Mountain bike trail opens in Parker
By Patte Smith; photo courtesy of Douglas County
Rejoice mountain bike riders, you can now ride tricky terrain in your own backyard, so to speak. Strap on that bike helmet and tackle the obstacles at the new mountain bike skills park in Bayou Gulch Regional Park.
What a blast maneuvering over 12 man-made beginner and 18 man-made intermediate features, as well as navigating across natural berms, whoop-de-doos and rocks embedded on the trails. The park will eventually provide bikers of all levels the opportunity to improve their riding skills while having fun. More intermediate terrain will be installed soon along with expert areas.
The bike park trails are marked with green, blue, and black difficulty levels similar to the ratings on Colorado ski slopes. Riders know before-hand the challenges each course offers.
One avid mountain-biker who found out about the course said he was “thrilled to have the trails so close to home. My family, especially the kids, will get a kick out of riding the trails. They will have the opportunity to gain more confidence by tackling somewhat rougher terrain before we ride more rugged trails in the mountains. Way to go Douglas County!”
The county is first-rate when it comes to parks, trails, and open space. Attesting to that is the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, whose mission is to improve the health and healthcare of all Americans. It recently ranked Douglas County first out of Colorado’s 64 counties for overall health behavior.
The 205-acre park, located at 4815 Fox Sparrow Road in Parker is open from sunrise to sunset. The park offers many recreational opportunities, including traditional programmed sports such as baseball, football, soccer, lacrosse and rugby. There is also an off-leash dog area, picnic shelters and other trails for hiking and biking. Equestrian trails connect to the Bayou Gulch Open Space, the Colorado Horse Park and the Cherry Creek Regional Trail.
