Mineral Belt Loop Trail Guide now available on Everytrail

A few days ago, I wrote about the great experience I had on the Mineral Belt Loop Trail in Leadville, Colorado. It was a beautiful trail, on a picture-perfect day, with fun friends.

Well since then, I've created a Mineral Belt Loop Trail guide on Everytrail.com. I've briefly described these guides in the past, but the more I work with them, the more convinced I become that these trail guides on Everytrail are the best trail development to come along in years.

Nearly everyone has a cell phone these days, and many cell phone users now have smart phones. And to take it a step further, most of us who have the technological do-it-alls are now in the habit of taking them with us on the trail. They're great for staying in touch with each other and they are indispensable in an emergency.

They're also good for:

• games if you get bored
• a flashlight if you're caught out after dark
• checking email, facebook, twitter, etc.
• music, if you're so inclined
• texting if you want to stay in touch w/ that special someone
• etc.

But now, they're more than just a convenience. In the case of the Everytrail app., they may be your map and guidebook all crammed into one little efficient bundle. But the Everytrail app/ guides are even better than a regular printed guidebook because they're a lot small, less messy, and much more inclusive and interactive.

If you plan on venturing out to a new trail, you can't go wrong with one of the Everytrail guides. They'll provide you with pictures to help you decide if you want to take the trail, show you a map with the exact route once you're on the trail, provide you with crucial information about the trail route, and give you tips about trail landmarks. They may tell you about a historical location, a hotel, a restaurant, or even a bathroom or drinking fountain.

And you can't go wrong with the price. Whereas a normal printed guidebook may cost you  over $10, most of the Evertrail trail guides are only $1.99. They allow you to choose the exact trails you want as opposed to a book that may have numerous trails you'll never need.

Don't get me wrong, I still like printed guidebooks, and I hope you do too. But the Everytrail guides are a nice way to get just what you need before you head out to explore that new trail.

Mineral Belt Loop Trail Guide now available on Everytrail

Mineral Belt Loop Trail in Leadville, Colorado

I finally got around to taking some pictures on the Mineral Belt Loop Trail in Leadville, CO.

I'd been on the trail twice before; once while riding a bike and the other time on cross-country skis.

But I didn't have a camera with me either time, so I didn't have any pictures to post on the Mineral Belt Loop Trail on the trailsnet website.

So this Labor Day weekend, I finally made it back up there. (And when I say up there, I'm not exaggerating. Leadville is over 10,000 feet above sea level.) This time I was armed with my bicycle and my camera, so I was ready to take some trail pictures. As a result, the Mineral Belt Loop Trail page on the website finally has a trail photo gallery.

If you're thinking about riding this high altitude trail, here are the basic facts:

• It's 12.5 miles long.
• It's a paved trail and very smooth.
• The loop trail is almost like an outdoor museum with all its historic signs and mining memorabilia scattered along the path.
• Leadville has numerous accommodations for overnight bikers, but none of them are overly fancy.
• Leadville has some great places for eating. We ate at the Tennessee Pass Cafe and enjoyed buffalo burgers, Reuben sandwiches, and a turkey/bacon sandwich. The food and service were excellent.

For more information about the Mineral Belt Loop Trail, you can visit the American Trails website.

Mineral Belt Loop Trail in Leadville, Colorado

Clueless in trailtown

Okay, here's a little homework assignment for you. Don't worry, it's easy and doesn't involve any math or writing, just talking. All you have to do is talk to people in your home town, or better yet, in a town you're visiting. Ask them where X trail is located. The X in this equation represents the name of a fairly major trail in the town. (Okay, so the assignment involves a little algebra.)
Here's what I/you want to find out. How many people do or don't know the trail exists. You may be surprised to find out that most people, even long time residents, have no idea where the world class trails in their own community are located. The only thing I can think of that is worse than that is if they don't know where the library is.
In my many "trail travels"I'm  amazed how hard it is to find trails. For those of you looking for the trails found on trailsnet.com, it's easy. You just look at the trail map on the bottom of each trail description page. For example, take a look at the trail map on the bottom of the Mineral Belt Loop bike trail information page. (a rail-trail in Leadville, Colorado)
But on most of my bike trips, I have to rely on directions from locals to find the trails. And more times than not, "the locals" have no idea where the major trails that run through their towns are located. For example, when I was looking for the Ashuelot Rail Trail near Keene, New Hampshire, I asked over a dozen people where the trail/trailhead was. Not one of them could tell me. Four of the people I asked were within a block of the trailhead when I asked them. Not a clue. And in the same town, absolutely no one knew where the Cheshire Rail Trail was located. Granted this one starts about a half mile out of town, but the Ashuelot Rail Trail started in the center of town.
So back to your homework: Let me know what you find out. Are the people in your town aware of the wonderful trails available to them? If not, it's a shame.

Clueless in trailtown