Denver has an amazing bike / multi-use trail system.
I have explored some, but definitely not all of Denver’s 650 or so miles of urban bike trails. I am amazed at how well the greater Denver bike trail systems are maintained throughout the year. My commute to work is on a series of 4 trails. The Lee Gulch trail is one of them and can get washed out during periods of heavy rain. I have seen large sections get washed away and within 4-5 days the trail is re-built better than before. Yes the Denver area is definitely a bike-lovers paradise; it seems to always be rated in someone's top ten list of most bike friendly cities.
Like here
and here.
I wanted see how far it would be if I looped a few of my favorite urban trails together into one big loop. So, I set off on a chilly 34 degree Saturday morning in the dark. Was I worried about being seen by motorists? No, because I was on a beautiful urban trail system far away from Denver's traffic.
This is my route. I even added pictures from the exact point they were taken(click on the little circles to see).
denver urban trail system at EveryTrail
The route I did was all on well kept bike trail except for the section south of Cherry Creek Park. There is no trail system that connects that part of town to the C 470 trail. You have to hop on a road. Luckily the roads are wide and traffic is light in this area. I was unfamiliar with that section of town and I was a bit misdirected coming out of Cherry Creek Park.
If I could do it over again I would have gone this way instead:
About 65 miles into the day I was ready to stop and grab some lunch. I found an amazing pizza place - Lil Ricci's New York Pizza, just off the C470 trail on Ken Caryl Ave.
If you want to start bike commuting in Denver you are probably within a few miles of a trail system which will take you where you want to go. This website is a great resource for mapping out possible urban bike trails for pleasure or bike commuting in the Denver area.
I am grateful I live in a community where I can hop on my bike, ride out of my garage and within a few miles be on a trail which I can take downtown, to work, to a plethora of parks and into another amazing system of off-road trails west into the foothills and mountains beyond.
It is good to live where I live.
