails up here. Fold it into a bigger Colorow day, or ride it alone when you’ve got half an hour and want climbing, descending, and a view in one package. The tread is narrow classic singletrack rather than machine-built flow — expect embedded rock, tight trees, and the occasional deadfall after a windstorm. Evening laps are the local move; the high point faces the sunset.

The high point is a whitish granite-and-quartz outcrop crusted with orange lichen — a genuine 360 where every ride stalls out, the red-striped Grand Hogback one way and snow-capped peaks beyond. Kids ride to the top, and dusk laps up here are a thing. Expect some rutted erosion on the steeper pitches, and fresh chainsaw rounds and survey flagging where crews have cleared deadfall. Snow sits on the north-facing tread well into the cold months.

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