Find the top rated cross country skiing trails in Parker, whether you're looking for an easy short cross country skiing trail or a long cross country skiing trail, you'll find what you're looking for. Click on a cross country skiing trail below to find trail descriptions, trail maps, photos, and reviews.
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...
The Platte River Trail is just one of many of Denver's superb multi-use trails, this one stretching from just north and west of Englewood and heading north toward Henderson. The 28.5-mile trail...
About an hour south of Denver, the Rock Island Trail offers a nearly 15-mile pathway in two disconnected segments in El Paso County. Future plans call for linking the two sections for a seamless trail...
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...
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 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 paved Shooks Run Trail runs north–south along Shooks Run Creek near downtown Colorado Springs. It is one of the easier bike paths in the area; however, runs slightly downhill from north to south....
The Longmont-to-Boulder Regional Trail (nicknamed the LOBO) extends more than 10 miles between these two major cities and taps into the region's vast network of trails. Most of the pathway has a...
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,...
Big Dry Creek Trail follows an east-west course for 12 miles between Interstate 25 and Standley Lake in Westminster, one of Denver's northern suburbs. The trail is generally flat, with short stretches...
The Fowler Trail is an easy hike in scenic Eldorado Canyon State Park that provides a great place to sight wildlife, watch rock climbers, or take in stunning views of the surrounding canyon....
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...
The Platte River Trail is just one of many of Denver's superb multi-use trails, this one stretching from just north and west of Englewood and heading north toward Henderson. The 28.5-mile trail...
The Switzerland Trail in the peaks west of Boulder was named for the spectacular mountain scenery along this remote and former railroad route. Although why it had to be named after another country...
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 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 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 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...
The Longmont-to-Boulder Regional Trail (nicknamed the LOBO) extends more than 10 miles between these two major cities and taps into the region's vast network of trails. Most of the pathway has a...
Big Dry Creek Trail follows an east-west course for 12 miles between Interstate 25 and Standley Lake in Westminster, one of Denver's northern suburbs. The trail is generally flat, with short stretches...
The paved Shooks Run Trail runs north–south along Shooks Run Creek near downtown Colorado Springs. It is one of the easier bike paths in the area; however, runs slightly downhill from north to south....
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...
About an hour south of Denver, the Rock Island Trail offers a nearly 15-mile pathway in two disconnected segments in El Paso County. Future plans call for linking the two sections for a seamless trail...
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 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...
The Longmont-to-Boulder Regional Trail (nicknamed the LOBO) extends more than 10 miles between these two major cities and taps into the region's vast network of trails. Most of the pathway has a...
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 Switzerland Trail in the peaks west of Boulder was named for the spectacular mountain scenery along this remote and former railroad route. Although why it had to be named after another country...
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 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 paved Shooks Run Trail runs north–south along Shooks Run Creek near downtown Colorado Springs. It is one of the easier bike paths in the area; however, runs slightly downhill from north to south....
Big Dry Creek Trail follows an east-west course for 12 miles between Interstate 25 and Standley Lake in Westminster, one of Denver's northern suburbs. The trail is generally flat, with short stretches...
The Fowler Trail is an easy hike in scenic Eldorado Canyon State Park that provides a great place to sight wildlife, watch rock climbers, or take in stunning views of the surrounding canyon....
About an hour south of Denver, the Rock Island Trail offers a nearly 15-mile pathway in two disconnected segments in El Paso County. Future plans call for linking the two sections for a seamless trail...
The Platte River Trail is just one of many of Denver's superb multi-use trails, this one stretching from just north and west of Englewood and heading north toward Henderson. The 28.5-mile trail...
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...
Holy moly! Harder than I thought. Did it then ran back down to my motel we stayed at in Manitou Springs! Very cool area.
It was my first time on a trail in the area and I loved it, paved all the way through, no crossing roads or being close to the road, quiet and beautiful sights. Highly recommend it!
Starting in downtown Denver and heading 40 miles southeast to Franktown, the Cherry Creek Trail is a true gift to the bikers, runners, and walkers of the city. For the first five miles from downtown, from the scenic falls where the creek meets the Platte River, we rode nearly on the edge of the rock-strewn creek. The trail runs below street level, hence there are many overhead bridges and on/off ramps from nearby neighborhoods. Riding at 9am, most of the trail in the downtown area was shaded by the high-rise apartment and office buildings on the east side, but the trail is otherwise short on leafy canopies and is likely to be brutally hot mid-day. There was no shade whatsoever further along the trail. The creek’s path became less managed by rocky revetments after about seven miles, instead, alternately diverging and converging among beds of brown grass and scruffy plants.
Except for occasional neighborhoods and the four golf courses we passed, it definitely felt like we were riding in the Wild West!
Prior to hitting the suburbs, we passed numerous homeless people lying under blankets aside the creek or tucked up under the eaves of bridges - more than we’ve come across in other cities. There were also retaining walls along both sides of the trail that featured both true works of art and plain old graffiti. We had to stop at only one intersection where construction forced a slight detour; otherwise, we flew along the concrete path as it climbed almost imperceptibly out of town.
The Cherry Creek trail is more like a network of paths, several of which we took accidentally because there is very little signage on the trail. A yellow painted line along the center of the trail helps at some of the Y’s and intersections, but it’s conspicuously missing at many of them. We really enjoyed this trail and would have loved to have completed the 80-mile roundtrip, but we were limited by both time constraints and lack of ambition.
There is no shortage of great breweries in Denver, including a fantastic one with a crazy variety of beers right off the trail in the Glendale area.
Good connecting trail in the southern suburbs of Denver. Some little gems along the way (Holly Dam/Open Space and a beautifully paved path along a creek). Have to cross some semi-major roads but not too difficult to do. For a neighborhood walk/run, definitely check it out.
This is simply a great trail with lots of scenic variety. Fun to do all at once or in segments.
We rode from the Woodmen parking area north to Monument. This trail is well maintained. Just need to watch for the fast riders around some short turns.
This is a very nice, well-maintained trail that runs from Quincy Ave to the Great Plains Park at Jewell. There is a signal crossing at Hampden or an underpass that is a bit out of the way. You pass some ball fields and a few parks then a climb to about Wesley Dr where it flattens out and continues to Great Plains Park. Using this as the eastern leg, Quincy on the south, and the Powerline Trail on the north I have many different loops changing the west leg. With the Toll Gate Creek Trail, it is about an 11-mile loop. If, at Horseshoe Park, you use the West Toll Gate Creek Trail it's about 12 miles. Again, at Horseshoe Park, if you go to the Cherry Creek Spillway Trail it's about 16 miles. If you want a longer ride you can take the TGCT to the Highline Canal Trail, you can ride around the reservoir at Cherry Creek, or use the Piney Creek trail out of the reservoir instead of Quincy.
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. ¿
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