Paradox Trail Loop

Gateway, John Brown Canyon, Moab-Gateway Road, Taylor Flats, Buckeye Reservoir, Carpenter Ridge, CO141 at Biscuit Rock, Gateway. Loop Distance: about 85 miles, maybe 50 or more unpaved (the thirty-some canyon miles back to Gateway on CO141 is one of Colorado's finest pavement rides).

June 16, 2007: A week earlier I first rode the Taylor Flats road connection between Paradox and the Moab-Gateway road. It was remote and beautiful but I didn't have my camera (brief narrative at bottom of page). I returned to ride this loop the opposite direction and take pictures. A chance encounter with a long-time area resident inspired me to change my course at Buckeye Reservoir and ride Carpenter Ridge on the east side of Paradox Valley, then connecting roads to CO 141 near Biscuit Rock, a few miles north of Uravan. Thus were introduced new elements of adventure: mystery (there were many intersections and I didn't know the roads) and danger (some of it was steep and rough, no place for an old man riding alone on a big heavy motorcycle.) Fortunately I made it without dropping the bike.

NOTE: This is a very scenic route. I would rate all of this route easy for a KLR650 or DR650. I would rate the last few miles moderate to dangerous for bigger, heavier adventure-touring type motorcycles. Obviously such bikes can do it if the rider is confident and experienced at handling heavy motorcycles on rough and steep descents. The bigger and heavier the motorcycle, the more success on such rides depend on the rider's skill and determination. I would not attempt the steep descent on any motorcycle with ABS that can't be disabled. Any experienced rider on any motorcycle with good ground clearance could do all of this ride except the last few miles from Carpenter Ridge to the Dolores River Canyon and CO141. Carpenter Ridge is worth a side trip from Buckeye Reservoir. A final caution: as with most such routes, much of it could be impassable when wet.

Like most such rides nowadays, this one started at the 141 Diner in Gateway Colorado, this time with one of Chef Randy's excellent Denver omelets. From there I took the John Brown Canyon road west, up onto the high plateau near Utah's La Sal Mountains.

Looking back down John Brown Canyon from the upper end, the road barely visible.
The high plateau between John Brown Canyon and Utah's La Sal Mountains.
La Sal Mountains from the Moab-Gateway road, the road visible in the distance.

The Taylor Flats Road is sixteen miles from Gateway on the Moab-Gateway Road. There is a Forest Service sign there mentioning the distance to Gateway and other places but not mentioning the Taylor Flats road which does have a very small sign, of the type used to mark bicycle trails, identifying this the road as the "Paradox Trail." I hoped these signs would mark my route but I soon quit seeing them for many miles and suspect the Paradox trail follows a more primitive route.

This is where you turn onto the Taylor Flats Road although the sign doesn't mention it.
Taylor Flats I presume? I'm only guessing.
The route edges ever closer to the LA Sal Mountains.
Mostly though, the Taylor Flats road is not difficult to follow to Buckeye Reservoir. At one point, descending from the high country near the La Sal Mountains and heading east, the road parallels a mountain stream. As the country begins to level out, the road forks, one fork crossing the stream and continuing on the south side, the Taylor Flats road remaining on the north side of the stream. I remember this as where we took a wrong turn a few weeks ago, ending up, probably, on the Geyser Pass road to be turned back by snow. We came out that ride at the town of La Sal.
Beautiful meadows. No wonder this is ranch country.
The road comes this close to the La Sal Mountains
Forests of aspen and pine provide sharp contrast to the desert soon to come.
When south-bound from the Moab-Gateway road, there is a fork in the road just before Buckeye Reservoir. The road to the right passes the lake and continues on to the town of Paradox. I assumed the road to the left took you only to the other side of the lake. While stopped at the lake to drink a bottle of water, I met a long-time local resident who asked where I had been and where I was headed. I told him where I had been and that I was headed to Paradox. "Have you tried the Carpenter Ridge Road," he asked. I hadn't and didn't know where it was. He described the road as only a local can, in ways a stranger may not understand. Basically he said the road would follow Carpenter Ridge above the east side of Paradox Valley and, if I took the right forks, would come out on CO141 about 4 miles north of Uravan. He said the road was easy but warned of a very steep, loose-rock descent near the end.
I understood generally where this road went and after questioning him more about the condition decided to try it.
Buckeye Reservoir: pretty, remote, not crowded on this non-holiday Saturday.
Paradox Valley and town as seen from Carpenter Ridge looking south.
Paradox Valley and town as seen from Carpenter Ridge looking west. CO90 climbing out.
Along Carpenter Ridge it was a good 2-track road and I was surprised to see another Paradox Trail sign. After the road left the ridge and headed east the condition deteriorated—at least it did on the road I took. There were many intersections, often with both roads looking equally bad. I was told the roads would all be marked after I left Carpenter Ridge. They were: S10, R12, Q13, etc. Meaningless to me. As the descent got serious, the roads got worse, rougher and steeper, usually both at the same place. I ended up descending mostly on Q13.
I only need to get from here to the bottom of that distant canyon.
This road doesn't look like it's used much. It quickly got bad, then worse.
This must be the correct road. It's much better and I see tracks.
For a few miles, Q13 had no tracks, no tracks at all since the last rains. That was a little scary. Q13 may not have been the best choice of roads because near the bottom I came out on a road better than what I had been traveling. Unfortunately, though, the descent I had been warned about was still ahead. I was told trucks had problems going up or down when this was an active mining road.
I'm close. That's the Dolores River and Highway 141. I even see the bridge I need to cross.
This must be Biscuit Rock.
The road just drops off a ledge and reappears as a hairpin 100 feet below.
I made it. The V-Strom didn't quite get away from me and I didn't fall but I'm glad no one was watching. It was good to get safely across CO141 and look back at the bridge I had finally crossed.

I rode home through Gateway, stopping at the Outpost for fuel and the 141 Diner for Iced Tea. Josie informed me she had just baked brownies using the family recipe. What better way to wrap up a good ride than a really good old-fashioned brownie.

— Verle Nelson, Cedaredge Colorado, June 17, 2007
 Paradox Loop, the previous ride. 
Gateway, Uravan, Bedrock, Paradox, Buckeye Reservoir, Taylor Flats, Moab-Gateway Road, John Brown Canyon, Gateway.

June 9, 2007: Short day rides usually don't merit a write-up but this one is an exception because I had never ridden the connecting road that made this ride a loop. This wasn't the first attempt to do this loop and it wasn't my idea. Ken and Mike had tried it once and were turned back by serious mud. I joined Ken and Mike earlier this spring for an attempt but we took the wrong road. I was alone this time and didn't start out to do this loop but it suddenly seemed like a good idea. I guess I got lucky because I never did see where we took a wrong road last time.

This loop started with coffee and a delightful home-baked brownie at the 141 Diner in Gateway. The loop, about 110 miles from Gateway to Gateway, partly in Colorado, partly in Utah, varies from red rock desert to ponderosa pine and aspen forest. It's very pretty and remote with about half the distance unpaved.

After a quick trip to Uravan on CO141 with unusually light traffic, I followed the unpaved road along the Dolores River to Bedrock, CO90 to Paradox, and the road up out of Paradox Valley to Buckeye Reservoir and on towards Taylor Flats. The intention was always to take the Taylor Flats road and maybe I did or maybe I didn't. I saw a sign once that said Taylor Flats 9 miles but I came to intersections after that where I could only guess which way to go. I knew the La Sal Mountains should remain on my left and I should be headed generally north. Unless the road ended, I almost had to come to the Moab-Gateway road. Some parts of the connecting road were eyeball-jiggling rough but not technical. As long as it's dry, this would be a good loop for any big bike with adequate ground clearance. My DL650 V-Strom handled it well. Traffic was almost nonexistent on the unpaved roads. In 50 miles I met one old pickup and a man on a horse and that's mid-day on a beautiful Saturday.

I did not come out on the Moab-Gateway road where I expected but I can find the road from that end now. It's 16 miles from Gateway, or so a sign says. There is a sign — not for the road I came out on but at that road giving mileage information for Gateway and Moab. Gateway to Gateway took me 2 hours, 45 minutes.

As this was an unplanned ride, I didn't have my camera but I will be back. My loop ended with an Atomic Chicken sandwich at the 141 Diner in Gateway.

— Verle Nelson, Cedaredge Colorado, June 10, 2007