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2.2 miles
Distance
323 ft
Climb
-327 ft
Descent
00:21:36
Avg time
-4 ft
Altitude change
6,403 ft
Altitude min
6,696 ft
Altitude max
6,406 ft
Altitude start
6,404 ft
Altitude end
-0%
Grade
-23.3%
Grade max
21.7%
Grade min
1 mile
Distance climb
1 mile
Distance down
138 ft
Distance flat
00:21:36
Avg time
Nelson Loop Details
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Activities
- Mountain Bike
- Hike
- Trail Running
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Riding AreaHall Ranch
Lyons, Colorado -
Difficulty Rating
-
Voted DifficultyBlue (1 vote)
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Local Popularity100 in Mountain Biking [+]
- 65 in Trail Running
- 45 in Hiking
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Global Ranking
-
State Ranking
-
Trail TypeSingletrack
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Bike TypeAM, XC, Fat
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DirectionBoth DirectionsPopular Direction Shown
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Climb DifficultyBlue
-
Physical RatingModerate
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Family FriendlyYes
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eBike Allowed
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Land OwnerBoulder County Parks & Open Space
Nelson loop is when the fun descending of Hall Ranch begins Climb all the way up to Nelson loop and prepare for a fast descent the entire way down! This trail is a bi-directional loop but is best when ridden in a clockwise direction. If it has rained or snowed recently this trail tends to get closed easily due to mud.
Access Info
Starting Monday, April 14, 2025 Nelson (clockwise for half a mile) will be closed for bridge maintenance. The project is expected to be completed in three weeks.
Trail Supporters
Outside FestivalSponsor
Local Trail Association
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-
Please consider joining or donating to the local trail association to supportDonate to earn trail karma!
trail development & maintenance.
Traditionally Indigenous Territory
Recent Activity on Trail
Past Week
- 19 rides
- 12 miles average
6 Months
- 354 rides
- 12 miles avg distance
All
- 1,857 rides
- Last: Oct 3, 2026
| c1 | c2 | c3 | c4 |
|---|---|---|---|
January | February | March | April |
May | June | July | August |
September | October | November | December |
Nelson Loop Trail Reports
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Trail Conditions
- Unknown
- Snow Groomed
- Snow Packed
- Snow Covered
- Snow Cover Partial
- Freeze/thaw Cycle
- Icy
- Prevalent Mud
- Wet
- Variable
- Ideal
- Dry
- Very Dry
Trail Flow (Ridden Direction)
Trailforks scans users activity logs to determine the most popular direction each trail is ridden. A good flowing trail network will have most trails flowing in a single direction according to their intension.
The colour categories are based on what percentage of users are riding a trail in its intended direction.
The colour categories are based on what percentage of users are riding a trail in its intended direction.
- > 96%
- > 90%
- > 80%
- > 70%
- > 50%
- < 50%
- bi-directional trail
- no data
Trail Last Used
Trailforks scans activity logs to determine the last time a trail was ridden.
- < 2 days
- < 1 week
- < 2 weeks
- < 1 month
- < 6 months
- > 6 months
Trail Ridden Direction
The intended direction a trail should be ridden.
- Downhill Only
- Downhill Primary
- Both Directions
- Uphill Primary
- Uphill Only
- One Direction
Contribute Details
Colors indicate trail is missing specified detail.
- Description
- Photos
- Description & Photos
- Videos
Trail Popularity ?
Trailforks scans activity logs to determine which trails are ridden the most in the last 9 months.
Trails are compared with nearby trails in the same city region with a possible 25 colour shades.
Think of this as a heatmap, more activities = more kinetic energy = warmer colors.
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- popular
- less popular
- not popular
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Activity Recordings
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Activity Recordings
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Trails are colored based on popularity. The more popular a trail is, the more red. Less popular trails trend towards green.
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BC Backroad Status
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Slope Aspect
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Directions to nelson-loop trailhead
(40.226600, -105.322890)
Photos
35 more »
Videos
6 more »
mtb
9:03 |
77 |
May 13, 2025 , Lyons
mtb
3:13 |
312 |
Jun 8, 2023 , Lyons
mtb
22:20 |
390 |
Aug 8, 2022 , Lyons
Routes with this trail
★ 4.0 • 9 miles • 1,547 ft • 8 •
Flow line at Hall Ranch. Lots of fun to be had by all!
Hall Ranch Technical Side Featured
★ 5.0 • 10 miles • 1,594 ft • 6 • Out & Back •
Tackling Hall Ranch up Lower Bitterbrush aka "The Rock Garden" bumps this intermediate/advanced area into...
Hall Ranch: Intermediate Fun Featured
★ 4.4 • 7 miles • 1,191 ft • 5 • Out & Back •
This is an great alternative if you're not up to the black diamond Lower Bitterbrush challenge. It's...
3 Reviews & Comments
BearsMTB
I agree with the others. This is a very flowy trail with fast downhills. Speeds above 20 mph are easily possible! This is a great section for beginners because of the lack of rocks. The climb is very steep in a few parts so expect beginners and some intermediate riders to walk their bikes in a few sections. Check out my youtube video if you want to see the full trail! It will skip automatically to the start of Nelson Loop: https://youtu.be/aVmrf4V97oc?t=355
markymarkindenver
Excellent trail for the beginner to intermediate rider. Mostly easy climbing and great descent. Heads up: BoCo had all traffic going directional Clockwise on the day I rode, so keep your eyes peeled for a sign directing traffic at the top of Upper Bitterbrush where the park bench is.
MintyMagic
Nice fluid climbing, fun decents. Great trail with views of Longs Peak
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Nearby Trails
- Lower Bitterbrush 5,243 ft
- Upper Bitterbrush 1 mile
- Antelope 1 mile
- Bitterbrush Connector 2 miles
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- By todd
Trailforks & contributors - #13703 - 7,724 views
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