Red Rocks Century
Looking for a challenging century ride (or shorter)? Want to keep it close to home? Fabulous views and lots of climbing important to you? Then it is time to check out the Red Rocks Century, a looping swooping, climbing sun-of-a-gun century that will have your thighs burning long before you get to Squaw Pass. Starting in Morrison, the century begins with a jaunt through Red Rocks Park, spins up Highway 74 to Kerr Gulch then loops along US 40 to Idaho Springs where the big climb begins: Squaw Pass from the west side is rated a 4.9 in the Rocky Mountain Cycling Club’s database of climbs and ranks 8th in the state. But who’s bragging? But wait, there’s more. After the 15 miles of pain that Squaw Pass represents you’ll be bombing down to Evergreen from where you’ll start the unheralded but difficult climb up Shadow Mountain Drive (8.5 miles, 5% avg, 15% max). Were that not enough, the climbing finishes out with one of my favorite stretches of steep climbing in the state, up through High Drive, Stanley Park Road and Little Cub (5 miles, 5% avg, 15% max). Now that’s a century. And it is sponsored by Primal Wear so you know the swag is going to be good. Better yet, it is not to late to sign up. The ride happens this year on Sunday, July 8, 2012. Shorter routes are also available. Sign up here. And when you finish and your legs are screaming at you send me a note and let me know how it went. The claimed elevation gain is over 10,000 feet.
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.
Grapevine Loop
The next time you find yourself bored with whatever your standard route is around the Lookout Mountain area, check out the Grapevine Loop. It’s got great aesthetics, challenging hills, serious remoteness for being so close to I-70, and bomber descents. Many variations are possible. I’ve shown it here the way I discovered it, as a counterclockwise loop from Golden. I have a slight preference for counterclockwise because it means you are descending Highway 74 and the Genesee roads (Trail and Ridge)–and I like that better than having cars whizzing by me while I’m plugging along at 10 mph uphill. But you’ll see lots of cyclists coming up 74 from Morrison en route to Kittredge and Evergreen, so it is not all bad to go clockwise. If you are in a hurry, skip Mt Vernon Rd and drop directly down to I-70 from Lookout Mountain Road via Charros or Paradise roads. Both will put you near Exit 256 and the beginning of Grapevine Rd. Another challenging option is to ride down to 74 then turn around and ride back up. There are definitely some steep spots, and the dirt road can be tricky, but there’s rarely much traffic and you can use the whole road if you need to. Finally, you can also skip the Shingle Creek and Lininger Loop section, especially if short, super-steep hills intimidate you.
Start this one in or near Golden. You can ride in from the east or drive out and find ample parking at Ulysses Park, Beverly Heights Park, or almost anywhere along Illinois St. On the weekends there’s also easy parking in and around the Jefferson County Justice Center Complex. Make your way up Lookout Mountain. For extra climbing points, take the optional detour up to the Nature Center before dropping back down to Lookout Mtn Rd. Ride along to Mt Vernon Rd, climbing steeply but briefly to the high point of the ride at 7,837 feet. The red barn is the conic marker here. Cross I-70 at Exit 254 and head down the frontage road, stopping if you’re inclined or in need at the espresso shop or bike store conveniently located here. It is around four miles to Grapevine Road, all of downhill save a short stretch linking Genesee Trail and Genesee Ridge roads. At the stop sign near exit 256 ride east. Grapevine Rd begins here. A swooping right turn brings you to Shingle Creek Rd. Go right for some extra climbing, go straight to stay with Grapevine. If you head up the Lininger Loop, know that clockwise is steeper than counter-clockwise. This is a pretty remote part of the development, so respect the residents’ privacy by neither clustering loudly at the top of the Loop nor leaving your trash behind. Return to Grapevine Rd and climb south.
Shortly after the Shingle Creek junction, Grapevine’s pavement begins to deteriorate and eventually turns into a full on dirt road. After the high point you’ll encounter a cattle guard, some interesting dirt switchbacks, and yet another cattle guard. Whatever else you might do on a cattle guard, don’t stop and try to put your foot down. Just keep going. And keep going straight! Admire the views in all directions. Two-thirds of the way down, the road becomes paved again. Follow it to Highway 74. Ride down to Morrison, about 3.5 miles. Look for Red Rocks entrance #3 just outside Morrison. Turn left. Climb sharply up to the south parking area of the amphitheater along Ship Rock Road. Jog around the amphitheater to Trading Post Road, then exit the park at Highway 93, crossing over to Alameda Parkway to climb up and over the car-free Dinosaur Ridge. After where you’ve been, this short climb is a piece of cake. Find Rooney Road on the east side of Dinosaur Ridge and head north, crossing I-70 (under it) and US 40 (at the traffic light), and locate the bicycle trail that sits in the shadow of C-470 just after the junction of Rooney Rd and US 40. From the light look for the sidewalk on the north side of US 40. Cross 6th Avenue to reach Johnson Rd and make your way back to your parking place. With FasTracks construction in full bloom, the Golden Bike Trial between Johnson Rd and Jefferson County Parkway has been disrupted. Use the west sidewalk along Johnson Rd or ride directly on Johnson Rd.
Small Ring Loop
This is another of the truly great loop rides Denverites have in their backyard. In terms of overall aesthetic quality, the Small Ring Loop ranks way high on my fun-meter, especially so since it traverse so much terrain–everything from Lookout Mountain to Red Rocks Park and nearly everything in between, including Kittridge, Bergen Park, Morrison, a trio of gulches, and two country clubs. A two mile stretch on the I-70 shoulder and a 1/4 mile stretch on and across US 285 are probably the only serious negatives. It rides well in both directions, though I confess to preferring to ride it counterclockwise. I’d rather come down Deer Creek Canyon than ride up, I prefer to ride Highway 8 into Morrison (it is downhill) than to ride out, and I love the steep climb up into Red Rocks from Highway 74 from Entrance #3. But that’s just personal preference. Ride it and find out for yourself. The route-finding through the Ken Caryl development can be tortuous, but it is hard to go too far awry–if you keep going generally north or south, you’ll come out OK. I’ve included a detailed map of the area below that you can tuck in your jersey to help you along.
Start this one anywhere on the loop or just off it. I’ve shown a few obvious starting places like Ulysses and Beverly Heights Park, Lookout Mountain, and South Valley Park, but the access to the loop is unlimited. There’s also a Park n Ride just east of Morrison and there’s always room at the bottom of Deer Creek Canyon Rd near Chatfield Reservoir. I like to start at Ulysses Park, near 10th and Ulysses just east of the Taj Mahal
in Golden. It allows a short warmup before heading up Lookout Mountain. Once you’ve topped out there, head on over to I-70 and Exit 254. You can optionally avoid the worst of the traffic by sneaking up through the Nature Center and there’s some good short steeps awaiting you along the Mt Vernon Rd, home to the eponymous Mt Vernon Country Club. You’ll see the tennis courts as you climb the first steep grade. At exit 254 join the cars on the interstate. If you’ve got mechanical troubles or just need a pick-me-up, drop into Foothills Ski & Bike or the Buffalo Moon Coffee Shop, both just up the hill from Exit 254 near the Chart House. There’s no real trick to riding along the interstate–you just need to pay attention. Stay to the right side of the shoulder and avoid as much debris as you can. There’s an intermediate exit in between 254 and 252 to Chief Hosa. Ignore it.
Exit to the Evergreen Parkway and climb up through the traffic to an uncontrolled left turn (i.e. no traffic light) onto Kerr Gulch Rd. The stretch along the Parkway can be tight at times, but with some heads up peddling you should be fine. Kerr Gulch is the second left after the traffic light. Once you are on Kerr Gulch Rd, you’ll be in another world. The houses start out all high and mighty near the top and dissolve into a sort of decaying squalor as you approach Highway 74. The road mimics the surroundings and the last mile or so is rough and narrow. Turn right, uphill, to reach Kittridge, then left to ride gulch number two, Meyers, a short, steep pitch of just two miles. If you are totally whipped at this point in the ride, just point your bike downhill from Kittredge and ride Highway 74 east to Morrison, cuting off something like 25 miles of the ride. A gentle descent of four miles down Parmalee Gulch Rd brings you to US 285. Jump on 285 by going left initially. Follow the signs to Fairplay, not Denver. Here you have to make a decision: either ride 1/4 mile on US 285 and exit across 285 to S. Turkey Creek Rd (as you did on Evergreen Pkwy) or ride 2 miles on the shoulder to the N. Turkey Creek Rd Exit, which swings under 285 and thereby avoids having to cross the highway. Your choice: 1/2 mile and left or two miles and under. I much prefer the short jaunt, a quick scan backwards and the left hand turn. There’s a dedicated turn lane so it is easy to jump across, pause, get your bearings, and then make a bee-line to the other side. The Deer Creek Century understandably routes you along the shoulder but the traffic is rarely so heavy through here that you cannot safely cross. And if you are coming from the other direction, you don’t have a choice: get on 285 just past Tiny Town and exit at Parmalee Gulch by using the dedicated turn lane.
From 285 to S Deer Creek Canyon Rd is a fine stretch. Aside from the almost 19th century quaintness of Tiny Town, there’s not much here beyond good bucolic cycling. At the Fire Station turn left to make a short, 200′ climb up Deer Creek Canyon Rd, then check your tire pressure for the long descent to S. Valley Rd. On most weekends, you’ll see lots of cyclists along here. Don’t miss the left hand turn to S. Valley Rd. If you are accustomed to the full Deer Creek descent to Platte Canyon Rd, the turn can come up on you pretty fast. Climb up Valley Rd to Valley Parkway, and join up with N. Ranch Rd to make your way through the heart of the Ken Caryl development. Mostly stick to the main road and you’ll be fine, except for a crucial link between the Ken Caryl development and the Willow Springs area. From N. Ranch Rd go left to Black Bear Ln or Golden Eagle Ln. Both take you where you need to go: a narrow, chained-off fire lane between Wilow Springs Rd and Golden Eagle Ln. The first time I made my way through here, it was an unrideable gravel passage. It is better now, but the exit onto Willow Springs may still make you hop off your bike. (As an aside, if all this route-finding is boggling your mind, it is always an option to go slightly further east (from Deer Creek, Ken Caryl or even Belleview) to the C-470 Trail and make your way north back to Golden that way!)
Now the fun begins. Follow Willow Springs through one of the coolest looking golf courses in Colorado to Belleview Ave and then west and north to US 285 (again!). This will be fast. A short, steep climb brings you to Highway 8 and, in two miles, to Morrison. Get refreshments, if you need them, in Morrison, then go west a short stretch on Highway 74 to the #3 Entrance to Red Rocks Park. A really steep climb
will take you up, to, and through the Park and out the other side, to Entrance #1. Cross the road to Dinosaur Ridge. Go north along Rooney and Johnson Rds and you’re back where you started. The only tricky part along here is finding the bike by-pass between Colfax and 6ht Ave. From the traffic light at Rooney Rd and Colfax Ave, look northeast. You’ll see the trail just to the left and in the shadow of the C-470 overpass.
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