Colorado Mountain Bike Association (COMBA)gotthe word out and hundreds of mountain bikers respectfully made their voices heard. In 2009 the latter two groups spearheaded an effort to severely limit the biking experience at Apex and they lobbied the county commissioners heavily to that end. It is enormously popular with bikers, runners, hikers and equestrian users. The reason I listed it at number one is because it is the trail that we have come the closest to losing access to. While Apex is a great trail system and a lot of fun to ride, many will argue that it is notnecessarilythe best trail in the Denver area. The left side is called Enchanted Forest and is one of the most fun descents of any Denver area trail.
#Photoshop magic trail series#
The right hand side of the eight is a hard pack climb up and over the hill with a series of switchbacks coming back down. It is listed as black diamond here on the site, but if you’re an intermediate rider or even a beginner with decent endurance, you will still enjoy the ride.Īpex starts out with a rocky singletrack climb that connects to a figure eight. Most people who have ridden it will attest that it feels like there is more downhill than you climbed on the way in. This trail seems to strike a nice balance between climbing and descending. Like most trails in the Denver Metro area, Bergen Peak involves a fairly steep climb, a nice view while you catch your breath, then fast, grin inducing singletrack all the way back to the parking lot. A variation is to add Morrison Slide which splits off from Matthews and reconnects with Red Rocks after climbing over the top of the mesa. Next, drop through a huge notch in the sandstone, and the fast singletrack of Red Rocks trail returns you to the trailhead. After crossing the paved road, Matthews Winters starts out as hard pack and gradually gives way to small ledges and babyheads, all with very little climbing. The descent at the other end is just as abrupt as the climb was. The Dakota side climbs straight up a “hog’s back” and then traverses some crazy technical rocks. It is typically ridden as a loop with Dakota Ridge, Matthews Winters and Red Rocks bringing you back to where you parked. ?Īsk 10 Denver mountain bikers to name the first trail that comes to mind and I’ll wager seven of them will say Dakota Ridge. It can even be done as a shuttle ride by leaving a car at the bottom parking lot and then driving to the parking lot at the top, but you reallyshould earn all that downhill with some steep, technical climbing. Intermediate riders can push themselves and advanced riders can find lots of stuff to play on. White Ranch also features some challenging sections, including the sandy rock garden near the parking lot. There are also several singletrack cutoff trails that traverse the mountain and connect the sides of the larger loop. A popular route is to go up the left side, which is doubletrack and then come down the singletrack. Decent sun exposure makes for generally dry trail conditions.
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White Ranch is a network of trails that includes some doubletrack and lots of singletrack. There is even a double black diamond section beingconstructedto give the gravity crowdsomethingto do. It is perfect for beginners to get that first “epic” ride under their belts, but seasoned XC riders will have plenty to grin about too.
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There is climbing, but it is spread out over enough miles to make it easy to find a rhythm and crank it out.īuffalo Creek offers several loop options that can be connected in different ways to make each visit a little different. It’s a mix of fire road, twisty singletrack and some moderately technical stuff. Located fairly close to the Denver Metro area, it’s also far enough away to not be as crowded as some of the rides closer to town. While I’m not convinced that lofty status is completely deserved, it certainly is a great ride.
![photoshop magic trail photoshop magic trail](https://i.pinimg.com/originals/e4/90/e7/e490e70c6cb490c06fa600695a3922e0.jpg)
Picking a mere five is just … wrong.īuffalo Creek is the number one rated trail on. Singletracks lists a couple hundred trails in the Denver “Front Range” area. Then I realized I had to pick just five trails. When the singletracks editors asked each ofus to come up with our five favorite mountain bike trails in our respective areas, I was stoked to start writing.