In my blog post a couple days ago, I mentioned the Everytrail guide for the Mineral Belt Loop trail in Leadville, Colorado. Here’s my official (we don’t need no stinkin’) badge for the four trails I’ve mapped so far:
Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/09/13/trail-guides-now-available-at-everytrail-guides/
Sep 12 2010
trailsnet book of trail photos
Over the years, I’ve had the good fortune to ride some marvelous trails throughout the country. This photo book has a collection of pictures from some of these trails:
Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/09/12/trailsnet-book-of-trail-photos/
Sep 12 2010
Mineral Belt Loop Trail Guide now available on Everytrail
A few days ago, I wrote about the great experience I had on the Mineral Belt Loop Trail in Leadville, Colorado. It was a beautiful trail, on a picture-perfect day, with fun friends.
Well since then, I’ve created a Mineral Belt Loop Trail guide on Everytrail.com. I’ve briefly described these guides in the past, but the more I work with them, the more convinced I become that these trail guides on Everytrail are the best trail development to come along in years.
Nearly everyone has a cell phone these days, and many cell phone users now have smart phones. And to take it a step further, most of us who have the technological do-it-alls are now in the habit of taking them with us on the trail. They’re great for staying in touch with each other and they are indispensable in an emergency.
They’re also good for:
- games if you get bored
- a flashlight if you’re caught out after dark
- checking email, facebook, twitter, etc.
- music, if you’re so inclined
- texting if you want to stay in touch w/ that special someone
- etc.
But now, they’re more than just a convenience. In the case of the Everytrail app., they may be your map and guidebook all crammed into one little efficient bundle. But the Everytrail app/ guides are even better than a regular printed guidebook because they’re a lot small, less messy, and much more inclusive and interactive.
If you plan on venturing out to a new trail, you can’t go wrong with one of the Everytrail guides. They’ll provide you with pictures to help you decide if you want to take the trail, show you a map with the exact route once you’re on the trail, provide you with crucial information about the trail route, and give you tips about trail landmarks. They may tell you about a historical location, a hotel, a restaurant, or even a bathroom or drinking fountain.
And you can’t go wrong with the price. Whereas a normal printed guidebook may cost you over $10, most of the Evertrail trail guides are only $1.99. They allow you to choose the exact trails you want as opposed to a book that may have numerous trails you’ll never need.
Don’t get me wrong, I still like printed guidebooks, and I hope you do too. But the Everytrail guides are a nice way to get just what you need before you head out to explore that new trail.
Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/09/12/mineral-belt-loop-trail-guide-now-available-on-everytrail/
Sep 10 2010
Clear Creek Trail from Denver to Golden, Colorado
Clear Creek Trail runs between the Platte River Trail in Denver and (near) the Coors Brewery in Golden, CO. And the last time I checked, the Coors brewery offered free tours w/ free beer samples. That sounds a bit like a pot o’ gold at the end of the rainbow to me. Or in this case, a mug o’ gold at the end of the trail.
The trail itself is a bit of gold. It is like an oasis in the middle of the urban landscape. It has creekside scenery, urban diversions, and can be combined with the C-470, Bear Creek, and Platte River Trails to make a pretty appealing loop ride.
If going out-and-back, I prefer starting at the Platte River Trail in Denver. That way, I can ride my bike uphill for the first half of the trip and save the downhill for the finale. In fact, a great ride is to start near Union Station in Denver, head north on the Platte River Trail until you get to the Clear Creek Trail (The turnoff is past the Sand Creek Trail turnoff and just after you cross a fairly large bridge.), then make a left and head west toward the mountains. The trail is 99% off road, but there is one place where you have to cross a major street. This is especially frustrating since there appears to be an underpass there, but for some reason, it’s always closed.
Clear Creek Trail takes you almost into downtown Golden and soon it will take you all the way there. If you’ve still got lots of energy, you could head south, catch the C-470 Trail, then tie that into the Bear Creek Trail in Morrison, and eventually make one big loop. Notice I said “you” could do that. It would be too much for me unless it involved an overnight. Come to think of it though, an overnight in Golden would be kind of nice. I wonder if they’d let me do the Coors beer tour two days in a row?
Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/09/10/clear-creek-trail-from-denver-to-golden-colorado/
Sep 09 2010
Fall colors are almost here -Find fall foliage information
If you’ve only seen fall colors from the seat of a car, then you’ve missed the true pleasure of fall foliage at its finest.
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| Autumn glory trail |
Just like my experience w/ 4th of July fireworks, I was beginning to tire of the traditional viewing of “the changing of the leaves.”
That was until I discovered the pleasures of viewing the annual foliage display from the seat of a bicycle. The difference was amazing. It was much more relaxing, and I saw so much more of the subtle details in the annual autumn colors. It was peaceful and quiet and I saw something new with each bend in the trail. I was free to stop wherever I wanted without fear of being rear-ended.
Now, I truly believe that you haven’t seen autumn foliage until you’ve seen it from the perspective of a New England trail or midwestern path.
If you’re interested in viewing the colors of fall on one of the many United States trails, your first stop is to visit this national fall colors website.
Once you have found out the location of the prime foliage viewing, visit a trails locator website such as trailsnet.com to find the ideal autumn colors path. You will never look at the fall leaf show in the same way, once you’ve viewed them from the peaceful perspective of a perfect path.
Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/09/09/fall-colors-are-almost-here-find-fall-foliage-information/
Sep 08 2010
Renting a bike is still the way to go on trips
I just finished paying $134 to ship my bike to Connellsville, PA to ride the Great Allegheny Passage Trail.
I much prefer to rent bikes on my trips, but the logistics of renting a bike on one end of the trail, then getting it back to the rental shop after reaching my destination on the other end of the trail just wasn’t working for me.
I’m hoping that someone will start renting bikes on the longer rail-trails that will allow users to drop the bike-rentals off at either end of the trail, sort of like U-Haul does w/ their rental trucks.
In the meantime, I just took a look at the RentaBikeNow.com website. It offers rental locations in numerous locations in the U. S. and Canada. It looks like an excellent business and one that could be very helpful on future rail-trail trips. The idea of a one-stop bike rental process is very appealing and would save lots of time on the planning stages of a trail excursion.
I’ll keep you posted on future rental experiences, but for now, I’m recommending bike rentals over bike shipping. Bike rentals, as I’ve pointed out in a previous blog, allows you to meet locals, save money over shipping, and pack lighter. It also allows you to try new bikes such as hybrids, mountain bikes, cruisers, and recumbents.
Permanent link to this article: https://trailsnet.com/2010/09/08/renting-a-bike-is-still-the-way-to-go-on-trips/