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Mill Canyon to Hop Canyon |
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Mill Canyon to Hop Canyon |
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Starting with a hard climb up Mill Canyon on FR 45 and Trail 26, this ride takes you to the crest of the Magdalena Range. The ride down Hop Canyon on Trail 25 and FR 101 to Magdalena is exhilarating with a continuous descent of 3,200 ft. A lot of the ride is in shaded ponderosa pine country and the view from the crest of the Magdalenas is wonderful.
| Mileage | Surface | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 0.0 | DIRT | Junction of FR 234 and FR 45. Ride up FR 45 steadily gaining altitude from the 7,200 ft. starting point. |
| 1.3 | DIRT | Gate across FR 45. Go through. |
| 3.4 | DIRT | Gate across FR 45. Go through. (Deja vu!) |
| 5.4 | DIRT | Side road on right. Continue up FR 45. |
| 5.6 | DIRT | End of FR 45 at Frenchie's Cabin at an altitude of 8,600 ft. Continue up Trail 26 which crosses the stream to the left just below the cabin. Trail 26 is very steep and narrow and mostly unridable. You will be amply rewarded for the hard push up by the wonderful view from the top and the fast ride down. Near the top the trail is hard to find so follow the blazes on the trees. If you lose the blazes just follow the shallow streambed up to the grassy saddle at the crest of the range. |
| 6.6 | DIRT | Junction with the Crest Trail (T-8) at 9.800 ft. Turn left (north) on the Crest Trail. |
| 6.7 | DIRT | Trail 8 bears to the right. Do not continue on Trail 8. Bear left onto the Hop Canyon Trail (T-25) and start the descent into Hop Canyon. T-25 is moderately steep single-track but can be ridden continuously except for a few of the steepest switchbacks. |
| 8.9 | DIRT | Hop Canyon reservoir. Cross the streambed to the west side at the bottom edge of the reservoir and follow the rocky path 100 yds to the start of FR 101 which provides a fast ride downhill all the way to the USFS Ranger station on US 60 in Magdalena. |
| 16.0 | DIRT | US 60 in Magdalena |
