The Ride at Waterton Canyon, Colorado
November 5, 2008 by Phil Hodsdon
Filed under Uncategorized
The Waterton Canyon mountain bike ride is really quite spectacular. Its about 30 miles south of Denver. There’s a gravel service road that goes up to the Colorado Trail. Its about 6 uphill miles with an elevation gain of about 500 feet; 5,490′ – 5,925′! My friend Dan took me there several weeks ago on a sunny afternoon to ride there. Here are directions.
The trail follows the South Platte River for the entire distance. While I was riding there, I saw numerous fly fishermen casting in the water. The water is so clear, that on the trail, you can see the fish swimming and coming up to snatch a tasty insect or a fly lure. The trail passes by 3 dams, which are very picturesque in the bucolic countryside.
About the halfway mark, a dozen mule deer flitted across the road and startled us. These were magnificent creatures, full of energy and bounce. There are signs along the trail telling you about the mountain sheep and goats. The ride is really a feast for the eyes. You will see young families, hikers, and fisherman carrying their poles, all enjoying the beauty. It is hard to believe that it’s all up hill; you hardly notice it. Bring your cameras. I would even guess that kids as young as 8 could ride with mom and dad to the top.
At the top of the six miles, you see the largest Dam to the right. Its huge with several bore holes spewing water at a high rate. I assumed it was for hydroelectric power. If you stay straight, there is a trail to Lenny’s Rest. The trail is quite technical. That’s “bike-speak” for: single track, switchbacks, narrow, deep center ruts, rocky, dangerous, nasty riding. Naturally, I decided that I could take that track. Halfway up, I ran out of water; shortly after that, I ran out of desire and will power.
My excuse to the Mrs. was that I ran out of water and that I started too late in the day. We didn’t hit the trail until 2pm that afternoon; but I have to tell you the single-track technical piece just really kicked my butt. I was bathed in heavy sweat, eyes stinging, wet clothes, breathing hard at 6,000 feet, darkness approaching, and I just whimped out. I plan on hitting it again in the Spring and I will bring three times the water and start off at 8 am.
There are rules in Colorado about hiking and biking in the summer. Colorado has over 30 peaks above 14,000 feet. When you hike/bike in the summer, the thunderstorms roll in every afternoon sometime around 12 noon. Be sure to summit by 11:30 am or you have no place to hide on a deforested mountaintop where you are the tallest object for lightening to find.
The ride back down to the parking lot was really a lot of fun once I made it back to the service road. Imagine a 6 mile downhill; relaxing, scenic and with the river below you to your right. What a ride!
See you on the trails.
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This post was written by:
Phil Hodsdon - who has written 5 posts on Mountain bike product reviews, bike builds, trail reviews, forum, and tips – MTOBikes.com.
Phil is a 51 year old father of three lovely girls; married to a wonderful woman; has a great job, and is a mountain biking fanatic. You can see him on the trails inside Cherry Creek State Park, Winter Park, and Vail, Co. Phil aspires to ride the best mountain bike trails in Colorado and the World.
Phil-
One of my favorite rides ever! Start out earlier, carry more water, and condition the lungs because riding through Roxborough State Park on the return is challenging but exhilirating. I had one of my most memorable Disney Moments on this ride.
I did Green Mountain yesterday and the wind kicked my butt, the cold froze my lungs, but the reward was entirely worth it.