Explore the best rated trails in Highlands Ranch, CO. Whether you're looking for an easy walking trail or a bike trail like the Switzerland Trail and Big Dry Creek Trail (Littleton). With more than 98 trails covering 659 miles you’re bound to find a perfect trail for you. Click on any trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
The Mesa Springs Greenway is a north-south route along the western side of Interstate 25. A sound wall between the highway and the trail helps makes the journey more pleasant. The pathway is also wide...
The Fraser River Trail runs between the town of Fraser and Winter Park, paralleling US 40 for its entire route. The trail offers lovely views of the surrounding mountains and is a great way to connect...
The Mineral Trail, also referred to as the Railroad Spur Trail, is a short trail on the southern edge of Littleton that manages to pack in a suprising amount of variety and utility considering its...
Most of the Ralston Creek Trail follows its namesake waterway, winding through several parks, neighborhoods and open areas in Arvada. On its western end, the trail becomes gently hilly and passes...
The Skyline Trail offers rolling hill climbs through the community of Briargate in northeastern Colorado Springs. It begins at Research Parkway and travels south until it ends at an electric...
In comparison to some of the lengthy, fantastic trails in the southern suburbs of Denver, the Lee Gulch Trail may not seem like anything special. However, it offers a wonderfully useful off-road...
The Centennial Link Trail, parts of which were formerly known as the Little Dry Creek Trail, lives up to its name by providing a useful link between the outskirts of Littleton and Centennial, forming...
The Happy Canyon Trail runs for just over 4 miles through the communities of Centennial, Cottonwood and Parker on the southern outskirts of Denver. To the north, the trail begins at in the Cherry...
The Farmers’ High Line Canal Trail provides an easy, pleasant way to traverse the northern suburbs of Denver. The paved pathway stretches more than a dozen miles, connecting Westminster, Northglenn,...
Two segments of the LaForet Trail are currently complete, offering 2 miles of pathway in northern Colorado Springs, just outside the United States Air Force Academy. The western segment is a...
The New Santa Fe Regional Trail provides a scenic journey along the front range of the mountains, from Palmer Lake Recreation Area in northern El Paso County through the U.S. Air Force Academy in...
The High Line Canal Trail is a popular stretch of path through Denver's southside suburbs, winding for 71 miles between Aurora and Roxborough State Park. The trail is owned and operated by Denver...
The Foothills Trail runs along Colorado Springs' western border at the base of the majestic Rocky Mountains. You'll begin near Oak Valley Ranch Park and travel south along an irrigation channel,...
The Columbine Trail runs across the eastern edge of the suburban community of Columbine, paralleling the busy S Platte Canyon Road. This paved trail serves as an important resource for local...
Westminster, Colorado, has over 145 miles of dedicated non-motorized trails, from major bike thoroughfares to the smaller local routes like this one, which knit them all together. The trail on...
The Coal Mine Trail is a short sidepath trail that connects the Columbine Trail with the Dutch Creek Regional Trail, running for most of its length alongside Coal Mine Avenue in the suburban community...
The Pioneer Trail links Bergen Park to Evergreen Lake through Elk Meadow Park. The trail can be accessed from the Bergen Park and Ride, and stretches south for about a mile before ducking under SR 74...
The Van Bibber Creek, Park and Trail all owe their name to Isaac van Bibber, an early settler to the area. The trail begins on Oak Street and heads west in the swathe cut by the creek through the...
Big Dry Creek Trail provides a pleasant connector between the High Line Canal Trail and the Mary Carter Greenway, two jewels in the trail network of the greater Denver area. Although the trail is...
The Greenwood Gulch Trail is a short paved trail that runs along the path of its namesake gulch in the Denver suburb of Greenwood Village. The trail offers residents the chance to experience a little...
The West 44th Avenue Trail is a ten-foot wide concrete sidepath that runs along the side of its namesake roadway, helping to connect two important trails in the Denver region's trail network, the...
A short, but useful suburban trail, the Lilley Gulch Regional Trail helps to connect numerous neighborhoods in the community of Columbine with local parks and schools, and provides a safe and off-road...
The New Santa Fe Regional Trail provides a scenic journey along the front range of the mountains, from Palmer Lake Recreation Area in northern El Paso County through the U.S. Air Force Academy in...
The Clear Creek Trail runs more than 20 miles from metro Denver, through Wheat Ridge, to Golden along a picturesque creek with views of the North and South Table Mountains. A highlight of the trail...
Note: Like most of Lyons' parks system, the Corridor Trail has been closed since a devastating flood in September 2013. Work is currently underway to reopen the closed parks and trails. See the city's...
Situated in the northwestern corner of Colorado Springs, the Mesa Valley Trail travels through largely open areas to Sondermann Park. In the park, you will travel through woodlands along Mesa Creek....
The UCAR Multi-Use Path runs just a short distance from the campus of the University Corporation for Atmospheric Research on Center Green Drive, linking buildings CG 1 and CG 3, to the other side of...
The Firestone Trail mostly parallels Colorado Boulevard between Dacono in the south and north of Firestone, at the northern end of the trail. The trail is paved and provides access to parks,...
The Pioneer Trail links Bergen Park to Evergreen Lake through Elk Meadow Park. The trail can be accessed from the Bergen Park and Ride, and stretches south for about a mile before ducking under SR 74...
The Spring Gulch #1 Greenway is a multiuse pathway in Longmont, Colorado. The trail stretches the length of the 16-acre Kensington Neighborhood Park, extending from 3rd Avenue north to a point not far...
Westminster, Colorado, has over 145 miles of dedicated non-motorized trails, from major bike thoroughfares to the smaller local routes like this one, which knit them all together. The trail on...
The Goose Creek Greenway offers a major east-west route through Boulder. Note that there is little shade along the way and the pathway runs through busy commercial areas, including the Villa Shopping...
The Toll Gate Creek Trail begins on the south end of DeLaney Community Farm, a 158-acre scenic property that educates and allows members to sustainably grow agriculture. Here, it connects to the High...
The Sand Creek Regional Greenway follows Sand Creek in Denver's northeast metro area. The southern end of the trail, through Denver and Aurora, has a soft surface, which can make for a dusty ride when...
The Cherry Creek Regional Trail is a picturesque 40-mile route that begins in downtown Denver and connects suburban and rural Arapahoe and Douglas Counties, including the communities of Parker,...
The Rocky Mountain Greenway Trail opened its first 7-mile section in 2016, but is one day planned to stretch 25 miles across the northern Denver Metro area, including the suburbs of Westminster,...
In the 1800s, a series of ditches was constructed to manage water and irrigate farmland in the Saint Vrain Valley. The historic Oligarchy Ditch dates back to this period, although today this channel...
The Union Pacific Trail runs for just a short distance between E. 100th Avenue and Thornton Parkway in the Denver suburb of Thornton. The trail runs through a shadeless corridor alongside a railroad...
Although less than a mile long, the Inca Street Multi-Use Path provides an important connection between the neighborhoods of Sunnyside and Globeville on Denver's north end. The paved pathway and its...
Gaining only 200+ feet in elevation, the Narrow Gauge Trail is in Pine Valley Ranch Park, a beautiful open space near the mountain community of Pine, Colorado. The trail follows the north bank of the...
The C-470 Bikeway—also known as the C-470 Trail and Centennial Trail in Douglas County—provides open views of the Colorado foothills as it follows the southwestern segment of Denver's beltway. Along...
The Castle North Trail provides a safe, non-motorized connection between the Castle Rock Community Recreation Center and Castle North Park. The paved pathway cuts right through the heart of the...
In comparison to some of the lengthy, fantastic trails in the southern suburbs of Denver, the Lee Gulch Trail may not seem like anything special. However, it offers a wonderfully useful off-road...
The Spring Gulch #1 Greenway is a multiuse pathway in Longmont, Colorado. The trail stretches the length of the 16-acre Kensington Neighborhood Park, extending from 3rd Avenue north to a point not far...
The St. Vrain Greenway begins in Golden Ponds Park and travels east along the creek for more than half its distance. At the park, watch for the bald eagles, wood ducks, great blue herons and Canada...
The Pikes Peak Greenway Trail runs throughout Colorado Springs, from just south of the United States Air Force Academy to the El Pomar Youth Sports Park. The popular trail connects at both ends to...
The East Plum Creek Trail begins in a field across the street from the Native Legend Open Space. It goes through an underpass under Meadows Blvd near Castle Rock Middle School. The next few miles of...
The Mineral Trail, also referred to as the Railroad Spur Trail, is a short trail on the southern edge of Littleton that manages to pack in a suprising amount of variety and utility considering its...
The Bear Creek Trail provides a taste of the country in the city, connecting downtown Denver with the foothills of the Rockies. Along the way, enjoy scenic views of woodlands, meadows and Bear Creek,...
The trail on the east side of Bradburn Boulevard is relatively short, but it makes an important connection between two major Denver metro trails. Following the trail north brings you to within feet of...
The Dutch Creek Regional Trail provides an opportunity to experience some natural beauty and tranquility amidst the suburban surroundings southwest of Denver. Currently running for a shade over three...
The Scott Lancaster Memorial Bike Path is a short, but pleasant 5 miles of mostly off-road route that allows cyclists and walkers to get between Idaho Springs and Floyd Hill, which is otherwise only...
The Cook Creek Trail is a short, paved trail located in the suburban community of Lone Tree. The trail originates in Cook Creek Park, home to a local pool, tennis courts, and a portion of the Willow...
The Manitou Incline is a very unusual rail-trail. Built along a former cable car line, the trail goes straight up the side of a mountain, climbing about 2,000 feet over its one-mile length! It was...
The Centennial Link Trail, parts of which were formerly known as the Little Dry Creek Trail, lives up to its name by providing a useful link between the outskirts of Littleton and Centennial, forming...
The Fraser River Trail runs between the town of Fraser and Winter Park, paralleling US 40 for its entire route. The trail offers lovely views of the surrounding mountains and is a great way to connect...
Although just over a mile long, the North Douglas Creek Trail provides access to one of Colorado Springs' natural treasures: Ute Valley Park. The trail begins at the intersection of Vindicator and...
The Mesa Springs Greenway is a north-south route along the western side of Interstate 25. A sound wall between the highway and the trail helps makes the journey more pleasant. The pathway is also wide...
The Alameda Bike Path is a separated bike-ped facility along Alameda Parkway/ Avenue. The paved trail stretches for over seven miles from Jewell Avenue to just east of SR 95 in Lakewood, a suburb of...
The Mary Carter Greenway (a.k.a. Arapahoe Greenway) runs for 8 miles along the South Platte River from Chatfield State Park near Columbine north to Englewood. Here it meets up with the Platte River...
Never again. Although very scenic in some areas the signage along this trail is lacking, especially in important areas when there is a fork in the trail. I found myself going the wrong way several times. The City of Arvada needs to step up and provide direction for riders who don't know this trail. When it's getting dark and becoming cold, the challenge of finding your way back on the this kind of trek does not become fun anymore.
We had a fun day exploring the Clear Creek Trail in Golden and some of the city's numerous attractions. We began at Parfet Park, where there was ample parking along Jackson Street. The trail begins paved, but becomes crushed stone as you head west out of town. The path can get a bit bumpy here, but we were fine on our hybrid bikes. The pathway closely parallels the river and we saw lots of families tubing down the river and a couple of people with fly fishing gear. There was a great playground right along the trail, too, which my daughter loved. Nearby, we also visited the American Mountaineering Museum and took a tour of the Coors brewery.
We began our ride from the southern endpoint. Much of the trail is gravel, not concrete - not ideal for road bikes. There is a lot of garbage and debris along the trail. There is a large homeless population living along the trail. Lots of room to improve the experience for riders. I won’t do this trail again.
I didn't get a chance to explore all of this trail, but I was very impressed with what I saw of if as well as the Denver cycling infrastructure in general (handlebar videos available at youtube.com/ratbas). The idea of being able to ride for miles through a major city without having to cross an intersection is very enjoyable. The trail is well maintained, has good signage and plenty of public are while taking you past many points of interests. There are also countless access points to make it very practical for commuters and tourists.
Nice surface well maintained sidewalk. All exposed no shade. Winds through an industrial area past the power plant. The connection to the trails across Nevada is hidden and hard to find.
We had a wonderful time on the LoBo Trail, beginning our ride from Boulder's Celestial Seasonings parking lot after a great tour of the tea factory. The trail’s scenery was beautiful: a mixture of shady tree corridors and open fields with long grasses and wildflowers. Quiet neighborhoods buffered the trail just beyond the trees, and we saw many people out enjoying a weekend bike ride or walking their dogs. The trail was largely hard-packed crushed stone, which our hybrid bikes handled easily. There was a short break in the trail between Twin Lakes Road and Lookout Road, but that afforded us the opportunity to access a commercial area where we stopped for lunch.
This is a great concrete running trail that is moderately shaded and pretty easy to follow. It connects with a couple other trail systems, most notably the Clear Creek Trail on the eastern end. Sometimes there are concentrations of homeless underneath Wadsworth Blvd. but they seem to keep to themselves. Occasionally, the disc golfers at Memorial Park will take up the whole path and/or smoke, but that's just a minor personal annoyance.
The worst part of the trail is when the trail briefly ends and you have to run along Brooks Dr. and Johnson Way on either the sidewalk or the road to get back onto the trail at the Apex Tennis Center.
Traveling west is an ever slight incline and as you reach the end of the trail on the western end of the trail, there are some serious uphill climbs. In the winter, the city does a pretty good job of keeping the trail cleared of snow but there are still icy patches around.
Overall, this is a pretty good urban trail.
Pros: Pretty well shaded, well marked in most places and lots of places to access or exit the trail. Great views of the mountains around Pecos and Federal when running westbound.
Cons: There are a lot surface-level street crossings starting at and east of Huron St. Trail runs next to busy roads for stretches.
Perfect for an out of towner like myself. Trail was easy to follow especially with this app!
My wife and I rode this trail out and back this week. Parking was good but you do need to find the lots and that can be difficult. The trail itself is wonderful. Lots of shade, open areas, and mixed riding with a nice climb and decent coming and going. The surface is well packed and wide. We saw many other bikers and walkers even though it was a workday. Our biggest complaint, and it caused more miles than planned, is horrible to non-existent signage. There are large blue signs at some intersections with the trail name but no direction on the signs. There are numerous trail junctions to neighborhoods, other trails, and shopping but not one sign to show where the main trail leads. For added confusion these off-shoot trails have the same surface as the main trail and look the same. At one major intersection the trail split 3 ways, we took what looked like the main trail and ended up in a car wash and the trail literally disappearing. Talking with locals who were on the trail was no help as many only used the connector trails and did not know where the main trail was. After finally figuring out the main trail with many detours we turned around before we would have liked and headed back. So, if going on this trail, know the trail before you go.
Growing up in COS, I had taken many rides on the cog rail train, down was always better than up!
Then I found out years later that the train had closed :-( and they turned it into a trail :-)… it's a walk, and now that I'm from FL-it's a real walk!
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