Trail Overview

Windmill Loop is a scenic 13-mile off-road trail in the Bangs Canyon Management Area near Grand Junction, Colorado. Starting from the Third Flats Trailhead, the route climbs from 4,600 to nearly 6,600 feet, offering slickrock play areas, Gunnison River views, and a historic windmill. Rated 4 out of 10, the loop presents moderate challenges with bumpy dirt and rock sections, but features no major obstacles. Key areas include a narrow, rocky shelf road and intersections with Billings Canyon and the Tabeguache Trail. High-clearance four-wheel-drive vehicles with skid plates and low-range gears are recommended.

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Difficulty

Moderate. Much is easy, but several places are bumpy and slow. No major obstacles. One narrow rocky shelf road. Read trail description for The Tabequache, Trail #22, before proceeding past Wpt. 05. SUVs with highclearance, skid plates, low gears and a skilled driver can do the entire loop.

Technical Rating

Logan levan

Mar 22, 2026

2007 Jeep Wrangler

Open

Very fun not to many difficult obstacles was difficult for the truck in our group but was fine and easy for the jeeps

Caleb Whitehouse

Mar 14, 2026

2023 Ford Bronco

Open

Normal

Trail is pretty clear. Some challenging parts, but most have an alternate route. I didn’t anticipate how long it would take. I came in from the eastern end. I would recommend bigger than 33s or serious skid plates.

Josh Stewart

Jul 06, 2025

Open

NormalDustyRough/Deteriorated

Everything is doable with the right rig. Not too bad, but my family was bitter that it was so rough (not me, I loved it). The only complaint is the time on the trail app says an hour. Took us 2 hours to make it to the river from third flats, that’s not quite halfway through the loop. It was almost 5 hours total to make it to bangs canyon trailhead. We did stop briefly, but only a motorcycle could potentially make it through the whole loop in an hour.

Braiden Patrick

May 23, 2025

Open

Normal

didn’t do the whole trail mostly because we were looking for campsites, but the trail is open, and looked very fun. (Everything i saw said no camping) It seems like it’s very well maintained (it has a fence around the routes) and seems to be like a good area to meet great people and do some great off-roading. I’d recommend, despite only having an impression.

Brad Jonswold

Mar 26, 2025

Open

NormalDusty

The “navigate” function in OnX starts you at Bangs Canyon which means you’ve got to start with The Tabequache Trail. We decided to start at Third Flats Trail Head and drive to the river. That stretch is 5.9 miles and took us about 2.5 hours round trip. The obstacles are quite doable save one that scraped the underside because of the high peak of rock and the steep entrance and exit. I was in a Bronco Badlands with Sasquatch (35’s).

Francisco D

Nov 30, 2024

2019 Chevrolet Colorado

Open

Muddy/WetSnow/Ice

This trail is longer than the 1 hour Onx suggests. About 2 hours one way. When you get to the windmill you will have to turn around and go back. Otherwise the only way back is through The Tabeqache trail which is not recommended for any stock vehicle. Windmill loop a stock jeep will scrape in a few places. 33s recommended at minimum. Most of the trail is forest road but a few shelf climbs about 2-3ft high and some large rocks a little smaller than axle height. Round trip the trail will take you about 3.5 hours

Nathan Atkinson

Oct 28, 2024

1995 Chevrolet Suburban

Open

We brought extended family on this trail, some for their first off-roading experience. At the obstacle at the top of the shelf road the Rubicon scraped a little. That combined with the shelf road, we voted to have lunch there at the turnaround and then return the way we came to the Third Flats Trailhead. Coming back out was more of a challenge for my stock suburban. We definitely want to return for Horse Mesa and finish the Windmill Loop.

Isaac Anderson

May 12, 2023

Open

DustyRough/Deteriorated