A synopsis and strugglefest of the Butterknife in Grand Junction, CO. Part of the Grand Junction Off Road Grand. 1 Grand equals 1 mile. I ain’t no expert so check it out!
Update: Local Rider, The Crashing Dad brought this to my attention, there will be a connector from the Gunny Loop to Butterknife opening in the very near future. I did not make mention of the "ButtNector" (Local slang name Gunnector to Butterknife) in the film. I do not believe this will make the Butterknife shuttle-able, but instead connect the single tracks. There is also rumor of a trail running adjacent to the gunny loop. If this is true, it could attach to the bottom of the Butterknife changing the single track complexion of the loop. We'll see.
The Off Road Race/Epic Rides website: epicrides.com/events/grand-ju...
*There could be other online literature for the event.
Getting there: Access the Littlepark Road and drive south around 5 miles to the Third Flats Trail Head. Turn east to the parking area with outhouse.
The Trail: All trails in this area are shared with moto sports. Butterknife is ridden in a “Canyoneer” style meaning you’ll descend to the valley before being forced to climb back out. Start by taking the green twist and shout to Butterknife. This first section of TandS is very flowy, however, since this is also a moto trail it can be very loose. Periods after some moisture will compact the dirt. After the short trek down twist and shout, you’ll find the trail marker for Butterknife. This first section is my favorite with the most sustained sections of chunky downhill until the first draw. The descents are mid tech and not overly difficult, but perfect for your all mountain sled with 29” wheels. Expect to exercise that dropper post. The second half of Butterknife features similar climbs southbound up drainages and northerly descents to the next draw. This part is a bit slower and features the most technical bits, however, sans the wreck, these areas can be quite fun.
The real difficulty of the trail resides in about 4 to 6 technical individual climbs. I think I bag none in this film, but that’s fine with me, I'll try to take them on 1 at a times and accumulate small victories in the future. Average riders will struggle with these features, but strong climbing cyclists with formed technical skills will handle them.
The real elephant in the room is the climb out. In the film I say, “there are no other options” then the dirt road and what I meant was that there are no other bail outs to the Gunnison River. Your only options are to climb the road or the adjacent Art Cooks Trail. You can mash these side trails up however you like back to the Third Flats TH. The climb out takes me around 45 to 50 minutes.
MTB Project: www.mtbproject.com/trail/717099
Also the old race course: www.mtbproject.com/trail/4018720
*I think Andy’s was replaced by Gunny Loop and this course could be outdated. I included the link to help with better information and spark interest in the event. Be sure to do your own research to see which trails actually in the next race.
Check out
Ruby Canyon Cycles: www.rubycanyoncycles.com
Cycling Western Colorado: cyclingwesterncolorado.com
Renew Chiropractic: www.renewjunction.com
Loki Gear: www.lokiusa.com