 | |
Welcome to Sanjay Velamparambil's Outdoors Portal
This is an attempt at gathering information about bicycling routes and trails, mostly for road riding. The intention is to catalogue data on various routes and statistics, such as maps, distance, elevation profiles, into one searchable database. I hope this to grow as time progresses.
You are invited to submit route descriptions and comments. If you are submitting a route, please include the distance, a map and elevation profile for a minimum. Details about tricky diversions/turns, difficult climbs and technical
descents would be invaluable. So is any information on refuelling stations.
I hope this site will be useful. But I do not guarantee the accuracy of the data available here.
|
|
Kananaskis Country Via AB-66
Posted by sanjay on Monday, October 08 @ 19:49:27 EDT (101 reads)
Topic Ride Descriptions
| A very beautiful ride. I started from the intersection of AB-22X and AB-22, and rode west towards Bragg Creek and continued on AB-66 to the end of the pavement. AB-66 descents to a breath-taking valley just before the pavement ends.
- Ride Description: The most interesting part of the ride is AB-66 from the intersection with AB-22, just south of Bragg Creek, to the end of pavement. Very picturesque and lovely ride. Good shoulders. Watch for cattle and wild life.
- Total Distance: From the intersection of AB-22/22X to AB-66, it is about 12 miles. AB-66 continues, paved, for another 16 miles or so.
- Ascent/Descent: This is a moderate climb with rolling hills for most part. The last two miles on AB-66 is steep: 9% or more. So is the immediate ascent out of the valley. Total climbing (from 22X/22) is 4500 feet.
- Rating: Difficult.
- Map and Elevation Profile
- Refuelling: Bragg Creek is a nice little town with several stores, gas station and a cafe. But once on AB-66, there are no services. However, just past Bragg Creek on AB-66, there is a visitor center where one can fill up water bottles. Rest rooms are also available there.
- Remarks: There are several cattle guards (they call them 'Texas Gates' here in AB!) on AB-66. Naturally, there are also cattle, who couldn't care less about 20 lbs of steel/carbon/aluminum mechanism propelled by a skinny biped. So watch out. The descent to the valley, at the end of AB-66, is tricky because when I rode it there was gravel on shoulders. Also, once on 66, you are in bear country as well, not just Kananaskis:)
- Alternate starts/routes: Instead of starting on 22X, one can also start on AB-8 and then ride to Bragg Creek before hitting AB-66. That is an easy warm-up ride, and will reduce the climbing significantly.
| | (Read More... | 14 comments | Score: 0) |
|
Canada Olympic Park, Calgary
Posted by sanjay on Monday, October 08 @ 19:30:42 EDT (112 reads)
Topic Ride Descriptions
| A very nice, short, steep climb. Just about 0.85 miles, and grades topping around 14% this is a fantastic training ride.
- Route Description: Just off Trans-Canada highway-1. Easy to find out. An alternate approach is to ride/drive on 85th Street towards the Olympic park.
- Total Distance: 0.85 miles from the bottom of the climb.
- Ascent: Approximately 350 feet.
- Rating: Difficult in steepness, but overall, moderate.
- Map and Elevation Profile
- Remarks: I love this hill-climb. Apparently there's even a race up this hill, and if my memory serves me right, the winner did that in about 3:20s or something like that. Well, that means, he would have climbed it twice by the time I finished it once. The grade is pretty heavy right from the beginning and all the way to the top. 8-9% to 14% on some corners. Descent is, therefore, tricky.
| | (Read More... | 9 comments | Score: 0) |
|
Sunshine Canyon, Boulder, Colorado
Posted by sanjay on Wednesday, August 22 @ 06:03:18 EDT (152 reads)
Topic Ride Descriptions
| One of the hardest climbs in Boulder county, no doubt. Starts off as Mapleton Ave and then becomes the Sunshine Canyon Dr. The pavement ends about six miles from the 9th street and Mapleton intersection.
- Route description: My friend Jared and I started from the 'Confluence' (an intersection of Boulder Creek path and Bear Creek Path) near Foothills Highway and Arapahoe Ave. We followed the trail to Edgewood dr. Continued on Edgewood Dr (which becomes 9th st) to Mapleton. One note: do not start out from Mapleton to the east of 9th st because at the intersection of 9th st and Mapleton, there is only a right turn and you can't legally continue on Mapleton.
- Total Distance: about 7 miles from 9th and Mapleton to the end of pavement.
- Ascent: Approximately 2000 feet from 9th and Mapleton.
- Rating: Difficult
- Map and Elevation profile
- Refuelling: Fill it up before heading out on Mapleton. There are no facilities past 9th st.
- Remarks: This is a very steep climb for most part. I have noticed over 20% gradient sustaining for several hundred feet (it could be that Garmin GPS is off, but I doubt it). If my Garmin Edge is right, after the first two miles or so, the climb averages over 10-12%. There is a short respite after mile marker 3 for about half a mile and then another after about 4.5 miles. Once the switch backs start after about two miles, it is extremely steep (I needed 30/27 for this section).
- Watch for deer, we came across several on the way.
- Descent is quite technical (for me) with steep angles and sharp curves, especially from mile marker 3 to 2.
- No shoulders, but very little traffic.
- Alternate routes: One could Poorman Rd (unpaved) to Four Mile Canyon Rd for a loop back to Boulder. I have not done this yet.
| | (Read More... | 9 comments | Score: 0) |
|
Lyons-Estes Park-Trail Ridge Road-Alpine Visitor Center
Posted by sanjay on Wednesday, August 15 @ 19:55:06 EDT (175 reads)
Topic Ride Descriptions
| This ride has been one of my ambitions for a long long time. I have wanted to ride from Boulder, to Lyons and then by St. Vrain canyon to Estes Park and there onwards to the Alpine Visitor Center on the Trail Ridge Road. And back. Well, I suppose I need to wait a couple of more years to reach that level of endurance:) So, I chose a shorter version: from Lyons to Estes Park via US-36 and then to Alpine Visitor center. The plan was to return by CO-7 via Allens park. But even that turned out to be harder:) So I just retraced the route back to Lyons:)
- Route Description: From Lyons, take US-36 to Estes Park. Keep on US-36 until it merges/ends by joining US-34, past the Rocky Mountain National park visitor center.
- Total Distance: 91 miles
- Ascent/Descent: It is a moderate climb all the way to the Alpine visitor center, where the grade seldom exceeded 6%, that too before reaching Estes Park on US-36. The climb from Lyons to Pinewood Springs is moderate. There is a little respite near Pinewood Springs for about a mile. From Pinewood Springs to Estes Park is much less steep. The final two mile descent to Estes park is fast and with a lot of traffic. Trail Ridge road is again a moderate, in terms of steepness, climb. But the altitude gets to you once you are above the timberline. Total climbing is well over 10,000 feet.
- Rating: Very difficult.
- Map and Elevation Profile: Trai Ridge Road
- Refuelling: Plenty of shops in Lyons and Estes park. There is a restaurant and gift shop at the Alpine Visitor Center. The visitor center also has water fountains.
- Remarks: This ride is rated very difficult because of the distance and the climbing involved, but not due to the steepness of the climbs. Try to ride as early as possible because of afternoon thunderstorms are regular and can be dangerous. During weekends, the traffic on the Trail Ridge road is very heavy, although slow. Returning via US-36, although I ended up doing it, is not recommended because of very narrow shoulders with very heavy and fast (55mph) traffic. Since the road reaches 12,200 feet, the temperature difference from Lyons can be as high as 30F. So, prepare for various weather conditions.
- This is a spectacular ride; the views from the Trail Ridge road are breath taking. If you are lucky, you may come across elk and other wild animals.
- Fees: Rocky mountain national park requires $15 7-day pass. National park passes are accepted.
- Alternate routes:
- A recommended approach is from Lyons to Estes Park via CO-7 (also through Allens park). It adds about 1500 feet of climbing on the way to Alpine Visitor center. If returning via the same route, the distance would be well over 130 miles and the total climbing, over 12000 feet.
- Another alternative would be to return via Devil's Gulch road and US-34 and Carter lake.
- If one wants to ride just the Trail Ridge Road, one could start from Estes park itself. That would be about 20 miles one way with 4000+ feet of climbing.
- For those who are really tough, the climb up to Bear Lake would be an added bonus:)
| | (Read More... | 9 comments | Score: 0) |
|
Lookout Mountain, Golden, Colorado
Posted by sanjay on Wednesday, August 15 @ 19:30:30 EDT (132 reads)
Topic Ride Descriptions
| From the intersection of CO-93 and Lookout Mountain road to Buffalo Bill Museum turn-off. A beautiful ride. About 5 miles of sustained and moderate (?) climb.
- Route Summary: If you are on CO-93N, turn left on to Lookout Mtn Road. If you are on CO-93S, turn right. It is as simple as that.
- Total Distance: About 5 miles.
- Ascent/Descent: The Lookout Mtn road starts off pretty steep from CO-93 and levels off after about a mile. Then it is a sustained climb for the next four miles. I noticed maximum grades around 8%. Total ascent is about 1500 feet. There are several switchbacks where it is steeper. These switchbacks are also somewhat technical on descent.
- Rating: Moderate
- Map and Elevation Profile: Lookout Mountain
- Refuelling: Golden is a big town.
- Remarks: This is an extremely popular route for local riders. Descent is (to me) pretty technical with so many switchbacks.
| | (Read More... | 9 comments | Score: 0) |
|
Sandia Mountain, Albuquerque, New Mexico
Posted by sanjay on Wednesday, August 15 @ 19:21:06 EDT (147 reads)
Topic Ride Descriptions
| Tijeras, NM to Sandia Crest, NM: This is a very nice, difficult, but steady climb. I started just outside Tijeras, NM on NM-14. About five miles from Tijeras, turn left on to NM-536 which goes all the way to Sandia Crest, which is at 10,700 feet.
- Route Summary: From Tijeras take NM-14 to San Antonito (about 6 miles) and turn left on to NM-536.
- Total Distance: Approximately 20 miles from Tijeras to Sandia Crest
- Ascent/Descent: The climb from Tijeras to the turn-off is mild. But NM-536 is pretty
much a climb right from the beginning to the top. There are sections
that are over 10%. Total climb from Tijeras is just over 4600 feet.
- Rating: Very difficult.
- Map and Elevation Profile: Tijeras t Sandia Crest
- Refuelling: Tjeras has a few stores. The turn-off to NM-536 also has a general store. There is a restaurant and gift shop at Sandia Crest.
- Fees: Sandia Crest charges $3 for each vehicle. National park passes are accepted.
- Remarks: I have been planning to ride this since April. If you are in the Albuquerque neighborhood, this is a place worth visiting, just for the views.
| | (Read More... | 9 comments | Score: 5) |
|
Florence,CO -Westcliffe, CO-Canon City, CO-Florence
Posted by sanjay on Tuesday, July 03 @ 19:55:46 EDT (196 reads)
Topic Ride Descriptions
| This is a 100+ mile route that can be done in one day. We (me and the triplebypass group members) did this as a two-day bike camping trip. We started from Florence, Co and rode to Westcliffe, CO on the first day. On the following day, we rode back to Florence via Canon City.
- Route Summary: From Florence ride south on CO-67 to Wetmore. Turn right on CO-96 to Westcliffe. From Westcliffe, right north on CO-69 to US-50 to Canon City. From Canon City, take CO-115 to Florence.
- Total Distance: 100+ miles
- Ascent/Descent: From Florence, it is more or less a steady climb to Wetmore, except for the last 10 miles or so. There are some pretty difficult sections on CO-96, reaching a maximum of 9% grade. From Westcliffe, it is a downhill to US-50. On US-50, there is a pretty significant climb (6% grade) just after Royal Gorge. Total ascent to Westcliffe is about 4400 feet.
- Rating: Difficult.
- Map and Elevation Profile: Florence-Westcliffe
Westcliffe-Florence
- Refuelling: Florence has several gas stations and convenience stores. After Florence, Westcliffe is the only full service town. The intersection of CO-69 and US-50 has a restaurent. There are restaurents and stores near Royal Gorge.
- Remarks: The climb on CO-96 can get really hot in summer months.
| | (Read More... | 45 comments | Score: 0) |
|
Dacano, CO-Brush,CO
Posted by sanjay on Sunday, June 24 @ 17:23:07 EDT (231 reads)
Topic Ride Descriptions
| This is a flat-land ride. We (Subbu, Scott and me) started from I-25 & CO-52 intersection. It is nearly 83 miles along the route that we took.
- Summary of Route: From I25& CO-52 to Fort Lupton. Ft. Lupton to Hudson via CR-8 and Frontage Rd to I-76. From Hudson to Keenesburg by Frontage Rd to I-76. Keenesburg to Wiggins by I-76. From Wiggins to Ft. Morgan via CR-Q. From Ft. Morgan to Brush via CR-R.
- Total Distance: Approximately 83 miles.
- Ascent/Descent: There are a couple of rollers on the way, but nothing significant.
- Map and Elevation Profile
- Rating: Easy (if it is not hot!!!)
- Refuelling facilities: At the intersection of I-25 and CO-52 there are several stores, including a MacDonalds. Ft. Lupton, Hudson, Keenesburg all have convenience stores and gas stations. Roggen has a gas station (to reach it, take left at the exit ramp to Roggen). Wiggins has gas station/convenience store. So is Ft. Morgan (although the route skirts the town). Brush has several restaurents and other stores in downtown as well as the I-76 exit.
- Remarks: The sections on CR-Q and CR-R are very flat and straight. Almost boring. Not recommended for June/July/August. Late spring and Fall are ideal conditions since it can get very, very hot.
| | (Read More... | 4444 bytes more | 38 comments | Score: 0) |
|
Echo Lake - Mt. Evans (Mt. Evans Highway)
Posted by sanjay on Saturday, June 16 @ 18:34:01 EDT (210 reads)
Topic Ride Descriptions
| Subbu and I started around 8:15AM. Took us nearly three hours to reach the summit. Mt. Evans highway, CO-5, climbs at almost a steady grade of 6%. There are a few sections where it tops 8%. From the park entrance to the summit, it is about 14.5 miles. The highway climbs to about 12,900 feet before descending about a 100 feet to Summit Lake. Once the road goes over the tree line, the views are spectacular.
- Distance: 28 miles from the Mt. Evans highway fee station at the entrance to the end of paved road.
- Ascent: Approximately 3700 feet at an average grade of about 5%. But most of the time the grade is about 6%, with a few steeper sections. Echo Lake is at 10,700 feet above sea level and Mt. Evans is at 14,160.
- Map and Elevation Profile
- Facilities: The nearest town is Idaho Springs. There is a restaurent at the intersection of CO-103 and CO-5 (Mt. Evans Highway). There are no stores/restaurents at the summit. Toilet facilities are available at the beginning of CO-5 (Echo lake area), Summit Lake and at Mt. Evans.
- Fee: There is a $3 fee for using the Mt. Evans highway. The park ranger would waive the fee if you promise that you won't stop at the summit or along the way! When I was there, I saw two cyclists getting 'ticketed' for using the bike stand... Pay the $3 fee, it is used for maintaining the park and its facilities:)
- Notes: Since this is a high altitude climb, try to do it as early in the morning as possible. Because by noon, there will be thunderstorms. Also, dress up for the altitude: there can be as much as 20F difference between Echo Lake and Mt. Evans summit.
- Rating: Very Difficult. I rate this as very difficult not because of the steepness, but because of the altitude, unpredictability of weather and the rather technical descent.
| | (Read More... | 2673 bytes more | 35 comments | Score: 0) |
|
Boulder-Jamestown
Posted by sanjay on Thursday, June 14 @ 05:23:48 EDT (214 reads)
Topic Ride Descriptions
| This is one of the easiest 'climbs' in Boulder county. The actual climb starts at the intersection of Left hand Canyon and US-36 at Altona. From there, it is five miles to the Ward turn-off, and three miles further to Jamestown.
- Summary: 19 miles, approximately 1600 feet of climbing.
- Rating: Easy
- Elevation Profile:Subbu has provided one from our last ride
- Route description: There are many ways to reach Altona (the intersection of US-36 and Left Hand Canyon) from Boulder. The shortest one is to ride on US-36, past Jay Road. Although the traffic is fast, US-36 has very wide shoulders and it is a nice warm up too. Turn left on LHC and ride for five miles to Ward turn-off. Stay right at the Ward turn-off towards Jamestown and continue for another three miles. The climb is easy, generally around 2-3% grade from U-36 to Ward turn-off, with a couple of 5-6% very short sections. On the road to Jamestown, the climb is a little steeper with 3-4% grades.
| | (Read More... | 2185 bytes more | 31 comments | Score: 0) |
|
| | | Login | | Don't have an account yet? You can create one. As a registered user you have some advantages like theme manager, comments configuration and post comments with your name. |
|
|
