2011 March 10 « coloradobikemaps

Dartmouth Dodge

Dartmouth Ave is one of the great cycling routes in metro Denver. The best of it stretches from I-25 to Wadsworth Blvd. Most of it is plenty wide for cyclists and sometimes there is a dedicated lane. It is tight at both Broadway and Santa Fe Dr. At Broadway there’s not much to be done, but Santa Fe has a decent workaround. Both the Hill Junky Circuit and David’s Loop pass through the Santa Fe Dr/Dartmouth Ave intersection. This is not a happy place to be. The light is long and the traffic intensity is high, which leads to multiple opportunities for left hooks, right hooks, and brush backs. Were that not enough, Dartmouth westbound narrows down from two lanes to one as you approach Platte River Dr, adding additional pressure on the unwary cyclist. It can be fun sometimes to try to time it exactly right, but most of the time the Dodge is a better alternative. From Denver look for the start of the trail at the Dartmouth + Inca St intersection. Use the turn lane. From the west, pick up the trail on Platte River Dr E, just south of Dartmouth and linking up with the bridge from the Platte River Trail.