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Walrod Cutoff -> Waterfall Cutoff Loop

Mountain Biking Trail

Hard
18.57 mi
3,502 ft
A challenging, under-the-radar backcountry ride.

This loop in the Cement Creek zone mashes up a few popular trails with a little-ridden singletrack gem that's totally legal but stays well under the radar. Part of the reason this trail, Waterfall Cutoff, stays under the radar is that this loop demands a challenging 3,500 feet of climbing with plenty of hike-a-bike mixed in—enough to scare away plenty of riders.

The route begins on the beautiful Walrod Cutoff trail, providing the first section of climbing through stunning fields of wildflowers in the early summer. After turning onto Point Lookout, the climbing continues in earnest, and you can expect to see more people during this middle section of the ride. Even though you'll be suffering, the views from this beautiful trail are absolutely stunning, with incredible vistas toward Mount Crested Butte and beyond.

After dropping down some burly motoed out singletrack on Doubletop, you'll connect into the faint Waterfall Cutoff trail. The turn onto the grassy singletrack can be difficult to spot, as it's a bit hidden to help keep the motorcycles off of it. Be sure to download this map for offline use so that you can reference it and find the turn correctly. Once you're several yards into the trail, you'll spot a trail sign that will indicate you that you're heading in the right direction.

This remote singletrack gem is absolutely gorgeous, traversing through stunning aspen groves, alpine meadows, and exposed cliffside singletrack. The descents are fast and furious, but you'll still have to pay with a few short but steep climbs. The trail itself is narrow and somewhat overgrown in places, but it's still quite rideable. This old-school trail is what mountain biking used to be: adventuring deep into the mountains on faint trails, seeing how far you could push both your bike and your body! Written by Greg Heil
Created By
Strava Routes

Route and Elevation

Segments

NameDistanceElev. Diff.Avg. Grade
Walrod to cutoff0.63 mi233 ft6.9%
Walrod Gulch to Cave Trail2.15 mi738 ft6.5%
Walrod to top of 4092.77 mi1,178 ft8.0%
Walrod to Top of Point Lookout5.63 mi1,959 ft6.6%
Walrod Cutoff Climb1.49 mi410 ft5.2%
County Road 740 Climb0.40 mi292 ft13.4%
Top out climb from Caves Intersection0.65 mi449 ft12.9%
Point Lookout up2.12 mi837 ft7.5%
Point Lookout Climb (with margins)2.02 mi820 ft7.7%
County Road 740 Climb1.67 mi574 ft6.5%
Short and Steep Doubletop DH from Point Lookout0.33 mi-190 ft-10.9%
405.2A DH to Hidden Junction with Waterfall Cutoff0.90 mi-430 ft-8.9%
County Road 740 Climb0.36 mi292 ft15.3%
Waterfall Cutoff Trail 6383.46 mi-640 ft-3.2%
Waterfall Cutoff, First DH from Overlook0.41 mi-226 ft-10.3%
Waterfall Cutoff, Second DH to End0.72 mi-308 ft-8.0%
Warm Springs Climb0.26 mi203 ft14.4%
Up Warm Springs down Stumpjumper1.42 mi-482 ft-3.6%
Middle Cement - WS-LC minus stop0.86 mi-417 ft-9.1%
Meadow Jaunt0.40 mi-135 ft-6.3%
Middle Cement - Warm Springs to Lower Cement0.85 mi-417 ft-9.2%
Stump to Chunk0.22 mi-121 ft-10.2%
Lower Cement-Campground to Walrod Gulch1.02 mi-148 ft-2.0%