Options abound for local cyclists
by Tracy Dudley
The cycling season in Colorado is just around the corner, and cyclists in the Castle Pines community can look forward to a wide variety of trails, paths, and organized riding events to enjoy all summer.
For road cyclists, Castle Pines offers easy access to a variety of paved trail systems, as well as great roads with wide shoulders or bike lanes.
The C-470 bike trail system is a concrete path that runs alongside the highway from Parker to Golden and is easily accessed from Castle Pines. The C-470 bike trail also intersects other popular trail systems like the Cherry Creek Trail, the Highline Canal Trail, and the South Platte River Trail.
For mountain bikers who want to ride close to home, there are some great new trail options. Extensions to the Douglas County East-West Trail are near completion and add some 12 miles of additional dirt trails running from Red Stone Park in Highlands Ranch to Rock Canyon High School, by way of Daniel’s Park.
The East-West trail offers challenging climbs, high speed descents, and lots of rolling hills for mountain bikers to enjoy. Castle Pines residents can access the East-West trail from Coyote Ridge Park, Griggs Road, or Rocky Heights Middle School. The East-West Trail also interconnects with several other public trail systems in Highlands Ranch and Lone Tree.
Douglas County offers many other trails and trail systems. Bluffs Regional Park, Greenland Open Space Park, and Hidden Mesa are all within easy driving distance from Castle Pines and offer mountain bikers fun, challenging rides that are typically less crowded than more popular rides along the Colorado front range.
For trail information and maps, see the Douglas County website at: http://www.douglas.co.us/parksandtrails/Find_Trails_Maps.html.
