More Boulder Area Mountain Biking

Today the air was cooler, but it was still a good morning to get out for a ride. I dressed a little more warmly than yesterday, with tights, warm gloves, and an ear band. I also wore my windproof cycling boots.

I drove out to Heil Ranch, which is just north of Boulder, and rode up the Wapiti Trail to the Wild Turkey Loop. The trail was in good shape (not muddy), with only a few soft or snowy spots. Since I went in the morning, the soft spots were frozen and I left no ruts at all. My tires stayed clean.

The Wapiti Trail is really rocky and it's a pretty long steep climb for the first few miles. I shed my warm gloves and donned some standard biking gloves before I'd finished the climb. I also took off my ear band at some point. My toes stayed cold.

Once on the Wild Turkey, the grade leveled out and the trail was easier and faster. I think it might have been even more fun if I'd run the loop in a clockwise direction. Therer were some flowing, smooth sections that would have been a little downhill and fast and fun. In most places the trail is still quite rocky, which pretty much enforces a speed limit. I was very glad to have my dual squish bike for this one! Once again, the Nickel seemed like just the right tool for the job.

By the way, the wild turkeys were not on the Wild Turkey Trail, they were down nearer the parking lot where the Wapiti Trail begins. On the Wild Turkey I saw lots of deer, and they stayed right beside the trail as I rode past. Where were the wapiti?

Although there were quite a few cars in the parking lot, I felt alone most of the time on this ride. There was a large group of runners on the trail, one group of maybe eight cyclists, and a few other single or pairs of walkers, runners, and cyclists.


Click to see my GPS log.

The scenery was nice: