Growing up in Southern California, mountain biking or BMX was kind of a big thing, even motocross. My parent’s place was right next to the Los Angeles forest…or hills. It was great because that meant there would be no construction of homes or shopping centers and that meant I could ride my horses, bikes, motorcycles, etc all over those hills my entire childhood. As a matter of fact, it was in those nearby hills that I broke my hand…falling off a quad runner that rolled down one of those hills (not my fault). Oops!

I was fortunate to live on the outskirts of our valley, but as for everyone else, they had to travel to ride their bikes, while all I had to do was walk out my door. Unfortunately, in Colorado, that wasn’t the case. Sure we had parks, a couple of nearby man-made reservoirs, and street bike trails, but all the good stuff was a good hour or more away from us. Manitou Incline? A good hour and a half from our house. The foothills? An hour away. All the hiking trails surrounding Boulder? An hour away. EVERYTHING seemed to be an hour or more away, so needless to say, I am very happy at all the gems I am finding that is just 10, 15, or 30 minutes away from our home. This mountain bike trail? Less than 10 min. It probably takes us more time to load our bikes than it does to get to this awesome little trail.

OUR TASTE FOR ADVENTURE

I’ve mentioned this before, but my husband and I love to be challenged a bit. Land, water, air, it doesn’t really matter. I had grown up in the dirt and together, we found our “happy” offroading in the Rockies and our yearly trip to Moab for a few days. What I love is the challenge. To face my fears, to get out of my uncomfortable zone, push my limits, and see how far I can go when I learn to trust myself. Being on the water doesn’t really do that for me, but activities like offroading does, and well, there isn’t any real offroading here that I have found yet, so we decided to see if we can replace that thrill without our bikes.

A HIDDEN GEM AMONGST THE TREES

MORE THAN MEETS THE EYE

This trail is split into two separate trails, divided by a street. We haven’t done the other side of the trail, but it is our understanding that it isn’t as well kept as the section we rode. The section we did ride was about 1.25 miles long and very well kept.

We took the “easy” route for our first trip, but we could have easily done another round to increase our time if we wanted to and once we get the hang of this route, I’m sure we will.

WHAT TO EXPECT

As I said, it’s a hidden little gem. I had to hunt through several sites to find some nearby bike trails for us. My husband is fine with riding his bike on the street and I guess, so am I, but I prefer a little more adventure. You know, possible accidents and battle scars to talk about over future fire pit storytimes. This isn’t the only one, nearby, but it did get the best “year-round” reviews due to it being more accessible even during the rainy seasons. The other nearby trail apparently gets flooded pretty easily, but trust me, we will be trying that one too.

Most of my biking experience has just been for the fun of it and random, with no real focus, but I think this is something we can get into on a regular basis and if so, there are a few trails that are farther away that prove to be a real challenge and could possibly be what replaces our previous offroading life and a lot less expensive, so…win/win. Now, it may not be nearly as scary as a potential roll down a hundred-foot cliff but can still push our limits. You know, get that blood a pumpin’ and put a smile on your face. Find your comfort zone and push past it….find your potential. The good stuff.

This trail has a lot of tight turns and roots to run over, so make sure your tires are in good condition and your gears are properly set. There are lots of ups and downs and you can really pick up speed along the way. If you are new to riding mountain bikes, I’d highly suggest taking this trail casually the first time so you know what to expect, and as you get to learn the course, build up your crazy.

If you’re lucky, you may run into this guy who, with others, is keeping this trail clean and clear for everyone to enjoy. We had the joy of stopping and chatting with him for a few minutes and it’s great that he is volunteering his time to maintain this trail so please make sure that whatever you bring in, you take out and if you by chance find something along the way, take it with you.

WHAT TO BRING

Of course, you should always bring water with you. Whether it’s a bottle that attaches to your bike frame or a back, always bring water. I wasn’t sure how long our adventure would last, so I made sure we had some snacks too. A Stay Salty and Stay Connected

Kelley

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