Other Front Range Trails
Feb 19th 2008
1. Fort Collins: There are miles and miles of trail to be had in Fort Fun. From the steeper, more technical Devil’s Backbone to the mellow Blue Sky Trail, there’s great riding around Horsetooth Reservoir. And the icing on the cake is the dirt jump/pump track area at Lory State Park.
2. Golden: Jefferson County has got it figured out. There are many open space parks around there, and pretty much all of them have trails open to bikes. Most of the riding is good and challenging, too. One of my favorites is the Apex Trail to Enchanted Forest; it includes a moderately technical climb to a fun descent in loamy forest. Also check out Chimney Gulch (which you can tie to Apex), White Ranch, Centennial Cone and Golden Gate Canyon State Park. And if you are a master of technical, try Dakota Ridge. It will definitely put your skills to the test.
3. Bailey: The Buffalo Creek area is awesome. If you haven’t been there yet, put it on your list. It’s 20+ miles of buff singletrack, twisting and looping through forests alternating pine and aspen. It sits at nearly 8,000 feet, so you have to wait for it to dry out in spring, but it’s more than worth it. This place strikes that rare balance of being fun for both advanced riders and novices, so take a whole crew of people if you want.
4. Colorado Springs: I have not done any riding here yet, either. (Geez, I need to quit spending so much time in the high country!) But I hear that Palmer Park has everything from mellow trails to hardcore, super-technical rock gardens. And I know there’s tons of stuff I don’t even know anything about. Feel free to email me if you know the area, and I’ll update this page.
5. Pueblo: This town’s relatively new to the mountain biking scene, but there’s a pretty solid group of trails located at Lake Pueblo. I will make a personal pilgrimage this spring or fall, since P-Town gets pretty hot in summer.
Share your thoughts about the trails in the comments section below.
2 Comments »
Brian Stevens on 02 Mar 2008 at 11:40 am #
for colorado springs, ride up gold camp road and do captain jacks, when it gets into summer, ride gold camp all the way to rosemont resevour and ride down the single track from jones park. red rock canyon is good too.
marty on 15 Apr 2008 at 8:04 am #
A reader reminded me about Centennial Cone in Golden. I wanted to include her comments here:
“It’s not technical except in a couple spots. Its longer than most of the trails around and is a big loop. Its a good old style cross-country trail. Also its rated beginner, but the distance makes it good for people who are in shape a bit. I foolishly believed the rating and the beginners I had taken there ended up wiped out. One couldn’t make it the whole way and I had to go pick her up at the second parking lot. The drop offs on the side of some parts of the trail are scary to beginners also. Personally I love this trail when I’m not in a technical mood.”