Update–Little Dry Creek Open (Sort Of)
Well, finally. Another of the 5 or 6 people who follow this blog wrote last week to say that Little Dry Creek at Federal Blvd has been reopened after months and months of work on RTD’s G-Line, itself an exercise in delays and patience. The G-Line will run between Union Station and Arvada and Wheat Ridge but has been delayed by sticky software that makes the crossing gates unpredictable. At least the trail is now completely open and it’s possible to ride to Boulder on the US 36 Bikeway without a lot of machinations.
What’s missing are the all important signs to tell you when to leave the Little Dry Creek drainage to connect to the US 36 Bikeway. I rode up there to check it out this past weekend and found many signs pointing to religion and possibly salvation, but none that said “Boulder, this way.”
Here’s the way it works (from Denver): Look for England Park and exit the trail there, onto Raleigh St. You’ll know you’re in the right general vicinity when you pass the dog park and see a baseball field, both on your left. Exit left onto Raleigh and ride to 72nd Ave. Go right, then immediately left to Bradburn and you’re home free. From a map perspective it looks thus:
You’ll know you’re in the right spot when you see the sign for the various churches. Enjoy the ride and thanks to Ken for the pictures and the information.
Work began in 2019 between Federal and Pecos on Little Dry Creek Trail. It was closed in September with no signage to say when it would re-open. Updates from readers always welcome.
Important Update: Chatfield Reservoir
One of the 5 or 6 readers of this blog recently wrote in to tell me that it’s impossible to ride from the end of the Highline Canal Trail through Chatfield to rejoin the road and make a nice loop ride back up the Platte River Trail. What I’ve said here and in last year’s map is that you can dodge the traffic on Santa Fe/US 85 (it’s an unprotected crossing), hike your bike across the railroad tracks (probably illegal), and ride or walk down a sketchy trail to hook up with a paved trail within the park. When I last did (May, 2016) it was a mess, as evidenced by this IG shot I took:
I assumed at the time this was just bad luck on my part. There had been rain, lots of run-off, and I like a little dirt and gravel on my rides, so I just chalked it up to bad timing.
Turns out we have beavers to thank for the watery mess.
As Andrew put it: “[I] discovered the trail in this part of the park is currently impassible due to flooding. I spoke with another cyclist who said it has been this way for about a year and is caused by a beaver dam on Plum Creek, which the park has been reticent to damage (understandably). There are no good alternatives to complete the loop — High Line ends at private land before getting a rider to Titan Pkway.”
I hope I’m not the only one to see a rich irony in the work of the mighty Army Corps of Engineers laid low by the humble beaver. So unless and until they move on, ride the rough gravel trail along the top of the dam to connect up to the Highline Canal. And thanks, Andrew, for letting us know.
Another reader says: “Chatfield State Park is under construction due to raising the water level 12′, which is really a lot measured horizontally. All roads and bike paths on the south end are closed. This state park is good about recreation, and the bike paths are intended to re-open April 1, 2019. However, if you go on a weekend, the path from the High Line down to Plum Creek is in perfect condition – the lower section is new concrete with 3 new bridges. Still have to hike-a-bike up the embankment to the railroad tracks, but the continuation of the High Line is right there.”
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