From: rgo@druhi.att.com (Ron Olsen)
Newsgroups: rec.bicycles
Subject: Re: Mountain Biking in Colorado
Keywords: lots of great stuff!
Date: 20 Aug 92 00:56:27 GMT
Reply-To: r.g.olsen@att.com
Distribution: usa
Organization: AT&T Bell Labs, Denver CO

|>   I need some info about mountain biking trips near Boulder.  I've
|> decided on the spur of the moment to go to Colorado before the end
|> of the summer, so I don't have much time to coordinate a trip, and
|> am looking into organized trips.  My SO isn't into getting too close
|> to nature, so we'll want to stay in hotels and B&B's instead of 
|> camping. (bummer)  If any of you have info on good groups with 
|> reasonable rates, I'd appreciate hearing from you.  We'll be going
|> the third week of September.
|> 
|>   If anyone has info on just winging it and making our own trip, let
|> me know too!

(I tried E-mailing a reply, but got bounced...)

	There is lots of good mountain biking near Boulder
	and other parts of the Colorado front range.
	All of it can be done as day trips; you don't need
	an organized group, just some guidebooks and maps.

	I would recommend getting the Boulder County Mountain Bike map
	($8.50) from any Boulder bike shop, staying in a
	hotel/motel/B&B in Boulder, and doing day trips on your own.
	I don't know of any touring companies that run trips around
	Boulder; most do multi-day trips in the mountains of central
	and western Colorado.

	If you are interested in doing an organized tour,
	you can contact Timberline Tours in Denver,
	and The Road Less Traveled in Boulder; both run mountain bike
	tours in various parts of the state.

	Some good bike shops in Boulder: Cyclelogic, High Wheeler,
	University, and Performance.  All will be happy to give
	you information and recommendations on rides.

	Other good guidebooks are the Ride Guide and the Ride Guide II
	by David Nelson, which lists both road and mountain bike rides
	in the Denver-Boulder area and other parts of Colorado,
	and Laura Rosseter's "Mountain Biking in Colorado's Historic
	Mining Districts", which describes good rides all over the state.
	William Stoehr's "Mountain Biking in Colorado's Front Range"
	also lists jeep-road rides in the area.

	Here are some rides that I would recommend:

	Switzerland Trail: easy jeep roads (an old railroad grade)
	in a scenic area just west of Boulder.

	Sourdough Trail: rocky, technical single-track near Brainard Lake.
	Lots of fun and very popular.

	Walker Ranch: some hard climbs and steep descents, and some
	mandatory bike-carrying terrain; but great fun as well.

	White Ranch:  This is a Jefferson County open-space park
	off Rt. 93 between Boulder and Golden.  It has lots of
	nice single-track trails, with some good climbs and descents.
	Start at the west entrance of the park for easier riding;
	there is a stiff climb if you start at the east entrance. 
	Trail maps are available at the parking areas at the park.

	Most Jefferson County parks have good single-track trails
	for mountain biking.  Other favorites include Matthews/Winters
	Park, Elk Meadow and Bergen Peak, and Mt. Falcon Park.
	Many of these are described in a hiking guidebook
	"Hiking Trails from Denver to Mt. Evans" that is
	available at EMS (Eastern Mountain Sports) and other stores in Boulder.

	Colorado Trail: The Colorado Trail has some of the finest
	single-track riding in the state.
	It's a hour or two drive from Boulder to some of my
	favorite rides.  A great one is the section from Buffalo Creek
	to Meadows campground in the South Platte area, southwest of
	Denver.  This ride is described in the Ride Guide II;
	highly recommended.

	Summit County, Winter Park and Vail: about a 2-hour drive from Boulder
	gets you to some great high-country mountain biking in
	the heart of Colorado ski country.  See Laura Rosseter's
	"Summit County Mountain Bike Guide" and Michael Murphy's
	"Guide to Mountain Biking in the Vail Area" for more info.
	You can also ride the lifts at Copper Mountain, Winter Park,
	and Vail ski areas, and ride trails back to the bottom.
	Copper is free; Vail and Winter Park charge for use of the lifts.
	I'm not sure if the lifts will run after Labor Day, however.
	Check out the Idlewild cross-country ski trails in Winter Park
	for some fun single-track riding.

	Fall River Road: this is in Rocky Mountain National Park
	near Estes Park.  A nine-mile dirt road takes you up to
	the Alpine Visitors Center, and an 18-mile descent on
	paved Trail Ridge Road through some of the most spectacular
	mountain scenery imaginable takes you back to your car.
	The descent can be very cold; you're at 12,000' at the high
	point of the ride, so bring gloves and warm clothing for
	this one.

	This is just a sampler; there is much, much more!

	Have fun,

	Ron Olsen
	Boulder, Colorado
	r.g.olsen@att.com