Colorado Trail/Waterton Canyon - As indicated in the directions, the first 6 1/2 miles or so of the Colorado Trail is the service Road that goes up past Stontia Reservoir. It's an easy spin for the beginner and a nice warm up for those who are embarking on adventures into the backcountry. The popular loop is to continue on the Colorado Trail to Lenny's rest and then hook a left onto the Colorado Connection Trail (approx 2 miles) and then onto the Waterton Connection Trail from Roxborough State Park.Epic options start from Lenny's Rest. Continue down the Colorado Trail from there and you'll find yourself in some serious backcountry with unforgiving terrain for those of you who do not regularly ride for extended periods of time. The duration and mileage of your ride is up to you from there, make sure your prepared. If your low on water and/or food, DO NOT go any further than Lenny's Rest... do the loop. Less than a mile down the Colorado Connection Trail you'll find a trailhead connecton for Indian Creek Trail. I cannont comment on this trail as I have yet to ride it (Sept 2000). Again, if you plan on diverting from the main loop be prepared with water, food, clothing, maps, compass and (if your like me) a GPS with extra batteries. May seem like a lot for a simple mountain bike outing but it'll pay off if you have to spend the night because you bonked or get disoriented.
Trail is rated from Beginner through Expert based on the many options available. For the loop I would give it an Intermediate rating.
Ride rating: Intermediate
Ride distance: 17+ Elevation change:
Singletrack=50% Dirt Road=50%
JLampitt a 28 year old Die-hard Enthusiast from Highlands Ranch, CO E-mail: JLampitt@yahoo.com
Posted on 9/27/00
