Recommend me a ride, Denver area Father's Day weekend
01-26-20, 11:00 AM
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Recommend me a ride, Denver area Father's Day weekend
Per subject. I've never ridden in the area. Looking to go bikepacking , 1-3 nights, primarily off-road or gravel. I'm Not a mountain biker but some simple single-track OK. We have non-suspension gravel and plus tire bikes. Might be 2-5 of us going.
Plan is to attend a concert at Red Rocks (Umphreys McGee, Samantha Fish) that Saturday, will probably drive all Friday/Friday night to get there. Want to spend a few days biking since we'll be in area.
I got a cousin in the Boulder area I'll be touching base with too.
Thanks for your help in advance.
Plan is to attend a concert at Red Rocks (Umphreys McGee, Samantha Fish) that Saturday, will probably drive all Friday/Friday night to get there. Want to spend a few days biking since we'll be in area.
I got a cousin in the Boulder area I'll be touching base with too.
Thanks for your help in advance.
01-26-20, 11:51 AM
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Per subject. I've never ridden in the area. Looking to go bikepacking , 1-3 nights, primarily off-road or gravel. I'm Not a mountain biker but some simple single-track OK. We have non-suspension gravel and plus tire bikes. Might be 2-5 of us going.
Plan is to attend a concert at Red Rocks (Umphreys McGee, Samantha Fish) that Saturday, will probably drive all Friday/Friday night to get there. Want to spend a few days biking since we'll be in area.
I got a cousin in the Boulder area I'll be touching base with too.
Thanks for your help in advance.
Plan is to attend a concert at Red Rocks (Umphreys McGee, Samantha Fish) that Saturday, will probably drive all Friday/Friday night to get there. Want to spend a few days biking since we'll be in area.
I got a cousin in the Boulder area I'll be touching base with too.
Thanks for your help in advance.
A route that is lower...only goes to about 10,000 feet...is a loop around Cripple Creek. Start in Colorado Springs or Manitou Springs. The route follows a couple of old rail roads which are steeper than you think. I’d suggest doing the loop part...Cripple Creek to Cañon City to Cripple Creek counterclockwise. Take Shelf Road out of Cripple Creek (it’s the first right just south of town (Teller County Road 88) and head south. The road is an old stage road and is relatively steep and rough. It’s rideable but it’s better to go down it than up (ask me how I know
). There are a number of campgrounds around the area that you can stay at. Some are private and some are public. I would suggest the side trip to Indian Springs Ranch Campground. It has the best trace fossils in North America. The entire route has are few services, however. Plan accordingly.
That’s only a couple. If you go over to RidewithGPS, and search my name (both screen and given name) you’ll find more ideas. I’ve done some of them but not all of them.
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Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
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01-26-20, 11:56 AM
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If you're in Denver, High Line Canal from Confluence to Havana.
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01-26-20, 12:35 PM
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Um...High Line Canal doesn’t go anywhere near Confluence Park. That’s Cherry Creek you are thinking about. And it’s not a bikepacking ride.
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Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
Stuart Black
Plan Epsilon Around Lake Michigan in the era of Covid
Old School…When It Wasn’t Ancient bikepacking
Gold Fever Three days of dirt in Colorado
Pokin' around the Poconos A cold ride around Lake Erie
Dinosaurs in Colorado A mountain bike guide to the Purgatory Canyon dinosaur trackway
Solo Without Pie. The search for pie in the Midwest.
Picking the Scablands. Washington and Oregon, 2005. Pie and spiders on the Columbia River!
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01-26-20, 01:52 PM
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I have a couple suggestions. The first is out of Boulder. I’d suggest Rollins Pass. Just do the center section of the route from Boulder to Winter Park which is about 120 miles total. It would be possible to do it just the center part in 2 really hard days but it would be better to do it in 3 to 5. Ride to the Nederland area, then go over Rollins Pass to Winter Park and back. You’ll have to hike over Needles Eye but there is a fairly clear path on how to do that. You can ride the Devil’s Slide Trestles section even though they are technically closed. The only issue with this route is that it is very high. It goes to 11,600 feet which can be an issue if you aren’t acclimatized.
A route that is lower...only goes to about 10,000 feet...is a loop around Cripple Creek. Start in Colorado Springs or Manitou Springs. The route follows a couple of old rail roads which are steeper than you think. I’d suggest doing the loop part...Cripple Creek to Cañon City to Cripple Creek counterclockwise. Take Shelf Road out of Cripple Creek (it’s the first right just south of town (Teller County Road 88) and head south. The road is an old stage road and is relatively steep and rough. It’s rideable but it’s better to go down it than up (ask me how I know). There are a number of campgrounds around the area that you can stay at. Some are private and some are public. I would suggest the side trip to Indian Springs Ranch Campground. It has the best trace fossils in North America.
The entire route has are few services, however. Plan accordingly.
That’s only a couple. If you go over to RidewithGPS, and search my name (both screen and given name) you’ll find more ideas. I’ve done some of them but not all of them.
A route that is lower...only goes to about 10,000 feet...is a loop around Cripple Creek. Start in Colorado Springs or Manitou Springs. The route follows a couple of old rail roads which are steeper than you think. I’d suggest doing the loop part...Cripple Creek to Cañon City to Cripple Creek counterclockwise. Take Shelf Road out of Cripple Creek (it’s the first right just south of town (Teller County Road 88) and head south. The road is an old stage road and is relatively steep and rough. It’s rideable but it’s better to go down it than up (ask me how I know
). There are a number of campgrounds around the area that you can stay at. Some are private and some are public. I would suggest the side trip to Indian Springs Ranch Campground. It has the best trace fossils in North America.The entire route has are few services, however. Plan accordingly.
That’s only a couple. If you go over to RidewithGPS, and search my name (both screen and given name) you’ll find more ideas. I’ve done some of them but not all of them.
I just went on a Backpacking trip at a Philmont Scout Ranch in NM last summer and made several summits and camps above 10,000 ft. Wasn’t terrible but I had time to climatize. Haven’t actually biked at that altitude yet!
Last edited by Toadmeister; 01-26-20 at 01:58 PM.
01-26-20, 06:10 PM
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All correct but still wanted to share one of my old favorites from around 1989 ... we used to take High Line from Dahlia Street west from there to the Platt River, ride north to Confluence, then east on Cherry Creek to close the loop back to High Line. And we made many variations on that route over the 12 years we lived in that area.
