Loop Trails

I don't mind riding out-and-back trails. In fact, when I'm writing a trail guide, I am always focused on the details, such as taking pictures, jotting notes, and getting GPS coordinates, so the ride back is kind of nice to actually enjoy the trail without so many distractions.

bridge over Cherry Creek Trail

Having said all that, though, my favorite rides are on loop trails. I especially enjoy my first ride on a loop trail, because the whole trip includes new scenery. I recently had the opportunity to write a trail guide for Colorado's Northeast Denver Loop Trail that includes Cherry Creek Trail, Highline Canal Trail East, Sand Creek Greenbelt, and the Platte River Trail. Altogether, it was a 42 mile trail with a nice combination of urban, suburban, and rural scenery. Those of you who follow this blog know that I was in seventh heaven. That's the kind of trail I like the most. I am deeply appreciative of the changing scenery.

The weather was perfect, and I made pretty decent time, but I still barely got off the trail by dark. Each one of the trails was vastly different. Cherry Creek Trail cuts right through the heart of Denver. It starts at beautiful and busy Confluence Park, then meanders past historic parks, cultural parks, country clubs, and a high-end mall.

Just as the city portion of Cherry Creek Trail begins to turn into the suburbs, I turned onto Highline Canal Trail. Like Cherry Creek Trail this trail is completely paved; and it has a lot of potential. Unfortunately, numerous major road crossings makes it a little less relaxing than I prefer. So I was glad when I turned onto Sand Creek Greenway. This trail has no major road crossings but less than half of it is paved, so a mountain bike is recommended. Sand Creek also passes through numerous environments including a major industrial section. I know many people are turned off by this type of scenery, but I like it for a change. The mountains and prairies are beautiful, but the factories and refineries are an important part of America's culture also.

Finally, the greenway dumps riders off onto the Platte River Trail which, in turn, delivers them right to Confluence Park in Denver for a completed loop. It's a good ride and a great workout. Now I've completed two of the four major Denver bike loops. I look forward to riding the other two soon.

Loop Trails

Hitting the trail may help prevent dementia.

According to a recent long-term University of Pittsburgh study, daily hikes may significantly decrease your risk for dementia. The study, reported in the AARP online journal, showed that those who walked on a daily basis, had a nearly 40% decreased risk of developing dementia.

The Colorado Trail provides
as little or as much hiking as
you could possibly want.

So what does this have to do with trails and trailsnet?

It seems to imply that if you are a trail junky, you are probably decreasing the likelihood of developing dementia in your later years. Although the study was limited to measuring the walking habits of its participants, it is likely that exercise in general, and specifically a regular habit of low-impact exercise is going to pay big benefits in the long run.

So if you're in the south, jump on the Longleaf Trace trail. If you happen to reside in the northeast, bike on over to the Great Allegheny Passage trail. Those of you in Colorado, hoof it to the Platte River Trail and ... well you get the picture. Exercising doesn't have to be boring or difficult. Find a beautiful trail and get lost in your thoughts and the glory of nature.

Have fun and protect your memory at the same time.

Hitting the trail may help prevent dementia.

Drive up bike window for coffee

With fall in the air, wouldn't it be nice to be able to grab a hot coffee or mocha on the go while riding your favorite trail or stretch of road?

Well now you can if your favorite trail happens to be the Platte River Trail or you favorite stretch of road happens to be in Denver, Colorado.

Happy Coffee is just a couple blocks away from the Platte River Trail and is conveniently attached to Salvagetti Bicycle Workshop, which is no relation to Santa's Workshop but which is just is good if you're a bike-riding coffee freak like me.

This whole bike-up coffee concept is a revelation to me, but maybe you know of some other such places. If so, I/we'd love to hear about them. I think every major trail should have at least one coffee-to-go place. Drop a comment if you know of any other bike-friendly coffee shops.

Drive up bike window for coffee

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

Denver Bike Sharing is a great idea

I did another one of my Denver bike rides yesterday. It was a bit different than my other rides. As usual, I rode the RTD bus into Denver, but instead of riding my bike back to Boulder County, I headed south on my bicycle.

To make a long story short, I rode what I call the Southwest Denver Loop Trail which is a combination of the Platte River Trail, the C-470 Trail, and the Bear Creek Trail. When you combine them, you get the Southwest Denver Loop Trail.

But I'll talk more about that in a later trail blog. My subject for today's blog is the Denver Bike Sharing program. It is also called Denver B-cycle. I won't say much about it in the trailsnet blog because their bikesharing.org website has all the information.

However, I intend to ride the RTD bus into Denver again sometime soon, but this time without my bike. Once there, I plan to try out one of the loaner bikes available at the kiosk found at the RTD Market Street Station.

If you haven't tried it yet, join me in giving it a shot. If you have tried it, I'd love to hear about your experience. Share it here on the trailsnet blog.

Thanks to Kaiser Permanente for sponsoring the Denver B-Cycle program. It's a healthy, environmentally-friendly program.

Denver Bike Sharing is a great idea