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Milk and Cookies Loop
Got Milk? And Cookies.
Plus beginner-level Combo trail
option.This ride is a six-mile mountain biking loop on the McCoy
Flat trail system west of Vernal. It can be ridden either direction. The components are the Got
Milk? trail to the west of the McCoy Flat road, plus the And Cookies trail
on the east side. The ride is quite easy technically. There's only about
200 vertical feet of climbing for the entire ride.
View northwest 1.5 miles into the ride. Photos May 20, 2010. |
| An even-easier option is to link And Cookies with Combo.
This makes a 3.5-mile loop of very easy singletrack suitable for
beginners.
Got Milk? is an intermediate-level trail with some up-and-down riding.
And Cookies is easy-intermediate, and Combo is very easy both technically
and aerobically.
Paintbrush is scattered over the brown
slopes. This ride is more sight-seeing than tech challenge. |
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When done clockwise, the most technical riding will come
during the first two miles. Got Milk? starts with two possible routes that
rejoin after 1/3 mile. Just after crossing the paved road onto dirt
doubletrack, two singletracks fork right, about 100 feet apart. The first
singletrack has fun ledge drops (nothing bigger than 18 inches) and is
more technical.
The Retail Sale fork. Go right. But
don't go up to More Pimps, which is the next (tiny) ST on your right. Wait
for the main fork 100 feet later. |
| After the trails rejoin, the next fork will be Fire
Sale.
Keep right (straight). Fire Sale is an expert-technical route that joins
Retail Sale.
At mile 1.3, keep left on the wide trail as Retail Sale forks left.
You'll notice a small singletrack forking sharply on the right, climbing
stiffly up the ridge, about 30 feet past the fork. This is High
Rollas (and More Pimps). Keep straight
Keep straight on the main route another 100 feet, then take the next
singletrack on the right. You should be heading northwest.
Mudstone formation in the long valley. |
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More Hoes forks off Got Milk? at mile 1.5. Keep right to
stay on Got Milk? In general, the trail follows the wash between the two
ridges.
The trail rolls a bit up and down, but
there are no stiff climbs and the trail surface is easy. |
| The trail exits the hilly area around mile 3. Cross a broad
flat grassy area heading northeast, then cross the paved McCoy Flat road.
A little bit later, you'll reach the fork, where Got Milk? ends in And
Cookies and Combo.
Fork left to continue on And Cookies. The trail will wander toward the
edge of the hills, then veer back to flat brushland.
Penstemmon. |
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If you're tired and just want to get back to your car, go
right at the fork above onto the Combo trail. Combo will take you back with a minimum of
climbing.
On And Cookies, around mile 5 into the main loop, you'll pass the fork to
Jackalope. The trail begins to
dip and turn. There will be a little climb to get above the corral, then
the trail will circle around to come in from the south.
More gently twisting trail, as we near
the northern end of the loop. |
Riding notes, Milk and Cookies clockwise loop:
0.0 Cross paved road to DT N40 21.019 W109 34.913
Immediately fork R on ST N40 21.003 W109 34.928
Easier route: 100 feet on DT, then
fork R
0.3 Trail merges with alternate route N40 20.992 W109 35.163
1.1 Keep R (L = Fire Sale) N40 20.830 W109 35.982
1.3 Trail merges with ATV track
Keep R at fork (L = Retail
Sale) N40 20.716 W109 36.093
1.35 Pass ST on R (High Rollas)
Take ST on R 100 feet past
Retail Sale fork
N40 20.711 W109 36.120
1.6 Fork R (L= More Hoes) N40 20.811 W109 36.348
3.6 Cross paved road N40 22.117 W109 35.663
3.9 And Cookies / Combo trail fork, go L N40 22.061 W109 35.481
5.0 Keep straight (R) at Jackalope fork N40 21.412 W109 34.992
5.7 Cross DT N40 21.126 W109 34.800
5.9 Keep R (Jackalope joins on L) N40 21.022 W109 34.806
6.0 Back at corral |
Above: And Cookies is easy, but
Combo is even easier.
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Left: Orange globe mallow blooms in the May sunshine.
Beginner route!
Riding notes, Cookies and Combo counter- clockwise loop:
0.0 Find southbound ST on southwest side of DT
Trail = And Cookies N40 21.028 W109 34.902
0.1 Fork L (R = return trail) N40 21.022 W109 34.806
0.3 Cross DT N40 21.126 W109 34.80
1.0 Fork L (R = Jackalope)
N40 21.412 W109 34.992
2.0 Fork L onto Combo N40 22.061 W109 35.481
3.5 Back at corral |
Getting there:
While driving toward Vernal on US-40, pass mile marker 138, then turn
right on the narrow paved McCoy Flats road ( N40 23.427 W109 35.752). If
you miss McCoy Flats road, go to the viewpoint overlooking Vernal and
backtrack exactly 2 miles, then turn left into the road. Drive 3 miles.
Immediately after passing a corral on your left, turn into the large
fenced BLM trailhead parking lot.
Camping: BLM land, primitive camping allowed. No developed
sites.
Bathroom: At trailhead
Water: Bring your own.
Bike services, maps, trail conditions:
Altitude Cycle, 580 East Main, Vernal. 435-781-2595 |
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