During the last weekend of July, Sam and I headed to Glenwood Springs, Colorado, for a friend’s wedding. We have traveled through this area on many occasions when driving via I-70 to California to see relatives, but had never stopped or spent any time here — shockingly, not even to refill an empty gas tank. So, when we knew we were headed in that direction for a couple of days, we wanted to do our best to take advantage of the opportunity and ride as much as possible.
Our time in the area was going to be pretty limited and with Sam participating as a groomsmen in the wedding, we knew that rehearsals and other festivities would likely take a big chunk out of our already limited time, but we were intent on carving out a chunk of at least one day to explore a bit.
I had done a bit of electronic exploring of the area before we left home and discovered what appeared to be a decent Rails-to-Trails route that we hoped to ride, but it would all depend on the other commitments and how much free time we’d actually have to ourselves.
On Friday, we arrived mid-afternoon to a fast-and-hard falling rain-mixed-with-hail storm. This is very typical in the Colorado mountains (or even at home) in the summer, so it shouldn’t have surprised us, but we were still caught a bit off guard and sat pouting a bit as we waited for it to pass, and watching as our bicycles got drenched in the downpour.
About an hour later, everything cleared well enough for us to venture out a bit. We were staying at a campground just outside of Glenwood Springs proper, but saw as we drove in that there is a bike path just outside the campground. So, we hopped on our bikes and decided to see where it would take us.
The path took us along the Colorado River, and then runs parallel to I-70 before dropping off in the city of Glenwood Springs. From my sleuthing prior to our arrival, I knew that there was a way to connect to another trail from the city, but because I was having difficulty getting cell coverage, I couldn’t quite figure how we’d connect to it from our location, so instead we pedaled around the city a bit and took in the sights.
Later, when I had an opportunity to check a map, I realized that we nearly ran right into the path, had we just been paying better attention. So, we decided that on Saturday morning we’d go back and attempt to make our way on the Rails-to-Trails route of the Rio Grande Trail.
Like many railways, the Denver and Rio Grande Western Railroad stopped running several decades ago, but thanks to the conservancy program, was turned into the Rio Grande Trail. I have personally not had an opportunity to ride any of the Rails-to-Trails paths, so this was an opportunity I was looking forward to experiencing.
This particular trail runs a little over 40 miles between Glenwood Springs and Aspen, Colorado. Our intention was to ride the entire length, but due to time constraints and other obligations, we knew that we likely wouldn’t be able to do so.
We started our ride fairly early and rain was predicted (though thankfully we never got more than a drizzle during our ride). I came ill-prepared for anything other than blazing hot riding weather, so was fairly cold for most of our ride (and I should know better!) in my sleeveless, ultra-lightweight jersey. Sam, smartly packed layers so had both sun protection and some warmth.
From the campsite, we traveled back into Glenwood Springs and then on to the actual Rio Grande Trail once in the city limits. It is pretty well marked (despite missing the signs the day prior) for the most part, so I don’t think most people would have difficulty finding their way to the start.
The path starts off in the city park area and travels along the Roaring Fork River. The trail has both curvy and rolling, small hill portions for a few miles. It is also incredibly green and lush. After those first few miles, the path is fairly straight (which surprised both of us as we’re used to twisty and turning paths), and has a very slight uphill grade the entire distance toward Aspen. The greenery also turned a bit into a mix of foliage propped up against red mountains.
Since we were riding early, we had the luxury of taking up the entire trail on our outbound trip (we’d have significantly more company on the return). It was a luxury that we enjoyed for as long as possible. I was also impressed that there were several outhouse/bathroom stops along the trail (the one we stopped to use was remarkably clean and well-stocked too), as well has having stop off points in little towns along the path. There were also several benches and picnic tables, which made the entire path feel welcoming to all sorts of people.
We spotted all sorts of people at various points on the trail. Runners, dog walkers, families biking together, group rides out for a spin, old, young, and everyone in between were taking advantage of this system. We even spotted a tandem duo (which made us a little sad we weren’t on ours – though we were glad to be on all-road/gravel bikes for a couple spots on the ride).
Unfortunately, we knew we were running out of time and ended up only able to ride about half the full length of the Rio Grande Trail, having to turn around just on the outside of Carbondale.
Sam has been playing with a GoPro camera, so there is a short, 1-minute clip of some of the ride below to give a better idea of this particular path, if anyone is interested.
My only real regret about this trip is that we didn’t have the opportunity to ride the entire distance of the trail. I was amazed at the mileage it provided to users, and it also made me realize that I would love to see more of this type of trail system throughout our state. While I realize there are a number of Rails-to-Trails paths throughout the country, having not ridden one myself, I had no idea that they could cover such a long stretch. From what I’ve read, this 40+ mile stretch is nothing compared to others, as some cover over 200 miles!
Hopefully, at some point in the future, we’ll have an opportunity to return and ride the entire length of the trail. Perhaps we’ll even have the chance to ride one in another area. I’d love to be able to compare more than one and to know if they are all as well-maintained and groomed.
If you’ve had an opportunity to ride any of the Rails-to-Trails paths, what did you think of your experience? Have you ridden more than one? What were differences you experienced from one to the next? Feel free to leave your thoughts.
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