Pinkerton--Flagstaff

Pinkerton-Flagstaff is a really challenging and scenic single track through the San Juan National Forest that rides through a series of climbs, ridgelines, and descents, with amazing views of the La Plata Mountains. The south end starts off with a rocky steep climb up the mountainside that is troughed with lots of loose rock and ruts. It side-hills along the edge of the mountainside, with bigger embedded boulders in the trail. It makes several tight switchbacks up and continues climbing up the rutted, rocky, and loose hill. It's really steep with ledges, so it's hard to maintain traction, but you have to maintain momentum coming into the ledges. It gets up to an amazing ridgeline with awesome views. It continues side-hilling on a shelfy slope below the ridge, and on the narrow top of the ridge. It descends to the saddles in between each ridgeline, some of the descents being really steep and rutted. There are bigger embedded boulders making steep 1-foot tall ledges. Near the north end, it goes through a large burn area from a fire in 2018, with potential for big trees down across the trail. It ends at the intersection with Dutch Creek, which you can take back south to make a loop.