Beginning from the Horse Gulch Trailhead, you'll climb up the gulch before turning off on the Meadow Loop Trail. The climbing will really begin in earnest, ascending mostly-smooth singletrack as you head toward the top of Grandview Ridge. While you can choose to climb to the very top of the ridge, this loop wraps around the backside on a delightful benchcut singletrack, crossing the ridge via a low pass.

After putting in the work, it's time to descend! This route follows the Crite's Connect Trail to the Carbon Junction Trail, forming a logical, consistent descent back down the mountain. While there's nothing overly technical on this descent, it's fast, flowy, and fun. You'll find yourself banking and cranking through corner after corner, hooting and hollering as you drop back down to the river below.

Wrap up the loop with a scenic pedal along the river to get back to the trailhead.