Bicycling Colorado, Some Favorites

"GLENWOOD CANYON RECREATION TRAIL"

2009-05-19T10:17:00.000-07:00

I wanted to put 1 great road bike trail on my list of Colorado trails. This is the best paved trail (it's an out and back through beautiful Glenwood Canyon) I've seen in Colorado. It is accessible to hikers and bicyclists and begins in the town of Glenwood Springs and proceeds eastbound. It's fun to get there also, on scenic Interstate 70. The trail follows the Colorado River, which roars in the spring and is placid in the fall. The river is sometimes filled with kayakers to watch.
The total distance along the river trail is 16 miles or 32 out and back. I used to drive for hours just to ride this one. I don't do that for many "roadies". There's no motorized traffic allowed, a good thing. Closed in winter (it's often icy at a mile high) and during spring floods, this trail is free to access on National Forest land. trailcentral.com (see Garfield County at that site) has a decent web site for information.

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"PHIL'S WORLD"

2009-05-13T14:26:00.000-07:00

Phil's World is about 20 miles of sweetness in Cortez, Colorado. It may be longer by now. They keep adding singletrack and plenty of room remains. This is the best ride in the "4 Corners" area, for my money. While Durango has beautiful hiking and golfing, it's a little bit too vertical for biking (for us elderlies). Phil's World has just enough hard work involved to get the heart pumping well. The "Rib Cage" section is an absolute blast up and down roller coaster hills. There are great views of Cortez, which is just a few miles away, from the "Lemon Head" section. This is a really fun ride for people of all abilities. If you want to ride some more, a trail goes under the highway to "Duck and Cover". This loop will keep you busy for another 5 1/2 miles. The local bicycle shop, Kokopelli Bike & Board in Cortez, has great trail maps. trails.mtbr.com is a good website. The trail is on BLM, Colorado State, and Montezuma County government land (fee area unless the system can be cheated). STAY ON TRAILS AS SOME LAND IS PRIVATE! THANKS.

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"ZIPPITY (Do Dah)"

2009-05-13T13:57:00.000-07:00

Zippity (in Fruita, Co., 8 mi.) trail, at the end of 18 Rd. is one good reason why western Colorado is the new desert mountain biking Eden. Moab, Utah is not exactly forgotten, but Fruita is gaining, gaining market share. As you ride up and down adobe hills, you are guaranteed to catch some air on this one. STAY OFF WHEN WET-YOU WILL BEND YOUR WHEELS AND RUIN THE TRAIL! If you are a beginner, give it a good look-over before trying it. On second thought, just try it. Hiking is part of biking, right? Just yield to the expert riders please. STAY ON THE TRAIL. Although the desert looks dead, many fragile entities are trying to survive here. Bike tires kill stuff. trails.mtbr.com & trailcentral.com are good web sites. Over the Edge is the bike shop to see in Fruita. The trail is free access on BLM land.

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"PRIME CUT"

2009-05-06T14:22:00.000-07:00

Prime Cut is a 2 1/2 mile (each way) out-and-back ride in the new mountain biking Mecca of Fruita, Colorado. Ride this trail in conjunction with any of the rides at the north end of 18 Road. This short trail, in the adobe foothills of the scenic Bookcliffs formation is a blast-off down hill, safe but fast. Some of the other trails in this area north of Fruita are expert tracks, but this one is for everyone. It can be made into a loop, if wanted, by climbing the uphill on 18 Rd. The trail is more fun though, even uphill. Then it's a blast down. I could ride this one up and down all the live long day. Like the area near I-70 exit 15 in Loma, no problem to ride different trails hour after hour here. mapmyride.com is a good web site. Over The Edge is the right bike shop in town. The trail is free access on BLM land.

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"MARY'S LOOP"

2009-04-28T15:45:00.000-07:00

Mary's Loop Trail (8 mi.) is in Loma, Colorado. Besides being a great loop ride, this trail is also the beginning of the remarkable Kokopelli Trail. So instead of looping, if you got plenty left, just keep going for 140 miles to Moab, Utah. Just kidding. Seriously, if you are not too tired, it's nice to ride Rustler's Loop (3 mi.) and/or Horsethief Bench Loop (3.5 mi.) with this one. Most people would have a short hike-a-bike to access Horsethief. This area features great views of the Colorado River canyon country. Lions Loop (for the Lion's Club) also connects to Mary's . It's a tougher ride. As a matter of fact, it's no problem at all to "loop" from dawn to dusk in the area, never riding the same trail twice. It's swell scenery and swell aerobic exercise. blm.gov and trailcentral.com have some good info. The trail is free access on BLM land.

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Colorado Bicycle Trails

2009-04-20T13:38:00.001-07:00

HERE'S A FEW HONORABLE MENTION COLORADO TRAILS: (top to bottom) Grand Mesa Loop of Grand Mesa (by the way, Grand Mesa is the "World's Largest Flat-Top Mountain) National Forest, Turkey Flats at Glade Park, Magellan Loop at Grand Junction, Italian Canyon at Dolores, Boggy Draw at Dolores, West Bench of Grand Mesa National Forest, The Edge at Fruita

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Visit Utah bicycling trails here.

MORE Photographs here.