Dogs Unknown
Features
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Runner Notes
Running this trail west of
Winding Stairs Connector is easy and fun. Running the ridge singletrack east of
Inlet Trail is also a blast. But, the slope and rock-riddled terrain between those points is quite difficult to "run". Descending the
Winding Stairs Connector is another option but it would be annoying due to poor traction with steep sections.
Description
The start of the Winding Stairs Trail can be accessed from the
Swank Trail. You then follow a nice, rolling ridge as it curves westward. There are some nice views of Devil's Thumb to the north. You'll pass the junction for the
Inlet Trail, a connector that drops back to the valley; this is an option out of the full loop. It is easy to miss this junction, look for markings carved into two trees just before the trail begins a 3/4 mile climb.
Ascend about 1/2 mile from the
Inlet Trail junction to a boulder outcropping. It is not obvious how to get through the boulders. Do not go right/north. Stay on ridge and find a gap with a tree growing in it - yes, right through there. You could go left, dropping from ridge to bypass boulders, but it is annoying, and you would miss an amazing feature.
Ascend another 1/4 mile to an intersection with the
Winding Stairs Connector on your left. There are campsites, boulders and big views to see. The climb on the singletrack along the ridge is intermediate, sometimes difficult, but the majority of Winding Stairs (west of the junction with
Winding Stairs Connector) is easy 4WD road.
Once on top, at the junction with
Winding Stairs Connector , the trail is a 4WD access road to Rampart Range and eventually ends at a T-intersection with a dirt USFS road. The original Winding Stairs trail followed the
Winding Stairs Connector down to the valley but that segment is heavily eroded and seems to have been closed as a 4WD option.
If running eastbound the "connector" looks like the main trail and it is very easy to miss the "new" Winding Stairs route, which branches to the left instead of descending the old 4WD route.
Contacts
Shared By:
Scott Todd
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