Jun 01 2011

Loop Trails

I don’t mind riding out-and-back trails. In fact, when I’m writing a trail guide, I am always focused on the details, such as taking pictures, jotting notes, and getting GPS coordinates, so the ride back is kind of nice to actually enjoy the trail without so many distractions.

bridge over Cherry Creek Trail

Having said all that, though, my favorite rides are on loop trails. I especially enjoy my first ride on a loop trail, because the whole trip includes new scenery. I recently had the opportunity to write a trail guide for Colorado’s Northeast Denver Loop Trail that includes Cherry Creek Trail, Highline Canal Trail East, Sand Creek Greenbelt, and the Platte River Trail. Altogether, it was a 42 mile trail with a nice combination of urban, suburban, and rural scenery. Those of you who follow this blog know that I was in seventh heaven. That’s the kind of trail I like the most. I am deeply appreciative of the changing scenery.

The weather was perfect, and I made pretty decent time, but I still barely got off the trail by dark. Each one of the trails was vastly different. Cherry Creek Trail cuts right through the heart of Denver. It starts at beautiful and busy Confluence Park, then meanders past historic parks, cultural parks, country clubs, and a high-end mall.

Just as the city portion of Cherry Creek Trail begins to turn into the suburbs, I turned onto Highline Canal Trail. Like Cherry Creek Trail this trail is completely paved; and it has a lot of potential. Unfortunately, numerous major road crossings makes it a little less relaxing than I prefer. So I was glad when I turned onto Sand Creek Greenway. This trail has no major road crossings but less than half of it is paved, so a mountain bike is recommended. Sand Creek also passes through numerous environments including a major industrial section. I know many people are turned off by this type of scenery, but I like it for a change. The mountains and prairies are beautiful, but the factories and refineries are an important part of America’s culture also.

Finally, the greenway dumps riders off onto the Platte River Trail which, in turn, delivers them right to Confluence Park in Denver for a completed loop. It’s a good ride and a great workout. Now I’ve completed two of the four major Denver bike loops. I look forward to riding the other two soon.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2011/06/01/loop-trails/

May 24 2011

Chicago Family Friendly Bike Trails

trails provide perfect family recreation

I just came across this list of Chicago bicycle trails in the online version of Chicago Parent magazine.

I am always happy to share family-oriented trails on trailsnet. 

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2011/05/24/chicago-family-friendly-bike-trails/

May 22 2011

New Santa Fe Regional Trail in Colorado

Palmer Lake, Colorado

A biking trip along the New Santa Fe Regional Trail is an extremely unique trail experience. Oh sure, you’ll see the usual beautiful trail sights such as flowers, deer, streams, and trees. But what other trails offer you views of the enigmatic Air Force Academy chapel, football stadium, and perhaps even jets & gliders directly overhead?

New Santa Fe Regional Trail

 Then add in the views of Pikes Peak and the prospect of continuing your ride on the lengthy Pikes Peak Greenway, and you may have one of the top rail-trail experiences around. The trail starts in Palmer Lake, Colorado and goes through the beautifully forested grounds of the Air Force Academy all the way to Colorado Springs. From there you can turn around and ride back to where you started or continue for another 16 miles all the way to Fountain, Colorado.

trail overpass near Air Force Academy

Eventually, this trail will be a part of the Colorado Front Range Trail and continue all the way from New Mexico to Wyoming. In the meantime, this is a great time of year to take a bike ride or walk on the New Santa Fe Regional Trail.

sandstone bluff

nearing Pikes Peak Greenway

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2011/05/22/new-santa-fe-regional-trail-in-colorado/

May 20 2011

About Trailsnet

The “about” page on the trailsnet website has been completely rewritten and revamped. Below is the text of the page so those of you blog readers can become more familiar with the website:

about trailsnet.com – If you want to find a trail on the internet, trailsnet is the place to look. We have a comprehensive list of trails, organized by state. Our trail descriptions include a brief list of important trail facts, a longer description of the trail, trail photos, and a trail map.

about our trails – We’re all about trails! For a good idea of the types of trails found on trailsnet, take a look at the following two lists.

Characteristics of trailsnet trails:

  • accessible
  • appropriate for all ages & abilities
  • multi-use (see list on right)
  • recreational and commuter
  • safe
  • accessible to hikers & bikers
  • suitable for active travelers
  • usually fairly lengthy
  • family friendly
  • senior friendly
  • often handicapped accessible
Types of trails found on trailsnet:
  • bike trails
  • hiking trails
  • running trail
  • equestrian trails
  • recumbent trails
  • Trikke trails
  • inline skate trails
  • Eliptigo trails
  • snowshoe trails
  • nordic ski trails
  • rail trails
about active travel – Many people access trailsnet to find local trails for a day or weekend outing and that is wonderful. But one of the main goals of trailsnet is to promote active travel for couples, singles, families, seniors; for people of all ages, shapes, sizes, and abilities. Active travel is not quite the same as adventure travel. Whereas adventure travel is quite adrenaline-oriented, active travel is geared to a much wider audience and caters more to such characteristics as scenery, history, family gatherings, relaxation, exercise, and environmentally-friendly vacationing.
about trailsnet founder – Kevin Purdy is the founder of trailsnet and a huge trail fan. His love of rec-trails (see below) began in the late 1990s with the birth of his daughter. He went from avid mountain biker to occasional mountain biker quite rapidly. He wanted to continue enjoying the fun and fitness of biking, but in a way that was safer and more inclusive of his young daughter. On a three-generation trip to the Trail of the Hiawatha in Northern Idaho, Kevin discovered the joys of rail-trails and began a lifelong pursuit of family-friendly, multi-generational, mixed-use trails.
Since then, Kevin has traveled to most of the U.S. states in pursuit of the longest, friendliest, and most scenic trails in existence. He has documented his trail travels on the trailsnet website, trailsnet blog, and Everytrail guides. His future goals include traveling the world in pursuit of even more trails and publishing books to document his many trail discoveries and share them with you.
about rec-trails – Rec- trails have many names and is often incorrectly called a mountain bike trail. For the best idea of what constitutes a rec-trail, take a look at the characteristics… and types… charts found above. Those charts provide the “list version” of the rec-trail definition. To help you better understand what is meant by a rec-trail, I have provided two more lists (seems rather bureaucratic). The first one basically shows what is not a rec-trail. The second list gives you some common synonyms for rec-trails.

The common alternatives for rec-trails include the road and mountain bike trails. Here’s a list of how rec-trails differ from the road (as in road biking) and mountain (as in mountain biking) trails:
  • safer
  • less stressful
  • more inclusive
  • not necessarily on a mountain
  • both utilitarian (commuter) & fun
  • available for all ages & abilities
  • relaxing as opposed to competitive
  • urban, suburban, & rural locations
other names for rec-trails:
  • rail-trails
  • commuter trails*
  • multi-use trails
  • canal trails
  • bike trails
  • urban trails
  • greenways
  • green-belts
  • park trails
  • bike paths
  • family trails
  • all-season trails
* I realize that the terms commuter trail and rec-trail seem a little oxymoronic but I have yet to come up with the perfect name for this type of trails. I welcome any and all suggestions.



Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2011/05/20/about-trailsnet/

May 19 2011

Bicycle Commuter Act

Did you know that your employer can get reimbursed, by the government, for helping you pay for a new bike?

If you’ve never heard of the Bicycle Commuter Act, you may want to check it out. According to the legislation, not only can your employer help you purchase a bike, they can also help pay for your bicycle improvements, repairs, and storage at the rate of $20 per month.

Sometimes good legislation
comes out of this place!!



Wow!! Now, in addition to fun, exercise, and environmental friendliness, you have another reason to ride your bike to work. Have a talk with your employer and see if they are willing to participate in the program. If you need to, have a copy of the Bicycle Commuter Act in hand.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2011/05/19/bicycle-commuter-act/

May 16 2011

Bike Stickers May not Rock…

… but they certainly roll!!

Even I’m not completely sure what that means, but I love the World’s Best Bike Stickers website!!

For those of us into trails, alternative transportation, recreation, fun, it’s nice to find a business and website that allows us to announce our passions to the world. Here are some examples of shirt and sticker slogans you’ll find on  worldsbestbikestickers.com:

  • Live Free or Drive
  • Live Fast, Ride Hard
  • If it ain’t fixed it’s broken
  • I’d rather be ridin’ the rails (my personal fave)
  • I got here by bike
  • How’s my bike riding? Dial 1-800-CARS-SUCK
  • Don’t pollute – Bike commute
  • Burn fat, not oil
Of course the shirts and bumper stickers look a lot better than my boring old list because they have awesome graphics. So you’ll just have to visit worldsbestbikestickers.com to see for yourself.

Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2011/05/16/bike-stickers-may-not-rock/