Family trip to Denver in August: ride suggestions/travel tips/kid equipment help?

[John Stowe]

My family (me, wife and 3 year old) will be visiting my brother in Denver to for two weeks at the end of August. We're thinking of staying in Denver for a week and then traveling somewhere else nearby like Boulder or Fort Collins to access the mountains more easily for a few days. I'd love to hear from any locals about suggestions for rides (or other "must-do" activities) we could do out there. As with other recent riding-with-others threads, we have one reasonably strong rider and one eager but a bit less ambitious rider, with the added bonus/weight of a toddler and higher altitude (we're at sea level here in Alexandria VA), so I think we would skew toward shorter routes with good scenery or other interesting places. Breaking up a longer outing with lunch/museum/fossils/frogs/whatever would help keep the toddler happy!

The other question I hope list members can help me with is about equipment: it looks like if we want to do more than about 4 days of riding, it's cheaper to ship our bikes than to rent. When we've traveled with our bikes before we've driven, so flying and shipping is an unknown to us. Any tips or perils to watch out for would be appreciated.

I'm especially unsure about what to do with the rear child seat, as it's pretty bulky and likely won't fit in a box with one of the bikes. I think my preferred solution, if I can make a connection with somebody, would be to leave the seat at home and borrow a WeeHoo or other trailer bike. My son is reaching the age where we are thinking about getting one of these and this seems like a good opportunity to the one out. If anyone has one we could borrow, or knows someone who does, I'd appreciate speaking with you off-list. The rental places around us are loath to rent trailers unless they're connected to one of their bikes and I imagine I'll run into a similar issue out there.

Thanks in advance, I appreciate any suggestions!
John

[Valerie Yates]

I'd be happy to suggest some routes but it would be helpful to know what your idea of "shorter" is in terms of mileage and whether or not you'd want to try a climbing route.  If you like to read, this little book is really terrific in describing all sorts of routes around Boulder/Denver. That has remained my go-to when I need new ideas.It is very accurate about difficulty, road conditions, etc. It covers all the popular routes from easy to hard. 

Val in Boulder, CO

[Deacon Patrick]

Awesome, John! Whatever you end up doing will be an amazing adventure. Some things to think about from someone who grew up in Ft. Collins, spend a fair bit of time in Boulder, has lived in Denver, Colorado Springs, and now a wee mountain town a bit to the west:

-- Why not go to a mountain town instead of Ft. Collins or Boulder? They are not in the mountains, and so if you are relocating, you might as well go into the mountains. Grin. Doing this would mean you could bike out your front door and try various routes, at least in many places. It would put you at a higher altitude, however, so you'd need to allow for that.

-- Mountain towns easily accessible and within 90 minutes of Denver (at least they were in the early 90's when I was in college): Breckenridge, Fairplay, Cripple Creek/Victor (2 hours away?) Estes Park, and Grand Lake (several other towns in the vicinity as well), each with great Forest Service roads and excellent biking opportunities (check with the local bike store for route ideas. I'm less sure of Estes and Grand Lake and their biking opportunities, because much of their surrounding land in Rocky Mountain National Park, so investigate that if you are going there). Breckenridge and Fairplay both have various dirst roads up mountain passes that are amazing to bike and Boreas Pass out of Breckenridge is old railroad grade so 3-4% grade max I think (others are too, as narrow gauge railroads became dirt roads in many cases. I just don't remember the origins of Mosquito Pass or others. Out of Cripple Creek, loads of old railroad options: Old Stage Coach road, Phantom Cañon Road, Shelf Road (not sure if it was a railroad). 

-- There is amazing family friendly riding connecting the towns along the tributaries of the N. Platte around Deckers/Buffalo Creek and the other wee towns there, and that is just S.W. of Denver (285 West to Pine, then South, to find it on the map). It's on various paved and dirt roads, wide, with great river (creek by most standards) access (fishing if you want/get a license). Kids love stops at the river. The Colorado Trail goes through here for a good hiking option, and Lost Creek Wilderness is very close as well.

Hope that helps. Ask any clarifying questions you have!

With abandon,

Patrick

On Wednesday, July 20, 2016 at 11:57:24 AM UTC-6, John Stowe wrote:

[John Stowe]

Thanks to both of you! We haven't booked anything outside of Denver yet so the mountain towns are definitely a possibility and very appealing. As you say, we would get more out of leaving Denver that way.

Route length/difficulty: My wife is OK with 20 mile outings, but starts to balk at a ride over 30 miles, and I don't think she's done more than 40 in a day. Given the altitude I would probably have a harder time than usual coaxing her beyond 25-30. I am in worse shape than I was when I did centuries a few years back, but apparently I can still manage 24 miles "fully loaded" with camping gear and child (see the S24O ride report I just posted). Most of the riding we do on a regular basis (for transportation, mostly) is near the tidal part of the Potomac, so we're definitely unaccustomed to "real" climbing, but we're game to try some mountain riding in manageable doses. Dirt should be OK as long as it's not technical singletrack.

Do you know if any of the railroad routes have historic stations/old engines/etc. that we could "stumble across" and check out? Thanks to the success of Thomas the Tank Engine, every 3 year old is a train buff these days. I would like to find something dinosaur-related to check out too, on bike or off, since he'll eat that up too.

Thanks,

John

[Valerie Yates]

If you do decide to stick to the Boulder area, here are some family-friendly ideas:

• The easiest, pretty climb to a cute mountain town is to Jamestown. The only question is whether the road repairs from the 2013 flood will be completed by the time you arrive. They are rideable now but with some dirt / temporary portions and some temporary closures for work. It could very well be completed by the end of August. In Jamestown, stop at the Merc for lunch or a snack. There is also a pretty park across the street.
• A very pretty, low-traffic, mixed surface (pavement and dirt road) route through Boulder County farmland is to do this expanded version of the Boulder Roubaix cyclocross route. I would start at the parking lot on Neva Road and plan to have lunch in Hygiene at either the Purple Door Market (great sandwiches and outdoor seating; formerly known as Mary's Market and many people still call it that) or have a sit-down meal at the Crane Hollow Cafe, which doesn't have a website but is right at the main intersection. This is mostly flat with a couple of very short but fun hills. 
•  As an add-on or variation, a short but very pretty mostly dirt but not single-track route around Boulder Valley Ranch and the Boulder Reservoir. I always include a stop at Coot Lake because the views are beautiful and it is fun to watch the dogs swimming. As you come around and through the the south side of the Reservoir, there is a snack shack where you can have lunch and a swimming area. 
• There is a fun, rambling trail from Boulder to Longmont called the LOBO trail. If that interests you, I can send the gps route. The website map can be hard to follow. I like to have lunch at the Comida in Prospect Park.

Of course, there are tons of road only rides that you can find on mapmyride and elsewhere. Cherryvale road is really nice and can be a nice combo with the South Boulder Creek trail (which often has friendly cows on the route). Jay to 75th to Baseline Lake and back via the bike path is pretty. NCAR is a short climb with a gorgeous view. The town of Nederland is very cute and your child might enjoy the Carousel of Happiness.  You could do a ride along the Peak to Peak highway to Ward -- another iconic location. 

Re dinosaurs, I've never been but I gather Dinosaur Ridge is a fun experience.Googling offers this bike route near there. It is not obvious to me how long or hard that route is but I imagine you can adjust as needed. 

Hope this gives you some ideas. I am happy to make more suggestions if one direction or another is most appealing. 

[Valerie Yates]

One more comment re Boulder cycling -- tons of popular routes include highway 36 but I don't recommend that for family cycling. Cars travel really fast and it is the site of many heartbreaking accidents. You can avoid 36 by taking any of the interior roads between 36 and 63rd to 75th, including any of the north-south roads and the cross-roads. Neva, Nelson, St. Vrain and Hygiene roads are all very beautiful and relatively low-traffic. Old Stage Road is a popular alternative but would be a hard climb (9-12%) with a kid on the bike. 

Routes to or around Lyons or Niwot are options too. Let me know if you'd like more information on either of those.

[Deacon Patrick]

John, I can speak highly of the Cripple Creek area for trains and dinosaurs. The other areas may have similar things, I don't know. Here are links to some of what the area offers:

World renowned Rocky Mountain Dinosaur Resource Center in Woodland Park: This place is amazing, their tours fantastic. They are the world's forefront of private paleontology. Touch dino poo, see dino's not found anywhere else, etc. http://www.rmdrc.com

Ride the Cripple Creek/Victor Narrow Gauge Railroad: http://cripplecreekrailroad.com

Florescent Fossil Beds: https://www.nps.gov/flfo/index.htm

Biking the Gold Belt: http://www.goldbeltbyway.com Phantom Canyon is likely the best bet. You'll get amazing views, ride over trestles, tunnels through rock cañon walls, a wee creek, interpretive signs along the way. It's either up or down (3-4% grade, old mining stuff at the turn off near Cripple Creek, so plan accordingly), Figure at least twice to thrice as long up whatever you ride down (easily turn around wherever, but the first tunnel makes a good round trip turn around spot for the distances you mention). You'll want tires wider than you took on your fist S24O as loose gravel is common and a hot dry day makes it looser.

Keep in mind Cripple Creek is a gambling town, though not a seedy one. Also, I do not recommend biking the paved roads coming into Cripple Creek from the North (67 from the NE and Florescent Rd/Teller County 1 from the NW -- these are great to drive, but too much traffic for biking). Bike Phantom Cañon, Gold Camp, and possibly Shelf Road (one day on each, as any loop would be longer than you mentioned). 

Cañon City offers modern train rides through Royal Gorge and has some trains in the parks and a nice bikepath along the Arkansas River. You could also make a combo bike ride/drive from Denver to Cripple Creek by going to Deckers and biking some of the river side roads there.

Two maps that I use are: Trail Illustrated Pikes Peak/Cañon City  #137 and Deckers/Rampart Range #135

With abandon,

Patrick

[Valerie Yates]

Wow Patrick - that sounds amazing. I haven't done any riding in that area so I am also glad to learn about it. The routes I listed are definitely more everyday kind of rides. Pretty and manageable but not exceptional. 

[John Stowe]

Thanks to you both for these great suggestions. We will definitely be checking out as much of this as we can.

[ascpgh]

Ah, Patrick, you meant "Florissant" Fossil Beds. French for "blooming", a village north of St. Louis dating from 1787. I grew up there.

A St. Louis sheriff from  who was from Florissant, MO relocated west in pursuit of gold and fondly named the Colorado location after his earlier home.

Andy Cheatham

Pittsburgh, PA

[Deacon Patrick]

Great catch, Andy. Thank you for the correction. Just north of the Fossil Beds is the Adeline Hornbeck Homestead. They have a living history day there now and again, and it is a great place to tour. https://www.nps.gov/nr/TwHP/wwwlps/lessons/67hornbek/67hornbek.htm 

With abandon,

Patrick