Spring has sprung! With the awakening songs from the birds echoing in the morning crisp air, the smell of dew covering the ground, with the colorful tulips popping up to greet us, letting us know that spring has arrived! Time to dust off your bike, grab your shorts and helmet and head for the trails!
Colorado has many beautiful trails for hiking, walking, running, dog walking and biking! We wanted to bring some of the many trails for biking to your front door. Rather than have you search for a bike trail to explore we’ve found some very dynamic and diverse trails for you. In addition, we gathered some great websites as a reference. The bike trails range in distance and difficulty.
Cherry Creek Regional Trail, is a very popular bike trail, It is a 40-mile ride that starts in downtown Denver’s Confluence Park, where pioneering for gold started. The trail connects suburban and rural Arapahoe and Douglas counties, including communities of Parker, Centennial, and Franktown. Its picturesque route has an 8-foot wide concrete surface, away from traffic.
For a taste of the country in the city, you will want to check out the Bear Creek Trail. On this 9.1-mile trail, there are tree-lined landscapes on the western end through Bear Creek Lake Park, Bear Creek Greenbelt, and Bear Valley Park, while its eastern end provides connection to shopping centers and commercial areas. The path includes a variety of terrain, from asphalt and concrete to gravel and dirt. It starts in Denver at Confluence Park where Cherry Creek runs into the Platte River. You will ride south on Platte River Trail until you cross over the bridge and then look for the sign Bear Creek Trail. This is an option if you are not wanting the distance of Cherry Creek Regional Trail.
If you are needing just a quick, easy and enjoyable ride through the city, check out Sanderson Gulch Trail. This is a 4.8-mile trail that follows a small stream in the heart of the city. End points are S. Lipan St & W. Arkansas Ave and W. Colorado Ave, east of S. Wolff St. Ruby Hill Park on the trail’s eastern end is a notable highlight. The park offers a nice vantage point of the city’s skyline and has an artistic pavilion and plaza area with picnic tables, restrooms, and playgrounds. Also on this end of the trail, you can head down on Platte River Trail, a north-south route that is 28.5 miles of more riding.
For many of these bike trails, you will find connections to other trails. As a result allowing you to choose to go further on your ride or perhaps find shortcuts to circle back to your neighborhood. These are just a taste of what you can explore. Here is a great website, TrailLink.com to help find your adventure. This site gives you trails that extend throughout our beautiful state of Colorado. Another noteworthy website resource is, bicyclecolorado.org. This site has more downloadable maps, rules of the road, plus additional websites. In addition, here is a downloadable PDF bike map which also includes street-smart tips and when biking through Denver.
