Dirty Bismarck Loop – Funny Name, Great Trail

I love it when they connect a bunch of shorter trails to make a longer one… or better yet, to make a loop trail.

That’s just what they’ve done in Superior, Colorado when they added the brand new Meadowlark Trail to the Singletree Trail, the Cowdrey Draw Trail, the Marshall Mesa Trail, the Community Ditch Trail, and the  High Plains Trail. They created a loop of  a little over 12 miles of moderate mountain biking trail to form the Dirty Bismarck Loop trail.

Marshall Mesa Trail portion
of the Dirty Bismarck Loop

I’ve been riding portions of this loop for many years, but alas, I had to ride on the dreaded road for portions of it. So I was ecstatic when they finally completed the Meadowlark Trail to make a complete, roadless bike loop trail.

Since it was just a semi-formal loop before, some of us called it the Happy Meal Loop. I’m not sure why, but I am sure why they have now named it the Dirty Bismarck Loop. It’s named after the old road bike racing course that was originally called the Morgul-Bismarck Classic. Then it was called the Coors Classic, then the Celestial Seasonings Classic, then…

Well, eventually the race was eliminated from the circuit. But the long and short of it is that this new mountain bike loop follows the same general inside track of the old Morgul-Bismarck bike race. And it’s a great biking loop trail. It’s possible to ride this loop without ever crossing a paved road, even if you start from Louisville or Lafayette Colorado and ride in from the Coal Creek Trail.

Interesting side note… Even though the trail starts and ends in Superior, Colorado, residents of the new portion of that town will have to cross a major road to get to the trail while residents of nearby communities can utilize the Coal Creek underpass to avoid crossing McCaslin Blvd.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2011/03/28/dirty-bismarck-loop-funny-name-great-trail/

3 comments

    • greatplainstrail on 03/29/2011 at
    • Reply

    Looks like a fun trail. I need to break out of my rut this year and try some new trails.

    • trailsnet on 03/29/2011 at
    • Reply

    The best thing about this trail is that I can jump on the trail that runs right beside/behind my house and take it all the way to this loop and never have to ride on a road or even cross a road. I've really been looking forward to them finishing this loop.

    • trailsnet on 08/08/2011 at
    • Reply

    The best thing about this trail is that I can jump on the trail that runs right beside/behind my house and take it all the way to this loop and never have to ride on a road or even cross a road. I've really been looking forward to them finishing this loop.

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