# Castle Rock, CO



## jonesy243 (Nov 1, 2007)

I have been offered a summer internship in Castle Rock, CO. Anyone have any thoughts on Castle Rock or the immediate area? I have never been to Colorado beyond being in the Denver airport. 

I don't know anybody who lives around there and I will have to find summer housing. June 1-July 31. Might be difficult! :mad2:


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## Mootsie (Feb 4, 2004)

jonesy243 said:


> I have been offered a summer internship in Castle Rock, CO. Anyone have any thoughts on Castle Rock or the immediate area? I have never been to Colorado beyond being in the Denver airport.
> 
> I don't know anybody who lives around there and I will have to find summer housing. June 1-July 31. Might be difficult! :mad2:


Castle Rock used to be its own little town, but has grown into a big suburb. Its nice, but also has some of the typical suburban things: strip centers, congestion, far from downtown Denver (though you can lightrail in from a station somewhat nearby), fast food hell and home to a big outlet mall (oh boy). There are a few big rides that use it as a starting point. You may want to try Craigslist to find housing. If you choose to live a little bit more into the city, there are plenty of ride options. PM me if you want to know more about riding in the city.


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## jkaber (May 22, 2002)

I live in Castle Rock. Its a great place to ride. There are numberous country roads where you can do 30, 60, 100+ miles rides with smooth roads and rolling hills. I encounter wildlife on almost every ride. I've seen Bears, Elk, Deer, Coyote, and wild Turkeys. I don't know much about the rental situation, but I'm sure there are houses and apartments for rent. Who is your internship with?


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## jonesy243 (Nov 1, 2007)

I am a pharmacy student and it is through Walgreens.

I am a little hesitant about the craigslist thing considering the news about the craiglist killer. EEK!

Are there any fun/social weekly group rides that i can meet some people (bcs i will not know anyone besides the other interns/co-workers).


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## J Squiggles (Sep 24, 2007)

FWIW, I live in Lone Tree (north of Castle Rock on I-25) and rode down to the Castle Rock and Castle Pines area for the first time today and it was a really nice ride. Good roads and decent climbing. I will definitely do more rides down in that area. It sure beats riding the various MUTs in the Denver area.


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## Mootsie (Feb 4, 2004)

Not sure what a MUT is, but Denver offers great road routes north to Boulder, west to Golden/Squaw Pass, South to Cherry Creek Res, and southwest to Chatfield Res which connects to Deer Creek, High Drive, High Grade, Evergreen, Meyers Gulch....some of the best front range climbing around. Check out www.teamevergreen.org for more Front Range climbing/riding options.


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## jonesy243 (Nov 1, 2007)

I think he means Multiuse trails (MUT).

I am in the process of picking people's brains in the single speed section -- I want to build a hassle-free single speed that I can go riding around the city/social rides.

I am excited for this summer. Only a few more tests to go! 

upon quick glance -- excellent website mootsie, exactly the kind of thing I was looking for!


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## Pwnt (Aug 24, 2006)

MUT = Multi use trail or bike path for short.

And you'll love Castle Rock.


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## Bulldozer (Jul 31, 2003)

You would love Castle Rock. Plenty of riding to be had. There's even an organized century ride (Elephant Rock) on June 7th. There are shorter options for the ride as well if you're not up to 100 miles in Colorado.


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## ColoradoVeloDude (Oct 7, 2005)

A good ride to do would be the Copper Triangle (www.coppertriangle.com). You're probably not going to be able to take a week off being an intern, but also look at www.ridetherockies.com (registration closed), www.bicycletourcolorado.com, and www.crmbt.com

Drop me a private message. There is a group of use that ride each Sunday starting in NW Colorado Springs (about a 45 minute drive from Castle Rock).

The route around the Elephant Rock are good places to ride. But, be certain you bring yourself fully provisioned -- not many convenience stores out to the east. 

Also try the Air Force Academy -- lots of wide shoulder (and clean!) roads. Be certain to bring and ride with your driver's license - you'll need it to get on base.

Ride from Sedalia to Palmer Lake and back. Go early in the morning to avoid traffic. 
Sedalia is just a bit west of Castle Rock (5 - 10 miles)

Out to the east of Castle Rock are probably the biggest miles. Like I said earlier, plan out your route to hit the various convenience stores for water and such. 

There is also a bicycle friendly frontage road on the east side of I-25 that will get you to Larkspur and Back (and you can continue to Palmer Lake south from there on a back road).

And, I can't stress this enough: You want to begin your rides early and complete them early. The first reason is traffic - some of the roads are narrow and it's just prudent to get out there before cars become a issue (it's light enough to start riding now at about 5:45AM). The second reason is the weather. The afternoons always bring a chance for thunderstorms and they mainly start booming up around noon. If not that, then it can become gnarly windy. Best to have your ride done and inside enjoying a burger and adult beverage than out there in the rain slogging through rain, sleet, hail, lightning, wind. 

Also, while you are here, don't forget to do some of the tourist stuff. The Natural History Museum in Denver, See a Rockies Game (we have the minor league Sky Sox in Colorado Springs), take the train up Pikes peak (or drive it). Go see the high country in the Summer (Vail, Breckenridge, Winter Park have a lift or two open) You can rent a mountain bike there and go bombing down the hills. 

Lots of good cycling around Colorado Springs. Send me a PM and maybe we can get together for a ride.


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