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Denver's Trail System

Old 04-16-05, 06:58 AM
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Article yesterday about Denver's Trails.

In addition to the 300 miles of trails listed, there are about 100 miles of trails just outside of the metro area - I.e., the New Santa Fe Trail from Greenland through Colorado Springs to Fountain, trails in Idaho Springs, etc.

All of you folks who are trail haters can just keep your comments to yourself!

These Denver-area trails are well done and a lot of fun, with generally very few to no street crossings.
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Old 04-18-05, 11:39 AM
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Although I still find some of the curves a little unnerving (I'm used to 50 miles of straight and flat trail) I love the trail system here. I'm able to explore the whole area by myself and not feel uncomfortable like I did when I rode rural roads in Ohio by myself.
Sat. I discovered how to ride from my house to downtown Denver (REI) on the Platte River trail. No way I could do that in Cincinnati on a trail.
Since I've ridden the Little Miami Trail in Ohio for years I've seen about every stupid thing people do so I'm not bothered by inexperienced trail users.
One weird thing I did see on Easter Monday. On the Bear Creek trail around Federal some kids put 3 large rocks across the entrance to one of the underpasses. I had to stop and go off the trail to get around them. The next day I saw 3 kids on motorized vehicles in the same area. I was wondering, are such activities common occurrences on the trails around here?
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Old 04-18-05, 11:52 AM
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Originally Posted by DnvrFox
Article yesterday about Denver's Trails.



All of you folks who are trail haters can just keep your comments to yourself!

These Denver-area trails are well done and a lot of fun, with generally very few to no street crossings.
Fox, it's not the trails we hate, it's the trail hogs, trail dogs (just the one's in the way or off leash), trail dog poop, broken glass, the three fat people walking side by side, three riders coming at you side by side (expecting you to bail off to let them by), and last but not least, goatheads.

What did I leave out?

A fantastic public resource, I'm a happy tax payer when I see it used this wisely.
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Old 04-18-05, 12:19 PM
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Originally Posted by lovemyswift
One weird thing I did see on Easter Monday. On the Bear Creek trail around Federal some kids put 3 large rocks across the entrance to one of the underpasses. I had to stop and go off the trail to get around them. The next day I saw 3 kids on motorized vehicles in the same area. I was wondering, are such activities common occurrences on the trails around here?
Kathi
You do see some strange things on the trails around Denver but they are rare. Just go with the flow, kick the rocks off the trail and ignore the dippy kids on motorbikes. If they get to be a nuisance call the local police (Federal and Bear Creek is in Denver.)
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Old 04-18-05, 01:51 PM
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Originally Posted by Shifty
Fox, it's not the trails we hate, it's the trail hogs, trail dogs (just the one's in the way or off leash), trail dog poop, broken glass, the three fat people walking side by side, three riders coming at you side by side (expecting you to bail off to let them by), and last but not least, goatheads.

What did I leave out?

A fantastic public resource, I'm a happy tax payer when I see it used this wisely.

I led a group of 6 folks on a trail ride today. None of tha above happened. Everyone was courteous and no problems were enountered.
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Old 04-19-05, 02:30 AM
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re: On the Bear Creek trail around Federal some kids put 3 large rocks across the entrance to one of the underpasses. I had to stop and go off the trail to get around them. The next day I saw 3 kids on motorized vehicles in the same area. I was wondering, are such activities common occurrences on the trails around here?


On the Denver trail near Cherry Creek mall about two-three years back i saw a couple young (15ish) yo kids intimidating cyclists. One kid lunged at a rider in front of me who almost went over the edge into a boulder strewn ravine.
As i rode up he lunged and spat and i reflexivly leaned into him like a football blocker and knocked into his shoulder at 15 MPH.
The kid was lifted of his feet but not over. I felt suddenly a bit overzealous and ashamed and pulled over, only to have to pull pepper spray to keep the 4 of them from rushing me.
Went home right away and called the cops, who said i was fine and responded appropriately. Gave them my name and waited nervously.

Two weeks later in telling the story at a local pub i find out that the bartenders wife was put in the hospital by the same kids, the same day. They were throwing sticks in front of roller bladers just in a shadow at the bottom of a hill.

The guy bought me free beer for a while.

Moral is... always call the cops. They might be messing with you, or 'just playing' but a young woman broken on the rocks under a bridge and alone was terrified beyond belief (worrying what else was about to happen) just before i tagged the kid. Cops patrolled the area more after.

If i'd have heard the bartenders story and had done nothing, i couldn't drink his beer without feeling miserable. These kids were on some sort of power trip intimidating people, maybe getting tagged by an elbow at 15 mph and almost mace'd by a cyclist and the cops chasing them prevented an escalation of that violence into something really scarry.
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Old 04-19-05, 07:29 PM
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Originally Posted by Shifty

Fox, it's not the trails we hate, it's the trail hogs, trail dogs (just the one's in the way or off leash), trail dog poop, broken glass, the three fat people walking side by side, three riders coming at you side by side (expecting you to bail off to let them by), and last but not least, goatheads
Did 23 miles on those Denver Trails (well, actually Parker Trails) and none of the above happened. No lousy kids, no loose dogs, no slow fat people walking three abreast. Everyone was quite courteous, and didn't get a goathead!

Wonder what I am doing wrong?
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Old 04-21-05, 09:12 AM
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Originally Posted by cyccommute
You do see some strange things on the trails around Denver but they are rare. Just go with the flow, kick the rocks off the trail and ignore the dippy kids on motorbikes. If they get to be a nuisance call the local police (Federal and Bear Creek is in Denver.)
What and break my toe, no way, those things were unkickable, undragable, unbudgeable by me. I would have called the local police but being a newbie here I wasn't sure what jurisdiction I was in. I did warn riders going that direction.

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Old 04-21-05, 12:14 PM
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Originally Posted by lovemyswift
What and break my toe, no way, those things were unkickable, undragable, unbudgeable by me. I would have called the local police but being a newbie here I wasn't sure what jurisdiction I was in. I did warn riders going that direction.

Kathi
Wow! Those "kids" must have been members of the rare and seldom seen troop of Bear Creek gorillas I didn't realize that the rocks were boulders.

Unfortunately the area from Federal on Bear Creek and from Dartmouth to Bear Creek on the Platte is kind of a hodge podge of juristdictions. You actually cross from Englewood to Denver several times along there. I think I'd still call the Denver Police since most of it is in Denver.
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Old 04-22-05, 11:24 PM
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actually i had great experiences on the trails shy of one run in.
the only collision i had was with a great blue heron out below the dam.

and one very very cold century a few years back.
The Park to Park tour. Made it Cherry Creek to Chatfield in alternating rain and snow, until my feet were so numb i couldn't tell if i was pedalling, my hands were too cold to let go of the bars.
Warmed up in a car until my feet swelled up too big to get back into my shoes.
Finished the short course (75 miles.)
Love Denver weather.
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Old 04-23-05, 06:14 AM
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Did 20 miles yesterday on those "trails" around my home. Great experiences, met about 15-20 folks and bicyclists, all friendly, all dogs leashed and under control.
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Old 04-23-05, 10:08 AM
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I wish Georgia had more trails. I'd ride on them over the street anyday.
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Old 04-23-05, 10:14 AM
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Originally Posted by DnvrFox
Article yesterday about Denver's Trails.

In addition to the 300 miles of trails listed, there are about 100 miles of trails just outside of the metro area - I.e., the New Santa Fe Trail from Greenland through Colorado Springs to Fountain, trails in Idaho Springs, etc.

All of you folks who are trail haters can just keep your comments to yourself!

These Denver-area trails are well done and a lot of fun, with generally very few to no street crossings.
Are these trails multi-use paved trails? Does the state of Colorado or the city of Denver publish a free public map of the trail systems? Are you part of an organization to help keep the trail systems in your community maintained & to help develope future trails? Can you please provide some links, other then news articles the give more information about your trails?
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Old 04-23-05, 02:22 PM
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Originally Posted by N_C
Are these trails multi-use paved trails? Does the state of Colorado or the city of Denver publish a free public map of the trail systems? Are you part of an organization to help keep the trail systems in your community maintained & to help develope future trails? Can you please provide some links, other then news articles the give more information about your trails?
They are both gravel and paved - you have many options. The Highline Canal Trail is 70 mile s (about 20-25 feet wide) and goes from the SW side of the metro are to the SE side, winding along following a sometimes wet canal. Other trails, such as the Lee Gulch Trail are also gravel.

The major "transportation" trails are primarily cement and some are asphalt.

Yes, they aare MUPS, although o nce you get away from the centers of population, you see few people/

There is a map put out by the Denver Bicycle Touring Club, and there also is an online link to a map which I have misplaced (I know them all in my brain!).

There are numerous jurisdictions responsible for the various trails. I,e.,

South Suburban Recreation Department
Denver
Aurora
Parker
many other towns and cities and rec depts
Denver Water Board
US Forest Service
Several joint "authorities"
etc., etc.

I have belonged to "Bicycle Colorado" which is the main advocacy group in Colorado

https://bicyclecolo.org/site/intro.cfm

There are also

"Bicycle Denver"

Bicycle Aurora"

Bicycle Douglas County"

to which I do not belong.

Each year the Bicycle Colorado sponsors a fund-raising century/and shorter ride activity with a gourment lunch, called the Park to Park Ride. I and my wife generally participate.

The Denver area is blessed with a number of very large state and city parks providng nature right in the middle of the city.

Cherry Creek State Park - 3 miles from my house, lake, 5,000 acres of open space.
Bear Lake Park - City of Lakewood - 2,500 acres with lake
Chatfield Reservoir - 5,000+ acres right on edge of city
Barr Lake State Park - about 5,000 acres on edge of city
Castlewood Canyon State Park 2,000 acres on edge of metro area
Red Rocks City Park (Denver, put really in Morrison) several thousand acres.
Waterton Canyon - Denver Water Board, US Forest Service, State of Colorado - beautiful ride along the Platte aRiver up into the foothills.

Roxborough State Park - no bicycles allowed, pristine natural red rocks with cliffs and promontories, just SW of city.
and more

Almost all are interconnected by a bicycle trail system, so if you like nature, WOW! Also, almost all of our trails follow natural waterways/drainages, and are "open space" trails. As a result, when they intersect with a roadway, they go UNDER the bridge. I can go for scores of miles and never interact with a car or road.

All of the Colorado Lottery earnings after prizes and expenses go into open space and trail projects

LO, somewhere you have that map link???

Most of the trails I ride look like this on a weekday - with about that many people.

Cherry Creek Trail



Waterton Canyon Trail


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