A friend and I biked this trail on a Sunday afternoon. It was magical. A slight incline from East to West but so much fun on the way back! Plenty of overlooks to view the stream that runs along side the trail. And plenty of parking. I can't wait to be back.

From Quincy north this is a nice wide cement trail that is in great condition. Only a gentle climb here and there, great views, and no traffic issues make this trail a pleasure to ride. However there are no connections until the end at Stephen D Hogan Pkwy. Hampden is an overpass to the trail and 470 with no connection, and Hampden is not bike friendly at all at this location. Jewell is a tunnel underpass. On both sides there are dirt construction roads that are no longer being used and are quickly becoming overgrown with weeds. You can still access Jewell but beware the goat head stickers and be warned that Jewell is only semi bike friendly. There is a shoulder but traffic flies by at highway speed. The trail ends at SDH Pkwy. Here there is a soft trail on the south side of the Pkwy and at highway 30 (where SDH becomes 6th Ave) you are fenced in and forced to take the underpass. After the underpass you can continue on the Sand Creek soft trail or ride up a dirt path to 6th Ave. On the north side of SDH you can ride the shoulder but after highway 30, while on 6th, the shoulder disappears for about a half mile and again it is a scary ride.

From Quincy south you start on an asphalt road then back on cement. It is a climb to Smoky Hill Rd. The crossing is on grade and there is a lot of traffic. Right after the crossing is a steep decent, then a climb again as the trail and 470 are on an overpass of Arapahoe Rd. (You can access Arapahoe by taking a descending trail to Ponderosa and that to Arapahoe) Another climb to Gartrell Rd. where you have to ride the sidewalk to the light at Dry Creek to cross, then back up to the trail. And finally another climb past Liberty Middle School to Ireland Way where the trail is closed behind a locked gate. You can see the trail continue but there is no safe way to cross Parker Rd at Cottonwood so the trail is closed here. You can read more here:

http://parkerrec.com/1995/High-Plains-Trail

When I first got my bike I had no idea all these trails existed. A friend came over to show me a few things and we discovered the Toll Gate Trail by accident. Later, while riding the Toll Gate, I saw a trail map by Hutchinson Pond and discovered the sidewalk that led to the Central Rec Center was actually the start of the Unnamed Creek Trail. The trail has a signaled crossing at Tower, follows the creek, loops through Flanders Park, and runs along the creek again to the soccer fields near Hampden and Himalaya. Technically the trail ends here but there is an underpass at Hampden and you can hook up with the Conservatory Trail south to Quincy. There is a climb to Reservoir Rd then a descent back to the Toll Gate for a short loop. You can also go north on Conservatory to Power Line to Toll Gate for a longer loop.

It got a little bit confusing in a few areas for those of us who are directionally challenged. But it was a fine fall flat ride. ¿

Both the main trails in Longmont are flat, concrete and perfectly maintained. There is currently a bike detour to get between the trails but it is hard to see going NW.