This mixed-surface route is a climber's paradise and is ideally ridden on a summer day. You’ll be up as high as 9,800 ft above sea level where temperatures are a tad cooler and a large portion of the route is shaded.  

Starting at approximately mile 4.6 you’ll roll onto Lower Beaver Brook Watershed Trail- a lovely 3 mile trail. It is wooded, goes past a picturesque reservoir and has great single and double track trails with just a few sections that had some rocks.

Little Bear Creek gravel road off of Mestaa'Ėhehe Pass (103) is a great alternative way to bike to Idaho Springs without having to go all the way to Echo Lake. Before you hit the switchbacks, the downhill road condition was a dream- there were minimal washboards and it was mostly smooth, packed and tacky dirt.  
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Even if you’re a native Coloradan, the mountain views never get old. There were many magnificent views of the snow capped Rocky Mountains.

We encountered some mud on the Beaver Creek Watershed Trail. It was also in the steepest section, making it a short and messy hike-a-bike. It hits grades of about 12% but we believe it would have been bikeable in dry conditions.

The east side of Idaho Springs is where you’ll experience the most car traffic. Once you get just outside of town, there’s construction on the frontage road and trail. The detour is well marked but it was not our favorite section.

Floyd Hill, at approximately mile 22, is a steep 3-mile climb near the end of the route. It is more exposed than the earlier climbs, and although there is a decent shoulder, it is alongside faster moving car traffic.