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5.1 miles
Distance
990 ft
Climb
-19 ft
Descent
00:59:22
Avg time
970 ft
Altitude change
5,401 ft
Altitude min
6,372 ft
Altitude max
5,402 ft
Altitude start
6,371 ft
Altitude end
3.6%
Grade
-7.3%
Grade max
21.5%
Grade min
5 miles
Distance climb
1,532 ft
Distance down
899 ft
Distance flat
00:59:22
Avg time
Picture Rock Details
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Activities
- Mountain Bike
- Hike
- Trail Running
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Riding AreaHeil Valley Ranch
Lyons, Colorado -
Difficulty Rating
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Local Popularity85 in Mountain Biking [+]
- 95 in Trail Running
- 65 in Hiking
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Global Ranking
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Trail TypeSingletrack
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Bike TypeAM, XC
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DirectionBoth Directions
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Climb DifficultyBlue
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Physical RatingModerate
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eBike Allowed
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TTFs on TrailBerm, Rock Face
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Land OwnerBoulder County Parks & Open Space
Picture Rock is a critical link trail out of Lyons. It's insanely popular, but for a good reason. Want to ride out of town and do some miles and come back for a beer? This trail has your name on it It's sort of a Jekyll and Hyde trail. The bottom half (after an impressive boulder "gate" that signals the beginning of the real trail) is a smooth as butter swoop-fest. Climb is easy with great views and the trails is wonderful for beginning riders. Pass "the silo" (that's a big round tower for you folks visiting from cities. Sort of like Rapunzel's tower or the tower in the Dark Tower (nerd)) and it's a different beast. Still a blue climb, but now it's full of sharp pointy rocks (look at the bones!).
There's some great history on this trail. Right after the silo, you'll pass an old quarry with a dead car in it. There's heaps of old ranching walls (both buildings and fences) made from the local sandstone. Really cool stuff to stop and look out if you need an excuse for getting off the bike for a moment or two (don't give away my secret about this one).
Downhill is a bit choppy up at the top. When the trail was new, the rocks had a great flow to them. Now, there are enough poking through that they tend to slow you down (not necessarily a bad thing). The lower section (the aforementioned swoop-fest) is amazing on the way out. Watch out for blind turns through. There are several sections where tall bushes can obscure a hiker, or biker, or zombie horde until the last second.
Disclaimer
Picture Rock is open through the lower, undamaged area of Heil. Please respect all trail closures.
Local Trail Association
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Please consider joining or donating to the local trail association to supportDonate to earn trail karma!
trail development & maintenance.
Traditionally Indigenous Territory
Recent Activity on Trail
Past Week
- 3 rides
- 22 miles average
6 Months
- 97 rides
- 14 miles avg distance
All
- 700 rides
- Last: Jun 18, 2026
| c1 | c2 | c3 | c4 |
|---|---|---|---|
January | February | March | April |
May | June | July | August |
September | October | November | December |
Picture Rock Trail Reports
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- Snow Cover Partial
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- Icy
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Directions to picture-rock trailhead
(40.211340, -105.272930)
Photos
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Nearby Trails
- Bohn Park 1 mile
- Bitterbrush Connector 1 mile
- Upper Bitterbrush 3 miles
- Antelope 3 miles
- Lower Bitterbrush 3 miles
- By todd
Trailforks & contributors - #13704 - 11,249 views
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Frequently Asked Questions About Picture Rock
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Where is Picture Rock located?
Picture Rock is located in Heil Valley Ranch, Lyons, Colorado, United States. It is part of the Heil Valley Ranch trail network. The trailhead is located at coordinates 40.21134, -105.27293.
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How hard is Picture Rock?
Picture Rock is rated as Blue difficulty. The physical rating is Moderate. The average grade is 3.6%. The climb difficulty is rated Blue.
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What is the elevation gain for Picture Rock?
Picture Rock has 990 ft of elevation gain. The trail has 19 ft of elevation descent. The elevation ranges from 5,401 ft to 6,372 ft.
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Is Picture Rock a point to point trail?
Picture Rock is not a point to point trail. The direction is Both Directions. The trail type is singletrack.
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