# Denver -> Castle Rock on Cherry Creek



## morryjg (Jan 6, 2008)

Looking at mapmyride it shows the Cherry Creek bike path going all the way down to hwy 86 just outside of Castle Rock. :thumbsup: Anyone have any experience riding it that far south? I've ridden Cherry Creek down to the lake and then out the bottom of the lake and down Jordan to the 470 path but never any further south. It looks like you could ride it down (with a few random neighborhood roads) to 86 and then 86 into Castle Rock. Then ride Sante Fe over to Daniels Park rd and ride that north into Highlands Ranch and eventually end up back on the 470 trail or something in there. 

Anyone done that and care to share some insight?


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## Mootsie (Feb 4, 2004)

Some of that route isn't paved, if that matters. The path near Castlewood Canyon isn't paved and Daniels Road for a part isn't paved. Other than that, sounds like a fun adventure.


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## outcast7 (Nov 17, 2011)

The bicycle Douglas county map shows which areas are paved on their route map
http://www.douglas.co.us/traffic/documents/BikeMapDCWork600.pdf


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## Rokh On (Oct 30, 2011)

The bike path does go south to Stroh Rd. Head East on Stroh Rd. to Crowfoot Valley Rd. It is a dead end T. Make a left. There is a very good bike lane all the way to 86 or Founders Parkway. Founders is a freakin mess with heavy heavy traffic as you approach I25 and further South to Santa Fe. I would circumvent this by making a left on Woodlands. It is the 1st traffic light as you head down hill from Crowfoot. Take Woodlands to the 4 way stop and make a right. That is Black Feather which actually becomes Santa Fe. There is a narrow bike lane but again, much safer than the more direct route down Founders. Santa Fe can be sketchy with little to no bike lane and heavy traffic depending on the time of day. Plenty of people ride it though. Take it to Daniels Parkway and make a right. DP was just repaved from Santa Fe up to where you need to make the left at the top of the hill. From there you have a good stretch of hard surface unpaved road into Highlands Ranch. Bring tube(s) or a patch kit ... just in case.

I would definitely look at a map of Highlands Ranch so you can figure out your easiest way to get back to the section of the C470 trail you are looking for. Mostly decent bike lanes in HR. You could stay on Santa Fe all the way to C470 and get on the trail there. It is very close to where it connects to the Platte River trail which you can take back north. Again, Santa Fe is a busy route and can be sketchy.


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## Rokh On (Oct 30, 2011)

Sorry but my compass sucks. Head WEST on Stroh not east. I also said south to Sante Fe when in fact that is also basically WEST. No clue what I was thinking. Sorry about that.


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## morryjg (Jan 6, 2008)

Did it! Rode from about Belleview/470 around on the 470 path to Cherry Creek. The dirt parts of CC were not bad at all. I was a bit worried about goat heads but didn't see any. Took CC down to 86 and then 86 to Founders. Founders really wasn't bad. We stopped at Good Times for ice cream 'cause it was really hot on Saturday and climbing up 86 was rough. So I bribed my wife (we were on the tandem) with ice cream. Rode out on Sante Fe to Daniel's Park and then out via Highland's Ranch. The new black top on Daniel's Park was buttery smooth but really hot. Holy schmoly it was hot. Riding through HR on Wildcat Reserve pkwy was nice because it was all downhill. Made it back to 470 at Sante Fe and rode it back around. 85 miles total for the day! 

Good riding! Definitely need to do that ride again. Now to bug the state to see if we can get an actual shoulder on Sante Fe.


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## Rokh On (Oct 30, 2011)

You be a braver man than I, especially being on a tandem. For whatever reason CR has decided to cram 5lbs of "stuff " into a 2lb area. There are a lot of stores/fast food/etc crammed into that area.

So if you like that ride then try this one. Either park at Aspen Grove or ride the C470 trail over to the Platte River trail. Head to Denver. Catch the Cherry Creek trail all the way back to South Parker and take the route you did back to Aspen Grove. Makes for a very nice day of easy riding.


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## bobbydeethree (Jun 23, 2010)

*Santa Fe*

I grew up in a small city that had a line of the Atchison, Topeka, and Santa Fe railroad running through. The railcars all had a big "Santa Fe" on the side which we read as we waited in cars driven by parents for freight trains to pass. I learned how Santa Fe was spelled when I was six years old. A lot of people in the Denver area spell Santa Fe Drive incorrectly as "Sante".

Rocky Mountain Sports Magazine (which is defunct and has been replaced by a running magazine called Competitor) used to always list the city in New Mexico as "Sante Fe". I nearly wrote a letter to the editor but never bothered. No one spells it that way in Santa Fe, NM or Santa Fe, CA for that matter.

I just checked on the internet and "Sante" is not an alternative spelling of Santa.


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## morryjg (Jan 6, 2008)

Rokh On said:


> So if you like that ride then try this one. Either park at Aspen Grove or ride the C470 trail over to the Platte River trail. Head to Denver. Catch the Cherry Creek trail all the way back to South Parker and take the route you did back to Aspen Grove. Makes for a very nice day of easy riding.


I originally mapped it out starting from Belleview/470 and heading north up through Bear Creek then S Platte and Cherry creek and it would have made it an even 100 miles. We just didn't have time to do the full 100. That will be the next version of this ride. 

Sante vs Santa :mad2: Dang brain....for some reason it's stuck in my head as Sante...


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