Whether you are a road, mountain or gravel grinder Estes Park has countless rides to enjoy the beauty in ways that no other form of transportation offers. Cycling offers a great opportunity to check out some of the awesome routes that Estes Park has to offer! Kevin Benes, local rider, will be providing us with a ride of the week, every week, so start pedaling!
August 31st, 2017 - Homer Rouse - MTB, Cross Bike
This short trail is a hidden gem for when you need to get some skills work in and not travel outside of Estes Park. This 3.4 mile trail combines a dirt service road with a 1 mile stretch of wicked single track that will test your handling skills on the descent. This trail is special because it is a great way to get to some of the lesser traveled areas of Rocky Mountain National Park and hike Twin Sisters. A great training day is to start anywhere in Estes Park, ride up Fish Creek to Homer Rouse trailhead and run Twin Sisters. This makes for a 3-4 hour brick workout that gives you a generous 4,000+ft of climbing on the bike and on foot. A nice bonus is that the team from Visit Estes Park will be doing improvements to the single track area to make it even more punchy and flowy than it already is in late 2017!
Tips: For those of us that also spend our miles on our feet this is one of the most dog-friendly trails in Estes Park so keep an eye out for leashless doggies on your fast descent back into town.
August 17th, 2017 - Hermit Park & Homestead Meadows
Hermit Park is a Larimer County Park just outside of Estes Park off of Highway 36. The park offers numerous camping and hiking opportunities as well as an extensive mountain biking trail system. Over the last two years, Larimer County staff lead a significant volunteer effort to construct the new Moose Meadows and Limber Pine multi-use trails in Hermit Park. These excellent single track trails are some of the most well constructed and maintained mountain bike trails in the area and offer moderate to beginner level mountain biking opportunities for all ages. The trails connect to the Homestead Meadows Ghost Town, where you can ride among remnants of early settlements that date back to mid 1800s. This is a very unique area and a "must ride" that received a significant trail upgrade this year. The best way to ride this is probably to enter Hermit Park and park at the very end of the road. Ride out the trail past the camper cabins on to Moose Meadows Trail. Once you reach the Limber Pine trail, you can go left out to Homestead Meadows or right over to the Kruger Rock connector trail.
Hermit Park requires a use fee for entrance unless you enter the park on a bike. https://www.larimer.org/naturalresources/parks/hermit-park
August 10th, 2017 - Hell Canyon
Guest Blogger - Josh Cramer, Head Coach of the Estes Park High School MTB Team
I’ve made it my mission over the last several years to find every piece of bike ridable trail in the Estes Valley area. What I’ve found is a network of trails that have a certain texture and charm to them, unlike many of the beaten paths on most "must ride" lists. These backcountry mountain bike rides allow you to experience Colorado in a way that is truly unique and wild. One of my favorite rides such rides is the little known Hell Canyon area. This ride starts right next to Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park Campground on Hell Canyon Road off of Highway 36. It starts out with a challenging jeep road climb that tops you out before a descent down the back side. A third of the way down the back side, you’ll see a gate that blocks off Old Elk Ridge Road from motorized vehicle traffic. This old road is basically a subtle single track trail that takes you through National Forest until you reach a lookout point just before private property. This is an out and back ride that is normally quite isolated and seldom ridden.
August 3rd, 2017 - Alpine Visitor’s Center/ Fall River - Road,Cross, MTB
Ok, I’ll admit this ride is not a secret but it is so beautiful and challenging that I can’t leave it out. You start at the Estes Park Visitor’s Center and head up Wonderview and into Rocky Mountain National Park(there is a fee to ride into the park). Once you hit Fall River Road you start your 6,000 ft climb to the highest visitor’s center in the country. Once the ride turns onto Trail Ridge Road I recommend extra caution. Consider a different route if the weather is not ideal. If you are not comfortable riding in traffic then I would also skip this ride. In the event I haven’t scared you off this ride yet then you are in for the most beautiful ride of your life. 25% of this ride will take place above 10,000ft and over 1,000ft of climbing is above treeline. You will be gasping for air and loving every second of it. If you defeat this mountain you will remember it forever.
July 27th, 2017 - The Glen Haven Switchbacks - Road Bike
This ride starts and ends at our Via Bicycle Cafe. The benefits of parking at Via is they have plenty of parking available, a mechanic with skills learned from the pro tour, and all the food and coffee you could need post ride. The route starts by taking you on a tour of the Highway 34 canyon on a 2,000ft descent. The epic turns at 35+ miles per hour are made even better with the generous lane size and amazing views of rock formations as you descend into Drake. After 11 miles you turn left onto County Road 43. This road was totally destroyed in the recent flood and with construction ending late 2016 this road has become the smoothest stretch in Colorado. Over the next 8 miles you will gain back all 2,000 feet as you approach Glen Haven. Don’t be surprised when you don’t see a single car on this climb. As you leave the last part of the canyon you enter the Town of Glen Haven where you should strongly consider a short rest at the general store for a famous cinnamon roll. Once the sugar and carbs are safely in your stomach it’s time to climb the Switchbacks. If you have the legs you can try and take the KOM from the locals. This short and punchy segment averages a 10% grade and climbs 700ft in less than a mile. When you finally reach the top, if you have any air in your lungs it will all be taken away with the views of Long’s peak and all of the Estes Valley. At this point you have 4 miles of descent and flats to work out all that lactic acid build up as you head back to Via Bicycle Cafe. Strava File: Click Here
July 20th, 2017 - Estes Epic Route, Pierson Park - Mountain Bike
25 miles of dirt service roads and single track that will leave your legs screaming at the end. This route showcases everything Estes has to offer for mountain bikers rolled into one. This route is so good that it has been turned into Estes Park’s first Mountain Bike and Ultra Run race in September called the Estes Epic. Head up here to the Roosevelt National Forest and be amazed as you explore trails that would make RMNP jealous.
Strava File: Click Here
Tips: If you don’t have a 4x4 vehicle then plan on starting your journey in town or at the bottom of Little Valley. The area is sparsely attended, but parking requires a vehicle with off-road capabilities. If you do not have a 4x4 then just follow the strava file which uses the largest parking area in Estes Park.
