Green Mountain Loop
Like the Florida West Line Loop, this route heads west on Florida and returns on the Lakewood Dry Gulch Trail. Instead of turning back at Alameda Ave, continue climbing on the southeast side of Alameda from Green Mountain and descend to the intersection with Jewell Ave and Bear Creek Blvd. From there, transition from the trail to the shoulder of Alameda Ave and head west towards the C-470 Trail, Red Rocks, and Morrison. Before you cross C-470 check for traffic and turn left immediately after Rooney Rd onto a spur of the trail. This takes you down to the C-470 trail which connects Chatfield Reservoir and the Platte River Trail to Golden and the 6th Ave Trail. Ride north on the trail and check your tolerance for dirt, local conditions and either exit the trail on a short, steep dirt trail or circumnavigate the Jefferson County Fairgrounds to reach Indiana Ave and 6th Ave. The dirt trail takes you up to Bayaud and Ellsworth Ave and then down a bomber descent to the same intersection.
This is a busy intersection, especially at rush hour, so use caution as you make your way through it. A sidewalk on the west side of Indiana under 6th Ave provides a safe haven in both directions if you don’t feel like dueling with traffic. The rest of the route is just fun and interesting with only the on/off ramp at 13th Ave and Kipling St providing any real excitement. Use a little caution as you enter and exit the ramp: there’s frequently sand at the bottom of the ramp and the design requires a 90 degree turn onto a narrow sidewalk, onto or from 14th Ave.
Spring 2015 Construction Updates
I’ve recently found myself cursing the gods, contractors, cars, and traffic as I’ve been forced off the usual trails and into sometimes sketchy detours around construction projects that are now getting into full swing in the metro region. It is something like Shakespeare’s ditty on love: “Oh what a tangled web we weave when first we practice to deceive.” Seemingly, there’s construction everywhere: Cherry Creek Trail, Clear Creek Trail, Sand Creek Trail, Westerly Creek, etc. Below are annotated construction and detour maps for the major, long-term construction projects I’ve encountered. Shoot me an email if I’ve missed something. Here’s one I missed: the obnoxious (and at night unmarked) steel plates between Monaco and Colorado Blvds. These are part of a Denver Water clean out and refurbishment project and they extend out into the bike lane along Montview. They are visible during the day but not lit by flashing lights at night. Use caution.
This first is the easiest, a construction project to allow for a new brewery’s sewer outfall into the South Platte. The stretch on the road easy and straightforward.
Next up is the detour along the South Platte River Trail at Confluence Park. Denver Parks and Recreation suggests in this map a detour through Commons Park. That works OK, but is circuitous. On the plus side, it will allow you to stop off at the Porta-Potty in Commons Park (with a side trip to Stoner Hill if you need to toke up) and thus avoid the really smelly Porta-Potty at the Denver Skate Park. An alternate detour takes you between the old 19th St bridge and 15th St via Water St, a far more interesting route, with a side option to the Denver Beer Company on Platte St. 
South of 8th Ave construction continues on the 6th Ave bridge, and necessitates a longish detour out into what I think of as white bread country–not for the people but for the giant Safeway bakeries in the area. Good smells! The flyer for this one promised a two month detour, but construction drags on.
Next up is a detour through the stone district around new trail construction through Habitat Park between Bayaud and 7th Ave. This one is scheduled for completion summer, 2015.
In the Stapleton area, construction of a new park and RTD East line construction have disrupted a portion of Sand Creek Greenway Trail, roughly between Central Park Blvd and Havana St. All of this should get better in the coming months as RTD is now testing the new light rail line and expects to open the line for service between Downtown and DIA in 2016. 
Slightly further east, Sand Creek Trail is disrupted again between Peoria St and Potomac St along Fitzsimmons Parkway. RTD was forced to realign the 225 FasTracks light rail project to protect sensitive research instruments at the CU Medical School and Anschutz Medical Plaza. The detour is pretty simple and not onerous if you are just trying to skip around the construction and get to Potomac and Colfax or the medical institutions, but more confusing if you are trying to continue east on the Sand Creek Greenway Trail. When I last road through there, late afternoon, I was able to leave Fitzsimmons, ride through the Park and north to the Greenway and Park Lane Drive. Alternately, you’ll be able to continue along the trail via Peoria St and 30th Ave.
The Clear Creek Trail detour was my best adventure. I somehow missed the sign to continue east along 56th Ave and wound up on a sketchy muddy sidewalk on Federal Blvd, wandering through parts of Adams County I have not visited since I was a private eye in the 70s. I was glad to see that the strip club I had visited on official business looks likes it has survived, reincarnated as Adult World at 65th and Federal. The correct detour looks simpler, if less interesting. Incidentally, if you’ve been hoping to ride the Little Dry Creek Trail (an interesting experience almost on par with a visit to Adult World), you’ll have to ride the detour I made, along Pecos St to 70th Ave.
The Cherry Creek Trail at Arapahoe Rd is inching towards completion with work hopefully completed by July, 2015 in the trail extension under the new bridge. Go here for updates. Finally, if you like your Denver Trails detour information in a single handy place, go here. Note the suggestion that the CCT at Havana may be due for some flood mitigation work.
Get out there and ride.
Tollgate Creek Loop
This loop is accessible from multiple major points: Stapleton, Lowry, central Denver, the Highline Canal, and the Cherry Creek Trail. It also gives riders a great opportunity to ride through parts of Aurora that see little cycle traffic and thus to get some relief from the crowding on the Cherry Creek and Platte River Trails. The maps shows the multiple entry points possible to the loop, including brand new connections from the Stapleton area between 26th and 25th avenues.Navigationally, there are a few tricky spots, especially as you make your way from Iliff south to the Cherry Creek Trail. These maps and photos will make it easier.
If you are coming or going from the Stapleton area, the route between Montview Blvd/25th Avenue and Sable Blvd at 13th Ave is pretty straightforward. The Denver portion of Montview has a dedicated bike lane that disappears at the Aurora/Denver border, at Yosemite St. I recommend using 25th Ave to ride between Clinton St and Peoria St. The traffic intensity is lower and the views are better. Once you’ve gotten to Fitzsimmons Parkway near the Anschutz Medical Center, cross over Sand Creek on a bridge just east of the golf course to reach 29th Ave and Sable Blvd. A small amount of dirt (crusher fines) is involved. And if you are coming from Stapleton and are looking for a slightly shorter approach to and from the loop, use Moline St between 25th Ave and 2nd Ave with a jog west to Lima St to reach 1st Ave and the loop itself.
If you riding from Denver, 6th Ave is a great, if surprising choice, between Colorado Blvd and Uinta St. There’s a narrow parking lane in this stretch, but I suspect it is so narrow that most people are reluctant to park in it and it becomes a good de facto bike lane instead. Once you’ve worked your way through the Lowry neighborhood leave Lowry Parkway at Yosemite Way and work you way east and south to Moline and then Lima St. From there it is a fine ride on dedicated bike lanes south to the reservoir, interrupted only by traffic lights at the major intersections. Once across Iliff Ave, work east and south on Wesley and Nome St to reach Yale Ave and then Peoria St. The stretch between Peoria and Parker Rd is fast and reasonably safe, even at rush hour. There are three lanes and drivers are mostly friendly. Watch out for the multiple deep manhole covers in the right lane. At Parker Rd, take the western turn lane to access a wide sidewalk and underpass that avoids the off ramp from I-225. Then ride east to the RTD station (Nine Mile) and south through it to join the Cherry Creek Trail.
If you are northbound on Peoria from Parker or even if you find the traffic intensity not to your liking, there’s a sweet neighborhood route that takes you across Yale from Nome or Oakland streets, through a quiet residential area, and then out to Cornell St on a narrow path through the Cherokee Apartment complex. The path runs parallel to a shallow drainage ditch and shows up as public bicycle route on Arapahoe County GIS maps. I found it odd the first few times I rode the path but nobody I’ve encountered has ever said anything at all.
Ride the Cherry Creek Trail into the state park, then follow the trail easterly (towards the east park entrance) until you come across the exit to the Spillway Trail, on your left. Leave the park. Cross on-and off-ramps to Parker Rd to reach the Spillway Trail proper. Follow it northeast, crossing Chambers Rd and Iliff Ave in the process and passing through a nice succession of local parks. North of Iliff you’ve entered the Horseshoe Natural Area, a place where multiple trails converge without great signage. Although it looks as if you should maintain a northerly direction after entering the natural area, it is more convenient to turn right after approximately .3 miles and work your way around the north and west sides of the baseball fields. Hug the creek on your left to reach the Tollgate Creek Trail. Anything else will take you further east (Power Line Trail) or south again (Tollgate Creek Trail and West Tollgate Creek Trail). Ride north.
After crossing or passing under the major east-west roads of the metro area, the trail sneaks off to the right just before Alameda Ave so that you do not have to cross Alameda at grade. The by-pass is narrow, looks almost like a concrete foot path and is easy to miss. As you emerge on the north side of Alameda, turn right to ride the Highline Canal Trail under Chambers Rd, 
pass the Aurora City Government Center, and continue on to Sable Blvd. Ride north on Sable in the right lane, jog right, then left on Sable at 6th Ave and continue north to 13th Ave or 29th Ave, depending on your route selection. 13th Ave dead ends at what will be (in 2015) a major transit center for RTD buses and a FasTrack Light Rail stop. It is a huge construction zone at the moment (mid-2014) but a path still runs to and under I-225 and across the creek on a sketchy metal bridge. It is narrow, but safe. Plans call for a continued trail through the new station area.
Ride east on 13th Ave to Del Mar Parkway. A quick left and a right on Geneva Street bring you to 11th Ave. Ride it west to Uinta St, go south and you’ve completed the loop.
If you ride this loop in the opposite direction, one of the tricky spots is the left turn from Sable Blvd southbound to the Highline Canal. There’s a median through which you pass–but the pass-through is at an angle, is narrow, and is raised. 
Patience works well here, first to let southbound traffic behind you pass and clear and second to let northbound traffic go by, as well. The only other tricky spot is northbound on Peoria St between Parker Road and Yale Ave. As discussed above, traffic intensity on the weekends is not terrible on Peoria northbound, but if that’s not a happy option, use the neighborhood by-pass through the Cherokee Apartment complex.
Bryant Street Loop
In the dark days of the year, when the days are short and there’s not enough light to ride before or after work, I frequently ride at mid-day, over lunch for an hour or so. The rides are not very complicated. They take about an hour to complete. And they are geographically diverse so that I don’t get that stuck in a rut feeling where I’m always going to Washington Park or out to the Cherry Creek Reservoir and back, like some mindless lemming with no itch for new places and sights. They are also useful as easy recovery rides. These short loops include the Stock Show Loop, which takes you mostly north and slightly east of downtown, the Eisenhower Park Loop (south and east) and the Bible Park Loop (east and south). Bryant Street takes you south and west.
Most of what you need to know is on the maps themselves. But a few words are probably helpful.
Bryant Street Loop features my favorite short hill in metro Denver, between Dartmouth and Bates, two blocks of sheer steepness that flirt with the mid-teens in grade. Were the hill longer, the neighborhood would be overrun with Lycra. There are a few other, smaller hills, too, on Zuni Street as well. If they catch your attention, check out the Hill Junky Circuit. I’ve suggested riding this loop clockwise for two reasons. It makes the Mississippi stretch more manageable (a longish downhill run instead of a slow slog uphill) and it makes the navigation to Washington St (the one-way southbound that parallels Emerson St) a lot easier. But if you’re persistent enough, you’ll figure out how to make it work. The sketchiest part of the ride is between Platte River Dr and Broadway on Mississippi. The road is rough. There’s a gloomy underpass. And sometimes the traffic is intense. Don’t let these factors throw you off. Either time your entrance into the tunnel so the bulk of the traffic has passed, or find and use a sidewalk on the north side of Mississippi for a relatively safe passage through. Don’t miss the sheer bliss of the bike lane northbound on Emerson St. It is a great alternative to Washington Park.
Tollgate Creek Loop
Tollgate Creek is the major tributary of Sand Creek and drains (or at least used to before Cherry Creek and Aurora Reservoirs were built) the eastern plains between the two reservoirs. As close as it is to most urban cyclists, it sees little bicycle traffic. If the lack of use reflects uncertainty about how to link it up to make a loop, this map will help. The trail proper runs from the historic Delaney Farm in Aurora south to Iliff Ave. A branch of the trail heads southeast at Horseshoe Park and winds down to Quincy Ave with an optional tour on the Highline Canal further south to the Aurora Reservoir.
The route shown here is Denver-centric and takes advantage of Montview Blvd and the little-used but very quiet 25th Ave to reach Fitzsimmons Parkway. A bridge across Sand Creek spills you out on 30th Ave and then to Sable Blvd. Sable Blvd will carry you south to the junction with the Highline Canal (apprximately 2nd Ave). Sable Blvd between 30th Ave and the Highline Canal offers very good on-street cycling. There’s a jog at 6th Ave and a left turn back onto Sable, but it’s entirely manageable if you make the turn from the right (north) turn-lane of two. The intersection with, and turn onto, the Highline Canal Trail is not so friendly. First, a very narrow bike lane carries you up a hill to where the trail crosses Sable. Second, the concrete median has a diagonal cut in it for cyclists but it’s a hump, it’s narrow, and not easily accessible if there’s traffic behind you. Third, there’s no turn lane. So if you’re feeling pinched by traffic your first time through, stop to the right, in the bike lane. Wait for traffic to clear behind you and roll into the median slowly while you gauge the flow of northbound traffic. Once across you’re on a great stretch of the Highline Trail. It winds along the canal, passes by the Aurora city center and joins the Tollgate Trail at Alameda Ave. Exit right and up then immediately down to access Tollgate Trail. I’m always a little confused here because you leave a smooth gray concrete trail and connect to Tollgate on a rough, dusty looking stretch of pavement that hardly looks like a trail at all. Go south from here to smooth sailing on Tollgate Trail. At Mississippi Ave you surface, go east, then drop down again to creek level. At Mexico and Iliff Ave negotiate at-grade crossings with traffic lights. You’ll approach a triple trail junction just before Iliff. There’s little signage but the baseball field at Horseshoe Park will be your sign to turn west to cross the creek and then head south.
Follow the trail south through the sprawling Wheel and Olympic Parks to reach the Cherry Creek Reservoir Spillway Trail. Fine riding continues. Cross Chambers Rd at the light. Ride south. Just before reaching the reservoir be wary of high speed traffic at the Parker Rd and Hampden Ave interchange. There are traffic lights at both crossings and they are essential at rush hour. Enter Cherry Creek State Park and make choices about returning to where you start. Turn right for the direct route (along the Cherry Creek Trail) or left to circle the park or explore points beyond.
If you ride this in reverse order, the only caution is the turn from Fitzsimmons Parkway onto Peoria St to reach 25th Ave. It is uphill, there are only two lanes, and there can be high traffic intensity during rush hours. It is a short tenth of a mile but if you are feeling beleaguered, there’s a narrow sidewalk you can use.
Metro Loop de Loops
Metro Denver has a goodly number of fine roads that run east and west (think Dartmouth Ave, Montview Blvd, 26th Ave, and 46th Ave just to name a few) but not nearly enough that run north and south. I’m not sure why this is so and I speculate about it endlessly as I flog my way north and south, interrupted by stoplights, stop signs, hospitals, and golf courses. I’m being slightly hyperbolic. Tennyson St, Zuni St, and Lowell Blvd are good in stretches. Holly St is OK. Sable Blvd in Aurora works OK if traffic intensity is light. Further west Rooney Rd and Johnson Rd connect to create a really good stretch of climbing heaven. That dearth of good north south routes was the genesis of the Metro Loop de Loops ride. Garrison St on the west runs mostly uninterrupted from US 285 (Hampden Ave) to 26th Ave, much of it with a dedicated bike lane. It totals about 7 miles if you include the stretch of Estes St between Morrison Rd and US 285. The east side of this loop is a little more cobbled together: the “standard” route through Washington Park to Dartmouth Ave and then to Clarkson St. The beauties of this loop are many. You’ll use portions of five of the metro area trail systems (Cherry Creek, Clear Creek, South Platte River, Big Dry Creek, and Bear Creek). You’ll pass through or near multiple parks and golf courses. You’ll ride by at least five big lakes and reservoirs. Add in two KOM segments at Berry Ave and Tennyson St and you’ve got all the makings of a classic metro loop.
The route finding is pretty straightforward with maybe three tricky spots at Bowles Ave, in Wheatridge, and then in sneaking across 38th Ave to return to Confluence Park. These are all places you are likely to return to at some point in your cycling life so you may as well figure them out now. I’m including a couple of detailed maps to help you if this is your first time. If you’ve ridden some of CBM’s other routes, you’ll recognize this as a conglomerate of several other routes. The description below is for a clockwise ride, which I like for the short climbing segments on Berry Ave and Tennyson St. Switch them around in your head if you want to go the other way.
Start in Confluence Park. Head upstream along the Cherry Creek Trail to exit at Downing and make your way through Washington Park. Exit the park at Franklin St and work your way south and slightly west to Clarkson St. Ride Clarkson all the way south to Sunset Lane (3 miles) and watch for the Big Dry Creek signs. Jog over to Washington St and Powers Ave and you’ll soon be flying down the Big Dry Creek Trail to join the S Platte Trail, about 2.5 miles. Go south about 1.5 miles and exit at a roundabout immediately before Bowles Ave. Look for the big white tennis bubble as your landmark. Skirt the bubble to the south to gain the sidewalk of Bowles. Cross Federal Blvd (carefully!) on the sidewalk and ride west (still on the Bowles Ave sidewalk) to a narrow fence opening onto Julian St. Home free. Ride north on Julian St to Berry Ave. Go west. The first KOM segment begins at Lowell Blvd. and climbs 5-6 blocks steeply.
Ride through the Bow Mar area skirting Bowles and Marston Reservoirs on roads of your choice (there are several options, all good) or just stay on Bow Mar Drive to connect to Sheridan Blvd. Take note of but ignore the signs at the entrance to Bow Mar that say there’s no exit. They are liars. Ride out of Bow Mar on Sheridan to Quincy and turn east. Both Sheridan and Quincy are fine for riding a bike. At the Lowell Blvd traffic light go south (left) through a narrow opening in the chain link fence. If it is your first time, use caution: cars are not really expecting you to make a left turn here. Ride south on Lowell Blvd past Fort Logan, CMHI, and Mullen School. Just past Mullen, look for the Bear Creek Trail at grade on your left. Get on it and go. This used to be a nasty section of trail but has been considerably improved in the last year (2011) and now makes for some OK riding. (If you want more climbing, stay on Lowell north to Dartmouth Ave and ride it west until it joins the Bear Creek Trail at Webster St.) Ride the trail west to Estes Park, about 3.8 miles. Exit the trail to the north, across Bear Creek on a bridge. There’s no signage, so if it is your first time, watch your odometer: about one mile from Webster St where the trail crosses Bear Creek. Estes Park makes a fine snack/refuel/pit stop. There are restrooms located in the middle of the parking lot.
Ride north on Estes St and Garrison St. As you cross Morrison Rd look for the sidewalk+path on your right. Take it and ride up the hill to Baltic Ave. I don’t usually strongly recommend a sidewalk, but I make an exception here. The short stretch between Morrison Rd and Baltic is scary-narrow with little room for recovery from another’s inattention. Southbound riders have a good bike lane. Ride north until you reach 26th Ave. The bike lane disappears in a couple of places but heads up riding is all it takes to stay safe along this fine stretch of urban riding. Between Colfax Ave and 20th Ave follow the path of least resistance through a series of Scottish themed streets. At 26th Ave ride west. Cross Kipling St. Go north on Paramount, Twilight and Hillside to reach 32nd Ave. Alternatively, you can easily ride one of the many trails through Crown Hill Park to reach 32nd Ave. At 32nd Ave access Holland St, 37th Ave, and Independence St to make your way north to the Clear Creek Trail.
Ride northeast on Clear Creek Trail. This is probably the nicest stretch of Trail, good shade cover from the many large cottonwood trees, proximity to the creek itself, and little of the urban industrial blight that plagues the stretch between Tennyson St and and the confluence with the S. Platte River. It is about 4.3 miles to the at grade intersection with Tennyson St. with all of it on the trail except for a two block stretch between 51st and 52nd Aves at Gray St. Follow the signs northerly (or southerly if you’re coming the other direction) and you’ll be fine.
Ride south on Tennyson St, jogging west and south at 52nd Ave to gain the high ground next to Willis Case Golf Course. This is the other short KOM segment. Ride south to 46th Ave. Turn east and ride to Lipan St. Go south to 37th Ave, east to Inca St and south to a short spur of trail that disappears under the bulk of the I-25 overpass looming in front of you. Follow the spur to Rockmont Dr and Platte St (the one turns into the other at Cuernavaca Park). Platte Street returns you to 15th St and Confluence Park. If you’re smart, though, you’ll stop at the Denver Beer Company for a pint to celebrate.
Sunnyside Loop
The Sunnyside neighborhood is one of the four neighborhoods that collectively make up the area that most refer to generically as “The Highlands.” The others are Highland, West Highland, and Berkeley. Bounded by Federal Blvd, 38th Ave, I-25 and I-70, Sunnyside has yet to be overrun by hipsters, espresso shops, and micro-breweries. It took me a while to figure out how to get easily to 46th Ave, which ranks in my personal top ten as one of the best east-west streets in Denver, right up there with Dartmouth Ave, Montview Blvd, and 26th Ave. (Aside: have you ever noticed that there are far more great east-west streets in metro Denver than north-south?) Then I discovered a short piece of trail near an abandoned factory out past Cuernavaca Park that provided the missing link and avoided a scary underpass on 38th Ave and multiple twists and turns along Central Ave. The Sunnyside Loop takes in a good chunk of 46th Ave, the Cottonwoods section of Clear Creek Trail, a short stretch of residential climbing hear the Rolling Rock Golf Course, and returns along 20th Ave. You can ride it in either direction. I like going west on 26th Ave and east on 20th Ave, but everyone has a different idea on which is better.The description below starts at Confluence Park and goes counter-clockwise.
Start at Confluence Park. Get out to Platte St by leaving the Platte Trail at 15th, 16th, or 19th Streets. Ride north on Platte St to where it dead ends in a circle at Cuernavaca Park. This last stretch of road is called Rockmont Drive and honors the now defunct Rockmont Envelope Company that still graces the site, awaiting the right developer and a recovering economy for further direction. Ride north on the trail spur to connect to 37th Ave and Inca St. Some good graffiti and an interesting view of Denver will greet you.
Snake your way along Inca St and 37th ave to reach Lipan St and cross 38th Ave to reach 46th Ave. Ride west on 46th Ave to Tennyson St then go north (right) past Willis Case Golf Course to 52nd Ave, the northern boundary of Denver proper. Jog right and left to stay on Tennyson and descend a fast hill to intersect the Clear Creek Trail. It is not well marked but look for the pedestrian crossing sign and stop if you see the water in the creek.
East of here Clear Creek Trail is pretty industrial, but the stretch between Tennyson and McIntyre streets is more natural with good shade on hot days and interesting parks and bridges to hold your interest. Route finding is generally easy–look for the Clear Creek Trail signs and follow them. Sometimes around the many parks along the way there are two possible routes–just follow the trail of least resistance and you’ll be fine. if there’s been a lot of rain, avoid the underpasses along the major roads. Don’t be stupid or careless. If you are caught in a downpour and Clear Creek floods, move to higher ground–don’t seek shelter in one of the underpasses. The trail is interrupted twice, once at 52nd Ave and once again near Kipling St and the Wheatridge Recreation Center. The first interruption takes you briefly along quiet city streets.
The second detours under Kipling and through the Rec Center parking lot. If the Kipling underpass is flooded (it collects water easily) cross (without a light) at 41st Ave or at Kline St (with a light–just south of the Rec Center).
Watch for two sharp sequential humps along the trail, ridges really, that could throw the unwary cyclist. You can also shorten this loop by exiting the trail just before Kipling St at Independence St and riding south to connect to 32nd Ave. Surprisingly, all you need to do is follow the signs.
Exit the trail at McIntyre St by leaving the trail before Mcintyre and ride west on the Frontage Rd to make the turn on McIntyre. How will you know? Look for this building on your left. And if you pass under McIntyre by mistake, don’t worry. Just reverse course on the ramp and enter McIntyre from the west side–it is just an awkward maneuver and the exit from the Frontage Rd makes it simple and seamless.
Ride south on McIntyre to 32nd Ave. Go east (left) a short distance to Kendrick St (look for the sign for the Rolling Hills Golf Course) and escape 32nd Ave by riding south (right) on Kendrick to Fooothills Rd. Turn east (left) on Foothills. Climb through a small residential area and work your way east to Eldridge St. Go south (right) to join 20th Ave.
2oth Avenue is a great route east back into Denver. Watch out for a narrow area through Lena Gulch (where the Maple Grove Reservoir starts). Otherwise, there is a striped bike lane for most of the return. Just before Sheridan Blvd, detour around Sloan’s Lake at Depew St. Ride south t0 17th Ave, then east again to Sports Authority Mile High Stadium. You’re almost home. Circle the sports complex to the north or south and rejoin the Platte Trail just east of the Stadium. Ride the trail north (left) back to Confluence Park.
Bow Mar Triangle
This route is a crowd-pleaser. Remember the old jingle about Sara Lee? “Everybody doesn’t like something, but nobody doesn’t like Sara Lee.” That’s a phrase that Don Draper could come up with. This route is Mad Men good. It is a longer variant of several shorter rides that are in Great Road Rides Denver combined to make a longer mash-up. There are stretches on good cycling roads like Dartmouth and Quincy, stretches on three different trail systems, and a long loop around Cherry Creek Reservoir. Were that not enough, there are also two sneaky moves through fences–surprise passages that appear like some deus ex machina to whisk you through a fence just when you think you’ve hit a dead end. And did I mention the three killer KOM sections? And, of course, there are multiple ways to shorten it if you hit by bad weather or just feel guilty that you are outside having so much fun.
Start it anywhere on the loop. For descriptive purposes I’ll assume you are beginning somewhere along the Cherry Creek Trail. Ride to Confluence Park. Follow the Platte Trail upriver (south) until you come to Dartmouth Ave. Some people prefer to get to the streets immediately and if you are one of those, you can jump onto Jason st around Habitat Park and ride it and Platte River St south to Dartmouth. It is probably faster to stay on the trail, but the view never really changes if you do. Head west on Dartmouth and climb up to the old Loretto Heights College campus, detouring (if you’re interested) at the Bryant St hill for the first KOM section. Circle the campus to the south using Irving St, Girard Ave, and Knox Ct to reach your southbound goal, Lowell Blvd. The school on the hill has had multiple names and identities in the last few years, too many to keep track of really, so I just keep calling it the old Loretto Heights College. By any name, the main building is worth a second look. 
Cross Hampden Ave and keep riding south on Lowell Blvd with a detour at Oxford around the historic Fort Logan parade ground if you are interested. Otherwise exit through the fence at Lowell and Quincy Ave and keep riding south to Berry Ave. Go west for the second KOM section into the little burg of Bow Mar. Make a loop as you wish through the quiet roads taking in both the main reservoir (Marston) 
and the smaller Bowles reservoir where there’s a swim beach for the residents. (Don’t even think about taking your clothes off for a quick dip on a hot day.)
Ride east on Berry Ave to Jason Street. Go south a few blocks to where the street seems to dead end in a mandatory right turn. Sneak left here through an opening in the fence to gain a sidewalk next to Bowles Ave. Cross Federal Blvd at the light and continue east to the Platte River Trail. The access is a little obscure but you’ll get there if you aim for the white bubble building and bear right. Ride north on the trail to Big Dry Creek and cross the South Plate on the bridge to go east and south on the BDC Trail. It will dump you at Powers Ave and Washington St. Go north on Washington to Sunset and Clarkson St. Ride south on Clarkson to Quincy Ave. If you are running out of time, keep riding north no Clarkson to return to Denver, using Dartmouth and Franklin St, for example to return through Washington Park.
Ride Quincy Ave east to Monaco St, passing Cherry Hills Country Club and Kent Denver School along the way. The third KOM usually begins at Colorado Blvd and runs to Happy Canyon Rd. Go right to Monaco and ride to Union Blvd, then east through the Denver Tech Center to Cherry Creek Reservoir. Circumnavigate the reservoir or bypass it depending on your mood. Return to Denver on the Cherry Creek Trail.
Here’s a map of the Bow Mar section, the most likely spot where things can get confused. 
PDF link.
Denver Century Ride
The 2013 version of the Denver Century Ride has new routes to keep it interesting. The 2013 route heads west from the Stapleton neighborhood to Red Rocks Park and Lookout Mountain before heading north to Arvada and east to southern Adams County. It finishes in Stapleton’s Central Park. There are four routes to choose from: a quarter-century, a metric century, a 75 mile ride without Lookout Mountain and the Hogback, and the full ride.
This year’s ride falls on June 16, 2013. If you’ve never ridden a century before, this is a good place to start–the elevation clocks in at 5,280, which compares favorably with Elephant Rock (5,900 feet), with the Buffalo Bicycle Classic (6,000), with the Stonewall Century (7,500 feet), with the Blue River Century (8,625), with the Triple Bypass ( 10,000), and with the Deer Creek Challenge (12,725). Only Venus de Miles, up in Boulder, has less gain (3,396).
The 2012 routes are shown below.
Table Mountain Loop
This loop started out as a tour of independent espresso joints across the metro area. I mapped and then plotted how best to reach as many as I could in a single ride from central Denver. I started working on it in late 2011 and early 2012, when the days are short and frequently cold and when a nice cortado is exactly what you need to warm the inner cyclist. As the route developed and the days grew longer and warmer, I realized that Yelp! is probably a better resource for indie coffee than a static map and abandoned all the little blue coffee cups that dotted the first draft of this route. But the route is a good one, even without the coffee stops. Named for the twin mesas that rise above Golden to the east, this great loop complements similar routes in the other sectors of the city: Red Rocks Loop, Meridian-Inverness Loop, and Going to the Dogs Loop.
The route finding on this one is not particularly difficult in any one area, but there are enough turns and possibilities that you should take a copy of this map and the detailed zoom maps with you, unless you are already familiar with the territory. The basic route is 34 miles, but add in the Cherry Creek Trail, a loop through Golden or a loop on the trails up and around the Arvada Reservoir, and pretty soon you’ll be at a half-century.
The tricky parts happen in the Confluence Park area (getting from there to Lipan St), through Arvada (finding your way to Simms St from Grandview Ave), and around Golden (finding Clear Creek Trail and navigating a loop around the city). None of these should put you off your game. The text below assumes you’re starting this ride in Denver, but there’s no good reason you shouldn’t do the ride from Golden, Wheat Ridge, Arvada, or Lakewood.
From Confluence Park you have three options to ride to Lipan St, which in turn connects you to 46th Ave. You can ride north on the Platte River Trail to Cuernavaca Park, then find the trail spur that parallels the interstate and links up with 36th Ave and Inca St. Just remember to stay on the northwest bank of the Platte and you’ll come directly to Cuernavaca Park. Second, you can jump onto Platte St and ride it northeast to the same trail spur. These two options take you along the historic train tracks and gives some interesting views of graffiti as you pass under the interstate and a spectacular view of downtown. Once you’ve crossed under the interstate, work your way west to Lipan St. 
The third option is slightly more direct and gives you a narrow slice of the Lo-Hi neighborhood. Leave the Platte River Trail at 16th St. Cross Platte Ste and work your way up and over the interstate via the Highland Bridge, admiring the John McEnroe sculpture as you pass by. Turn right on Central St and ride it and its variants (Osage, 32nd, and Kalamath) to Lipan St.
All three options are designed to get you to Lipan St and thence to 46th Ave and the Sunnyside neighborhood. Go west on 46th to Tennyson St, then follow Tennyson to the Clear Creek Trail. Look for the white suspension bridge ahead. You want to be on it. Follow the sign to Ralston Creek Trail and cross Clear Creek. Wind your way up Ralston Creek and exit at Lamar St, the sign for which periodically disappears. Left and up from the trail after 1/2 mile is about right.
Ride south briefly from the intersection of 58th Ave on Lamar then go west on Grandview Ave, one of the great cycling streets in the area. It takes you through the sights and sounds of Olde Town Arvada
and works its way west roughly parallel to 58th Ave. Go west then north on Grandview as it bends around past the cemetery. At 57th Place and old Kipling there’s a very tricky chicane you should probably put foot down for or walk. Cross 58th on old Kipling at an unprotected intersection then ride north past Starbucks to 58th Place. Go west and cross Kipling Parkway, again at an unprotected and sometimes tricky intersection. That’s the hard work. Ride west (on 58th Pl) and north (on Miller St) to reach Allendale Dr which connects going west to Simms St. Ride Simms north to 72nd Ave and 72nd Ave west to the Arvada Reservoir where an optional loop awaits you. The loop begins just past Virgil St at an obvious trail spur to the right. Loop or no, you’ll end up back at Virgil and 64th Ave. Go east to Easley Rd, then south towards Golden. Along the way the mesas for which the route is named come into sharp focus. They’re big. 
As you approach Golden, decide on a plan. You can ride an extra loop through the city or work your way back to Denver on 32nd, 26th or 20th Ave. All are well worn by cyclists, but traditionally cyclists have crowded onto 32nd Ave, my least favorite route. If you like it and it works for you, don’t sweat any of the details that follow. Just hop on the Clear Creek Trail (confusingly you ride west on 44th Ave to find a small spur to reach the CCT), go east to McIntyre St, south to 32nd Ave and back to Denver.
For a more interesting route, ride south on Mcintyre then east briefly on 32nd Ave to Kendrick St, where you’ll see the sign for the Rolling Hills Golf Course. Go south on Kendrick to where it bends west. Go east on Foothill Rd which climbs and winds its way back to Eldridge St. Go south to 20th Ave. Ride 20th Ave all the way back to Denver, jogging north or south at Sheridan to get around Sloan’s Lake. There’s one narrow spot on 20th Ave at Urban St where traffic calming medians have narrowed the street to barely a car’s width. Be sure to use the whole lane here.
-
Archives
- October 2017 (2)
- August 2016 (1)
- July 2016 (1)
- March 2016 (5)
- May 2015 (2)
- April 2015 (1)
- July 2014 (2)
- November 2013 (1)
- May 2013 (3)
- July 2012 (6)
- May 2012 (11)
- April 2012 (2)
-
Categories
-
RSS
Entries RSS
Comments RSS
coloradobikemaps 