# Denver to Pueblo Route?



## Husar

I am going to be taking a train out to Denver from Iowa with my bike. Plan is to get off the train, put bike back together and start heading south to Pueblo. I have a ride picking me up there for a week in CO on vacation. Planning to take 3 days so I am not in a hurry. Does anyone have a route they have taken before? GPX file would be great to download. Gravel roads are not a problem and prefer the least amount of traffic.

First night I'd like to stay by Castle Rock. Second day just past Colorado Springs. I did attempt a route that I can share as soon as I have 10 posts.

Cheers.


----------



## PDex

The Platte River bike path will get you out of Lower Downtown to The SW metro area in a flash. The trail is only a couple blocks from Union Station. The southern terminus is in Chatfield State Park. I don't know a lot about getting from Chatfield to the Springs. I used to ride on CO-105 (Perry Park Road) 20 years ago and it was not busy. From what I understand, traffic has increased substantially. 

Perhaps someone else could help with the other sections.


----------



## Jrmccain

When I lived in Pueblo I dreamed of riding to Springs and Denver but the only route that I knew of was I-North, and there was no way I was riding that! I actually saw a few cyclists on I-25 over the years there - sheer nuts!


----------



## Mootsie

There are some "wild" options like going though Deckers or down Rampart Range road that would drop you down into Garden of the Gods, but you would need at least a cross bike or better to do some of those sections. Downtown Denver to Chatfield state park is very easy via bike path. Chatfield to Castle Rock is iffy. You can exit the park on the south side and take backroads for a bit, but I think you eventually will end up on a busy road, If you can make it to Castle Rock, you can follow some of the same roads that the Elephant Rock ride uses. Try Googling that. That should get you close to the north end of the Springs. There is a fairly well marked bike path from the northside all the way into downtown Springs. South of the Springs is an Army base that takes up lots of land. You'll have to figure out how to get around that or take I-25 frontage roads as much as possible.


----------



## Husar

Okay, I finally have enough posts to get a link up for you guys. Here is what I roughtly planned out using the Google Maps bike route option. It does put me on 83 for a while around Castle Rock. Is that a problem? I could jump on the side roads at Castle Rock on the East side without much difficultly.

Then just past Springs it puts me on 115. If 115 is not recommended it looks like I can again stay on the West side of 85/87 on the side rodes. I assume those are gravel? 

Zoom into the map and follow it from Denver south. Any recommendations would be much apprecited.
http://www.piratevelo.com/2011/06/17/first-bike-tour-moving-west/


----------



## Bocephus Jones II

PDex said:


> The Platte River bike path will get you out of Lower Downtown to The SW metro area in a flash. The trail is only a couple blocks from Union Station. The southern terminus is in Chatfield State Park. I don't know a lot about getting from Chatfield to the Springs. I used to ride on CO-105 (Perry Park Road) 20 years ago and it was not busy. From what I understand, traffic has increased substantially.
> 
> Perhaps someone else could help with the other sections.


Just ride I-25.


----------



## Mootsie

Husar said:


> Okay, I finally have enough posts to get a link up for you guys. Here is what I roughtly planned out using the Google Maps bike route option. It does put me on 83 for a while around Castle Rock. Is that a problem? I could jump on the side roads at Castle Rock on the East side without much difficultly.
> 
> Then just past Springs it puts me on 115. If 115 is not recommended it looks like I can again stay on the West side of 85/87 on the side rodes. I assume those are gravel?
> 
> Zoom into the map and follow it from Denver south. Any recommendations would be much apprecited.
> http://www.piratevelo.com/2011/06/17/first-bike-tour-moving-west/


Hwy 83 is a high speed road. You can ride it, but.....
I would also be concerned about gaining entry to Fort Carson. It routes you right through it. Not sure you can do that.


----------



## Husar

Okay, I will route off of 83 for sure. I was wondering about Fort Carson as well. I think there is a way around that on a road that skirts the East side of the base. I will get a new route up today on that same link.


----------



## Husar

Here is a link to a reroute. This should keep me off any major freeways and out of Ft. Carson.

http://maps.google.com/maps?saddr=1...TyxRwIdIuHB-Q&mra=mivtw&dirflg=b&lci=bike&z=8


----------



## Mootsie

Should be a nice adventure. Have fun. The stretch from the Springs to Pueblo is pretty desolate, pack plenty of food/water. Good luck.


----------



## RtR Pir8

For what it's worth I've ridden the stretch of road from Colo Springs down to Penrose and over to Canon City and it's a very pretty ride. The shoulders are reasonable, there is a fair amount of traffic, and it's quite hilly but it is very enjoyable. There is a private campground probably around 15mi or so south of the Springs and when I stayed there it was quite reasonable in cost. Don't know how much now but IMHO much preferable to shadowing I-25 plus it brings you into Pueblo from the west which according to your map seems to be where you're headed. Good luck and enjoy your ride. Cheers


----------



## fletchersteel

I don't know much about Denver, but if you find a good route to Chatfield State Park, then you could follow Santa Fe Dr southeast towards Castle Rock, before Castle Rock, at Sadalia, take Parry Park Rd south to Palmer Park. Up to this point, it's all pavement and a nice ride through rolling hills along the front range. At Palmer Lake you can get on the Santa Fe trail, a nice gravel rails to trails trail all the way thru the Air Force Academy, thru Colorado Springs, and ending up in Fountain. From there you can follow the Old Pueblo Highway, which I think is what you have on your latest map. I personally would avoid Hwy 83, there's quite a bit of traffic and once in Black Forest there's not much shoulder and a lot of blind curves. People have a tendency to speed through there. But, it is a scenic drive, with some good views. Rampart Road is very scenic, but I don't take my nissan down it much, pretty rough road in places. 

Another option is to take some back roads to Deckers and then follow the State Hwy to Woodland Park, then down to Colorado Springs. A nice and very scenic ride, but it'd kill me on the hills.


----------



## redlizard

I'd also recommend avoiding Hwy 83. You can ride it, but you'll get a lot traffic whizzing by at 65 mph and a lot of areas don't have nearly as much shoulder as you'd like to have as a cyclist. I'd suggest riding from downtown Denver to Chatfield via the S. Platte River trail. Your map shows it as the Mary Carter Greenway Trail, but I've never heard it called that. It's basically paved, flat, sometimes scenic, not too busy and beats the crap out of surface roads and signal lights. It follows the river (duh), which roughly parallels S. Santa Fe Dr. as it goes south through Denver and the south suburbs.

Once at Chatfield, work your way over to Santa Fe Rd and ride it down to Sedalia. There will be a few miles between Titan Rd and Sedalia w/o much shoulder, but no real alternative. At Sedalia, take N. Perry Park Rd (Hwy 105) south to Palmer Lake. A very scenic 20+ miles with ranches on either side and the mountains rising to the west. Not much traffic. It's a long gradual climb to Palmer Park of maybe 1300' elevation gain. At Palmer Lake or Monument, catch the Santa Fe trail and take it all the way down to Fountain, then jump over to Old Pueblo Hwy into Pueblo.


----------



## Bulldozer

I would take the Platte River trail straight south to Chatfield SP, ride out the south side of the park to Titan Rd to Santa Fe. Santa Fe is a fast road but there is a big shoulder and you won't be on there long. Hop on the frontage road at Louviers and take it to Sedalia. At Sedalia, take 105 as suggested. Nice scenic route and the speed limit is only 45mph.


----------

