Climbing steep sandstone ledges following prints of horses with no shoes, hikers will be amazed at the beauty and ruggedness of the Tellerico Trail. Only 13.5 miles from downtown GJ in the Bureau of Land Management's Little Bookcliffs Wild Horse Area, it's “another way” up the face of the Bookcliffs. (Some locals believe the “only” way up the face of the Bookcliffs is Mt. Garfield Trail. They, of course, are “sado-masochists.”)
The Little Bookcliffs Wild Horse Range is one of three wild horse preserves in the United States, but there's much more to this hike than just wild horses. Amazing scenic vistas, towering sandstone buttresses and sand-castle-like sculptures dominate the foreground. Looking back toward the Grand Valley, miles of rolling green adobe flats glisten in the afternoon sun. The springs' desert grasses are reaching up for their brief moment of glory before fading to traditional desert brown.
According to BLM's website, the Tellerico Loop Trail is a 10.2 miles round trip – but it feels more like 14. It rises from the canyon floor at 5,000 feet in elevation, to the top of the Bookcliffs at about 7,300 feet.
From downtown Grand Junction, take 1st Street north to I Road, turn left and travel one mile to 25 Road. Turn right and stay on 25 Road into the desert north of the Highline Canal. That's where the pavement ends. Cross over the canal on the one-lane bridge and stay on the main dirt road for seven miles to the base of the Bookcliffs.
Veer right when you come to a fenced enclosure near the face of the cliffs. Drive a little further, watching your odometer, until you find a large pull-out on your right. You could drive a little further, but if you have a long wheel based vehicle, you're better parking at the pullout on the right.
From the parking area, follow the ATV road forward into a cool, narrow, steep canyon. In a few minutes, you'll come to a fence with green metal posts. About 600 yards beyond that fence line, watch for cairns and take a hard left, traveling up and to the northwest.
Pay attention here because horses have created trails all over the place. Catch that first left, though and you'll be fine all the way to the top.
If you don't have a heart attack.
The Little Book Cliffs Wild Horse Area consists of 30,261 acres of public lands “characterized by gentle sloping plateau dissected by four major canyon systems (Main, Coal, Cottonwood and Spring Canyons) with many side canyons,” according to BLM.
This trail is not a climb up a “gentle sloping plateau.” Nonetheless, I find this trail much easier to climb than Mt. Garfield. For one thing, the footing is better. For another, it's longer, which means, it's not quite as steep.
And, it's beautiful. Chukar flutter, lizards slither and horses graze on the steep sides of those sandstone slopes. Check it out!
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