Another CO vacation thread....

I’d take the kids to Ruby Hill or Valmont instead of the resorts. The resorts are fun but getting more expensive and the public parks are great for kids and no cost. Find some good rides in the forest or maybe to a high alpine lake to get more of the true CO experience.

the.rebot said:

I made some tables of some rides in the area I am interested in... I will be headed to Keystone in August.

Click to expand...

If you're going to be in Keystone then you might consider adding Lenawee trail the your list.

Thanks everyone,

We are looking for some of the alpine XC trails also. I also need to find some that do not have huge amounts of climbing as my wife will be along for some of the ride days and she is not at the skill or fitness that me and the kids are at.

i think its just going to be one day at one of the resort parks if we go. The more videos I watch it looks like Trestle is the more flow and maintained. We have plenty of rock and rooty trails here that seem more like Keystone. I think I would have a ton of fun at Keystone, it looks mostly natural.

My 9yo has been watching Trestle videos all morning now. I think there would be a mutiny if we didn't go there now.

Maybe a run up to those two parks around Denver you referenced could be an alternative to a resort day.

We just have the baby resort park down here (Spider Mountain) But I can be in shorts and a tee shirt ripping the downhills in February.

Not sure what your experience with elevation is, but just be careful if you haven't spent much time at high elevation.

I was fine in Denver and really anything below 10,000 feet I was okay. Once I broke 10,000 feet I started to suffer. I waited a few days before riding when I was at that elevation and felt I would be good.

Nope. I thought my head was going to explode and I was going to die when I was climbing.

We are at 1000 feet .........Were gonna be at Palo Duro Texas for a couple days @4000' then to CO springs at 6000~ ft. I think the first day or maybe two we will just be in CO springs. Looks like Mueller state park is nearly at 10k, I was eyeballing it as it there all green trails for the family and does not look like there is a significant amount of climbing. With the elevation I still do not know how much is gonna happen up there. I was trying to plan our XC riding at the lower elevations. Just having the downhill stuff at the high elevations.

A day at Trestle riding the green and blue trails would be fun and get you that alpine xc fix without the climbing. I would skip Mueller and checkout Rampart reservoir a nice loop not a lot of climbing with great views of Pikes peak and the reservoir of course. The Stratton area in lower Cheyenne canon is fun, also Ute valley park on the north side of the city

No mention of Limon yet?

I've ridden both Barr and Elk Park off of pikes. The top of Barr is really a hiking trail and it's way more crowded. If it's the weekend, you want to ride elk park without question IMO.

useless info said:

No mention of Limon yet?

Click to expand...

Man... don't tell the Texans about Limon.

TXrocks said:

We are at 1000 feet .........Were gonna be at Palo Duro Texas for a couple days @4000' then to CO springs at 6000~ ft. I think the first day or maybe two we will just be in CO springs. Looks like Mueller state park is nearly at 10k, I was eyeballing it as it there all green trails for the family and does not look like there is a significant amount of climbing. With the elevation I still do not know how much is gonna happen up there. I was trying to plan our XC riding at the lower elevations. Just having the downhill stuff at the high elevations.

Click to expand...

Sounds like you're a Texan (TXRocks, Palo Duro). Same here, live at 450'. Each year, I make several trips to New Mexico, Colorado, Tahoe, etc. All of which get me into high elevation riding. Maybe it's just me, but I feel that riding in Texas' high humidity and high heat helps me with elevation. My lungs get a decent workout most days a week in the heat and humidity, so getting oxygen isn't a big issue at elevation. Over the years, I've found myself gasping for air more in Texas summers than in Colorado elevation. If you do regular hard rides in Texas, you may be OK, or at least acclimate quickly.

Yup were SW of Fort Worth, bout 20 minutes to Dinosaur State park. Plenty of hot humid riding. I think I'll do ok in the elevation. My son will fare decently it's the wife and daughter that I think are going to not do real well. Were gonna go to Mueller state park later in the week. Looks like a bunch of easy greens and not much climbing. Wife will be happy about that. I think I'm gonna ride Cheyenne in the morning and maybe somewhere else.

SkaredShtles said:

Man... don't tell the Texans about Limon.

Click to expand...

Limon must be safe as I haven't been able to find it yet!

Elk park off pikes does look like fun!

Tickle said:

A day at Trestle riding the green and blue trails would be fun and get you that alpine xc fix without the climbing. I would skip Mueller and checkout Rampart reservoir a nice loop not a lot of climbing with great views of Pikes peak and the reservoir of course. The Stratton area in lower Cheyenne canon is fun, also Ute valley park on the north side of the city

Click to expand...

Thanks Tickle!!

Were gonna check a couple of those places out. I think I'm going to go ride Somewhere by myself tomorrow morning, maybe Ute or Palmer, maybe Cheyenne mountain.....

, and we will hit Rampart Thursday. I think I'm going to hold off on Trestle this trip, logistics are gonna be a challenge for that.