Poudre River Trail near Greeley, CO

As always, I started the day feeling rushed.

A fall bike ride on the Poudre River Trail that runs
between Windsor, Colorado & Greeley, CO

I don't have time for a trail ride." I thought.

But then, I did a little survey of the things I "had" to get done for the day.

Other than a few quick chores all of them could wait.

On the other hand, it's almost November, and we're not going to get many more nice trail days. So I said, "What the heck," or something like that, and loaded my bike on the car.

I had biked the Poudre River Trail, starting in Greeley, Colorado back in the spring, but I didn't finish the ride due to trail construction delays.

After about an hour drive, I started my ride near Windsor, Colorado. Once I was on the trail, I was glad I decided to go for a ride. There were just enough other folks on the trail for an occasional friendly greeting, but not enough to feel rushed or crowded. The weather was cool but not cold. Half the time I wore long sleeves, then I shed them and enjoyed the light breeze.

This time, I started my ride in Windsor, Colorado and rode east. It was a terrific ride, and now I can't wait until they get the eastern portion of the trail connected to the western portion that now runs through part of Fort Collins, Colorado.

Let me know what your last great ride for the fall is. Winter is almost here, so let's share our final trail stories.

Poudre River Trail near Greeley, CO

Bitterbrush Trail on Hall Ranch Open Space

Northwest of Boulder, Colorado lies the Hall Ranch Open Space, part of the North Foothills Open Space complex. Both Hall Ranch and Heil Ranch are included in this system, and both areas have incredible mountain bike trails that are now connected by a bike trail.

The Bitterbrush Trail and the Nelson Loop Trail are both on Hall Ranch Open Space and are about a mile and a half from Lyons, Colorado on highway 7. The two trails make up a lasso trail (sometimes also called a lariat trail) with the Bitterbrush Trail forming the rope handle of the lasso and the Nelson Loop Trail forming the actual lasso.

These trails are fairly steep in spots, and they are studded with outcropping rocks and tree roots along the trail. While these obstacles make the trail fairly difficult, they also make it the ultimate roller coaster ride for seasoned mountain bikers.

View and download the Everytrail Guide for these trails and enjoy directions, descriptions, pictures, and suggestions on your smart phone. It beats lugging around an unwieldy guidebook every time you hit the trail.

Bitterbrush Trail on Hall Ranch Open Space

Aspen tops the top ten fall foliage viewing areas

Autumn is my favorite time of year, and the fall foliage is one of the reasons. And just when I started to tire of viewing the autumn leaves in the same old way, I discovered the joys of seeing the golden splendor of mother nature from the perspective of a bicycle seat on lightly used trails.

autumn trails provide fall colors

I would, however, have trouble ranking fall foliage viewing areas on a top ten list. They each have their own splendor. Colorado trails tend to highlight the golden hues of aspen trees in the fall while New Hampshire trails have more of an abundance of oranges and reds. And who knows what I'll see on Pennsylvania paths, Maryland meanderings, West Virginia trails, Virginia byways, and Washington D.C. bikeways next week?

Very few people would argue that September and October are two of the best times to take a hike on a local path or to ride your bike on one of America's beautiful trails. The weather is usually great, the trails less crowded, and, of course, the foliage viewing is wonderful.

So check out the latest top ten fall foliage viewing list and then choose your favorite leaf-looking regions. But try it from the vantage point of  a trail this year. You'll be glad you did.

Aspen tops the top ten fall foliage viewing areas

Mineral Belt Loop Trail Guide now available on Everytrail

A few days ago, I wrote about the great experience I had on the Mineral Belt Loop Trail in Leadville, Colorado. It was a beautiful trail, on a picture-perfect day, with fun friends.

Well since then, I've created a Mineral Belt Loop Trail guide on Everytrail.com. I've briefly described these guides in the past, but the more I work with them, the more convinced I become that these trail guides on Everytrail are the best trail development to come along in years.

Nearly everyone has a cell phone these days, and many cell phone users now have smart phones. And to take it a step further, most of us who have the technological do-it-alls are now in the habit of taking them with us on the trail. They're great for staying in touch with each other and they are indispensable in an emergency.

They're also good for:

• games if you get bored
• a flashlight if you're caught out after dark
• checking email, facebook, twitter, etc.
• music, if you're so inclined
• texting if you want to stay in touch w/ that special someone
• etc.

But now, they're more than just a convenience. In the case of the Everytrail app., they may be your map and guidebook all crammed into one little efficient bundle. But the Everytrail app/ guides are even better than a regular printed guidebook because they're a lot small, less messy, and much more inclusive and interactive.

If you plan on venturing out to a new trail, you can't go wrong with one of the Everytrail guides. They'll provide you with pictures to help you decide if you want to take the trail, show you a map with the exact route once you're on the trail, provide you with crucial information about the trail route, and give you tips about trail landmarks. They may tell you about a historical location, a hotel, a restaurant, or even a bathroom or drinking fountain.

And you can't go wrong with the price. Whereas a normal printed guidebook may cost you  over $10, most of the Evertrail trail guides are only $1.99. They allow you to choose the exact trails you want as opposed to a book that may have numerous trails you'll never need.

Don't get me wrong, I still like printed guidebooks, and I hope you do too. But the Everytrail guides are a nice way to get just what you need before you head out to explore that new trail.

Mineral Belt Loop Trail Guide now available on Everytrail

Clear Creek Trail from Denver to Golden, Colorado

Clear Creek Trail runs between the Platte River Trail in Denver and (near) the Coors Brewery in Golden, CO. And the last time I checked, the Coors brewery offered free tours w/ free beer samples. That sounds a bit like a pot o' gold at the end of the rainbow to me. Or in this case, a mug o' gold at the end of the trail.
The trail itself is a bit of gold. It is like an oasis in the middle of the urban landscape. It has creekside scenery, urban diversions, and can be combined with the C-470, Bear Creek, and Platte River Trails to make a pretty appealing loop ride.
If going out-and-back, I prefer starting at the Platte River Trail in Denver. That way, I can ride my bike uphill for the first half of the trip and save the downhill for the finale. In fact, a great ride is to start near Union Station in Denver, head north on the Platte River Trail until you get to the Clear Creek Trail (The turnoff is past the Sand Creek Trail turnoff and just after you cross a fairly large bridge.), then make a left and head west toward the mountains. The trail is 99% off road, but there is one place where you have to cross a major street. This is especially frustrating since there appears to be an underpass there, but for some reason, it's always closed.
Clear Creek Trail takes you almost into downtown Golden and soon it will take you all the way there. If you've still got lots of energy, you could head south, catch the C-470 Trail, then tie that into the Bear Creek Trail in Morrison, and eventually make one big loop. Notice I said "you" could do that. It would be too much for me unless it involved an overnight. Come to think of it though, an overnight in Golden would be kind of nice. I wonder if they'd let me do the Coors beer tour two days in a row?

Clear Creek Trail from Denver to Golden, Colorado

Mineral Belt Loop Trail in Leadville, Colorado

I finally got around to taking some pictures on the Mineral Belt Loop Trail in Leadville, CO.

I'd been on the trail twice before; once while riding a bike and the other time on cross-country skis.

But I didn't have a camera with me either time, so I didn't have any pictures to post on the Mineral Belt Loop Trail on the trailsnet website.

So this Labor Day weekend, I finally made it back up there. (And when I say up there, I'm not exaggerating. Leadville is over 10,000 feet above sea level.) This time I was armed with my bicycle and my camera, so I was ready to take some trail pictures. As a result, the Mineral Belt Loop Trail page on the website finally has a trail photo gallery.

If you're thinking about riding this high altitude trail, here are the basic facts:

• It's 12.5 miles long.
• It's a paved trail and very smooth.
• The loop trail is almost like an outdoor museum with all its historic signs and mining memorabilia scattered along the path.
• Leadville has numerous accommodations for overnight bikers, but none of them are overly fancy.
• Leadville has some great places for eating. We ate at the Tennessee Pass Cafe and enjoyed buffalo burgers, Reuben sandwiches, and a turkey/bacon sandwich. The food and service were excellent.

For more information about the Mineral Belt Loop Trail, you can visit the American Trails website.

Mineral Belt Loop Trail in Leadville, Colorado

Glenwood Canyon Trail

Remember those stories of trolls that live under bridges? Now is your chance to be the troll, except that you're not just limited to bridges. You'll be toolin' around under entire stretches of I-70, a major highway.

This stretch of canyon has been described by many as one of the most scenic stretches of highway in the world. The problem is, if you're driving on the highway, you don't really get to appreciate it. You're going too fast and watching the road. At least that's been my experience.

Read more about Colorado's Glenwood Canyon Trail that runs from Glenwood Springs to Dotsero, Co on trailsnet.com.

The Rio Grande Trail runs from Glenwood Springs to Aspen, CO and makes a nice accompaniment to the Glenwood Canyon Trail.

Glenwood Canyon Trail

Segways on the Trail

When I  headed for Glenwood Springs, CO, I had no idea I would discover a whole new mode of trail transportation. All of my previous trail website entries, Twitter tweets, blog posts, and Facebook information covered biking, hiking, inline skating, trail running, and horseback riding. I just assumed this covered it all. With the exception of variations such as recumbent bikes and tandem bikes, I figured I would continue to add posts that covered only the five activities listed above.

But after a beautiful Amtrak train ride to Glenwood Springs, and a brief bike ride on the Rio Grande Trail, I discovered a new form of trail transportation.

We rented Segways from Glenwood Adventure in Glenwood Springs. Then, for two hours, all five of us explored the Glenwood Canyon Trail on these amazing gyroscopic conveyances.

Everyone agreed that the Segway adventure was the highlight of the weekend. And it was a truly magical Father's Day weekend. We had a nice train ride, enjoyed Glenwood's Strawberry Days festivities, swam in the Glenwood Hot Springs, and enjoyed some fine meals.

But as I said, the Segway outing was the highlight of a great weekend. If you're lucky enough to find a place to rent Segways, check to make sure they are legal on the trail you choose. Not all trails allow Segways since they are considered "motorized transportation."

Segways on the Trail

Mother's Day Bike Ride

If your mom likes the great outdoors or is inclined to being active, I would like to suggest a bike ride or hike for Mother's Day this year. After all, the best gifts you can give your mother are health, happiness, and time with you.

Here are some trails you and Mom might enjoy:

Chief Ladiga in Alabama
Pikes Peak Greenway in Colorado
West Orange Trail in Florida
Silver Comet trail in Georgia
Munro Trail in Hawaii
Route of the Hiawatha trail in Idaho

Click one of the links below to find biking trails and hiking trails by state:

Alabama trails
Colorado trails
Florida trailsGeorgia trails
Hawaii trails
Idaho trails
Louisiana trailsMississippi trails
Montana trails
New Hampshire trails
New Mexico trails
Virginia trails
Washington state trails
Wisconsin trails
Wyoming trails

Mother's Day Bike Ride