It’s taken us a long time to appreciate a Colorado fall without Aspens in site, yet this mixed terrain Boulder gravel ride allowed us to appreciate the beauty of the different rust colors of the landscape.We actually loved the feel of the tall grasses brushing against our shins as we biked through the single track. That is not a feeling you get on a road bike
!Flying down the gently curving and smooth pavement of Linden Drive.
Several flocks of WILD TURKEYS spotted in the dirt roads after the turn-off from Lee Hill!! (Who’s ready for Thanksgiving?)
We enjoyed imagining a world in which we could afford to live near Mapleton Ave and Sunshine Canyon! Those neighborhoods are ridiculously beautiful and the neighborhood pride is next level (seriously, we saw a woman using a dust pan to sweep the middle of the road)!
The dirt roads around the Boulder Reservoir were quite bumpy with lots of jarring washboards.
Biking on the fast moving and high-volume traffic of Highway 36. (There is a big shoulder, but it was the least “fun” part of this route.)
Do this ride if you want a short-mileage mixed terrain Boulder gravel ride with a little bit of all the fun stuff: dirt roads, single track, hill climbing, smooth downhill pavement…
This route was devised by the Sport’s Garage for their “Gravelanche Harvest Revival” Series (C Group). Unfortunately, we weren’t able to make in up to Boulder to ride with them, but we were glad to be able to check out the route!
The single track trails are mostly pretty mellow, but note that there are a few elevated cattle guards you have to go over.
There were multiple places to use bathrooms in the Boulder open space areas along this route.
We parked near the The Sports Garage bike shop in Boulder where there is plenty of easy street parking. (We love the friendly folks at The Sport Garage, so don’t hesitate to stop in a grab a spare tube or snack for the ride before you head out!)
Laura & Rose
Laura Karpinski and Rose Barcklow are the creators of Gravel Bike Adventures. Click on the About page to learn more about them.
