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Sanderson Gulch leads to the Platte near Ruby Hill Park but I caught the trail about five miles upstream.
I caught the RTD #21 Westbound and got off at Florida & Pierce Street.
This is looking East. Follow the single track for less than a mile to the concrete.
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The stream in Sanderson Gulch is kinda tame but beautiful in it's own way.
It's small now but gets bigger as we go downstream.
The single track portion is short but sweet. Everything looks so green and beautiful this time of year.
Metro Denver has so many excellent trails. Starting this blog was a great idea. It's making me ride new trails instead of the same ones all the time. It's also improving my RTD skills. I'm not a regular bus rider but for transporting my bike and me to a trailhead it works really well.
The $1.75 fare wouldn't even buy you a half gallon of gas.
Here's the beginning of the concrete path. The GPS coordinates are N39.68491 W105.06755.
I saw a Goose with her Goslings.
Soon the stream flows into Clairfield Reservoir.
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There's the stream. Still riding on streets.
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Here's where the trail resumes. You can see where it meets the road in the distance.
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Some parts of the trail are old asphalt.
The Creek looks tranquil now but see the line of flotsam on the grassy bank? That's a high water mark. If there's a heavy rain the water can quickly turn into a torrent.
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Here's another high water mark. Looks like the creek was at least 20 feet across at the time.
I stopped to hug this tree.
Then there's a pool after the tunnel. It's a quiet place to take a break.
Here's some more flotsam & jetsam wrapped around these tree trunks. That water was running high.
A couple weeks ago there was a heavy rain with hail about 4 AM. The thunder & lightning woke me up & I watched it from my back porch.
I bet that's when it happened.Here's my theory on Gulches. I've ridden Lakewood Gulch, Lee Gulch and Sanderson Gulch. They're all kinda steep and narrow and subject to flash floods.
Most of the street crossings are surface crossings.
Here's an exception.There's a tunnel next to the stream.
Probably not a good place to take shelter in a storm.
The trail winds along a little farther.
Then the creek in Sanderson Gulch disappears into this tunnel. The trail goes right to flank the North side of Ruby Hill Park.
Here's the other end of the tunnel.
Then the creek in Sanderson Gulch flows into the Platte River. That's the last culvert, under Platte River Drive.
This is the end of the Sanderson Gulch Trail. Beyond those trees is the Platte River and the Platte River Trail.
The Sanderson Gulch Trail is about 5 miles long. It's a nice side track if you're riding the Platte.
++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++
Moonlight ride on Platte River > Sanderson Gulch
Sunset on the Platte.
Night tree.
Moonlight rides are fun. Some trails close at 10 PM, some close at 11 PM.
Not many things a camera can capture at night but always an interesting experience.
The End.
2 comments:
Nice article. I had a hard time finding this trail because it's not marked from the Platte (that I could find.) I rode the Platte trail south and then took Jason st to Louisiana going south. Anyway, it works out really good for me going to my Lakewood office from Downtown Denver. I get off where it ends just before Sheridan but I can't find the trail continuing further west. Thanks!
This trail has some tricky turns if you're not familiar w/it.
If you're on Platte, you head west on Florida Ave. Stay on the road up & over the hill past Ruby Hill Park. Near the bottom, you'll see the MUP on your left. Follow it along the Sanderson Gulch creek until you pop out on S. Clay. The trail bears left here, but there is often lots of glass just before Federal, so I stay on Iowa Ave, then cross Federal at the ped/bike light.
From this point, follow the trail until it dumps you out on Colorado. this is where I head north on Xavier to get to Florida, since I live nearby.
To continue on the trail, head south on either Xavier or Yates to get you to Jewell, which I find to be extremely bike-unfriendly (which is why I go Florida instead). Follow Jewell to Harlan, where you'll hang a right, then after you cross over the bridge, the trail will continue on your left, taking you its terminus at Pierce.
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