Rio Grande Trail: Part II in my funky trail guide series

How many trail guides have your read that start with the question:
"Would you like a glass of wine?"

Mt. Sopris from the Rio Grande Trail

That's how I started my Rio Grande Trail guide. I related an episode from my own experience on this Western Colorado trail gem.

The theme of the Rio Grande Trail Everytrail guide is how to enjoy the swanky town of Aspen for a not-so-swanky price. Of course, as always, the guide includes the ubiquitous trail map, points-of-interest, trail photos, and trail description. But in addition to the everyday, "this is here and that is there" type description, I tried to give a little taste of the trail experience rather than just the trail details.

Here are some of my favorite Rio Grande Trail memorable characteristics:

trail bridge over the Roaring Fork River

1. The trail starts in Glenwood Springs, Colorado, one of the premiere adventure travel hotspots with whitewater rafting, top-notch hiking trails, ziplines, Segway trail tours, and of course biking trails.
2. The Rio Grande Trail is 42 miles long, perfect for a day of pedaling and touring.
3. Even getting to Glenwood Springs is fun with Amtrak service that lets you off right by the famous hot springs, hotels, restaurants and, best of all, two world-class bike trails.
4. Aspen is a blast just to hang out, people watch, visit art galleries, and eat lots o' gelato.
5. The RFTA transit system makes your return trip a cinch since it's found in handy locations and welcomes bikes on the bus racks.

I haven't even mentioned the fun towns in between Aspen and Glenwood Springs, or the trail activities, or the scenery, or the wildlife, or ....

To find out more about the Rio Grande Trail in Aspen, Colorado, visit the Everytrail guide or the trailsnet condensed version.

Rio Grande Trail: Part II in my funky trail guide series

Trails are starting to get more attention!

I love it!!

Extra, extra read all about it!! Trails making the front page!

In today's newspaper, there were four trail-related news articles and two trail-related letters to the editor.

Trails are starting to make the news. I'll admit that not all the stories are positive, but as they say in show biz: Any publicity is better than no publicity.

Examples of some of the trail topics for today were:

• "Greener Car Care: Ride Your Bike More Often"
• 15- Second Pitch for a biking business called "Bikerpelli Sports"
• Letter about a professional biker who got busted for using an illegal/unsanctioned trail
• Letter about the possibility of opening portions of a hiking trail for bikers
• On the front page of the newspaper: "Trail-use Decision Nears: City Council to vote on Plan for Management"
• Also on the front page: "Pro Cyclist Ticketed for Using Illegal Trail"

This is just for one day. Trails are big news and that's how it should be. 

Trails are starting to get more attention!

6 Tips for Choosing a Hiking Trail

If you're thinking about getting into hiking, whether as a hobby, as part of a health plan, or just because you've got too much time on your hands, (I can't relate to that, but...) the hiking & trails website has a list of tips to help you choose the trail that best suits your needs:

Get on Track: 6 Tips for Choosing the Best Hiking Trails

Wondering how to choose hiking trails that are right for you? Here are some considerations...

1. A great place to start is a hiking trail without any big changes in elevation, like a flat trail around a pond or along a shoreline.

That was just the first tip. Visit the hiking & trails website for more information/tips.

6 Tips for Choosing a Hiking Trail

Northwest Wyoming Hiking Trails

The bad news is that none of these trails is accessible by bike.

The good news is that all of these trails are in northwest/north central Wyoming, so they're likely to be beautiful, uncrowded, and beautiful. Oops, did I say beautiful twice? It must have been a subliminal or not-so-subliminal slip.

I'm a big fan of solitude in my hiking trails, and I would guess each of these trails fills the bill. Wyoming is one of the least populated states and this particular part of Wyoming is even less crowded than the rest.

So here's your link to 10 Northwest Wyoming Hiking Trails.

For a good Wyoming biking trail, visit Medicine Bow Trail near Laramie. There isn't a lot of information on the web page yet, but I'm hoping there'll be a map, information, & pictures on there by mid-August 2010.

Northwest Wyoming Hiking Trails

Inline Skating Trails

Okay, we've discussed biking trails & hiking trails lately. Now it's time to give equal time to inline skating trails.

Over half the trails listed on trailsnet.com can be used as inline skate trails. If you are planning a trip to Florida, another great site for finding rollerblade trails is, believe it or not, the Southwest Florida Water Management site. Some of the links on the "Inline Skating" page include "urban getaway," "Cypress Creek Preserve," and "Jay B. Starkey Wilderness Park."

Speaking of great Florida inline skating trails, one of my favorites is the Withlacoochee State Trail in Central Florida. Another favorite non-Florida trail is the Trail of the Couer d' alenes in Norhern Idaho.

Inline Skating Trails

Hiking Trails and Clubs

One of the great benefits of trailsnet.com is the wide variety of trails found on it. The trails are often suitable for hikers, bikers, horse riders, inline skaters, & joggers.

If you are enjoy hiking trails, you may want to consider joining a club. Adventure Travel Guides recently devoted a web page to the "exciting benefits of joining hiking clubs." The article explains what the benefits of joining a hiking club are and why people partake in group hikes.

On the one hand, group hikes may seem contrary to the purpose of hiking, which is often to seek solitude.
However, hiking with others provides companionship, safety, and motivation.

Read the Adventure Travel Guide article, then look for the best hiking trails on trailsnet.com

Hiking Trails and Clubs

Coal Creek Trail in Louisville, Colorado

Colorado's Coal Creek Trail is near and dear to my heart. Why just yesterday I used it to walk into "old town" to get a cup of coffee. It was an unusually busy day on the trail because parts of it were used for a 5K & half-marathon running race. It was perfect weather for a foot-race but even better weather for a short hike into town.

Coal Creek Trail runs through the communities of Superior, Louisville, & Lafayette, CO. The trail is 6.2 miles long and, as its name implies, it follows Coal Creek. It is appropriate for hiking, running, bike-riding, and dog-walking. It is truly a multi-use path with a mix of sun and shade.

It passes through a historic homestead in old town Superior, CO. In old town Louisville, CO it provides easy access to a dog park where canines can enjoy off leash frolicking. In Lafayette, the trail winds along the creek and ends near the border of Lafayette & Erie, CO. Eventually the trail will continue into Erie and will tie into the Rock Creek Trail to provide a lengthy circular path.

For other biking and hiking trails in Colorado and the U.S., visit trailsnet.com.

Coal Creek Trail in Louisville, Colorado

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