May 2010 Down Tollgate Creek & Sand Creek, then up Clear Creek

It was a 70+ degree day so I thought it would be a good day to do the Tollgate Creek> Sand Creek> Clear Creek run. It's an easy ride, about 20 miles. You can go farther up Clear Creek another 17 miles or so to Golden if you want.

To get to the Tollgate Creek I took RTD Bus #15L to East Colfax & Potomac.

 You exit the bus on the South side of Colfax and cross over to the North side.  If you ever get disoriented in Denver you look for the Rockies which are due West. Then everything else is obvious. OK so there's Potomac, go North on the sidewalk. You'll come to Tollgate Creek pretty soon.

 Welcome to Aurora Colorado, an All America City. At least in 2008. The mayor is Ed Tauer, son of the former Mayor Paul Tauer. They have a good bike path system always improving. In fact along the Tollgate Creek, which is on the right  side of this picture along that line of trees, there is a major construction project and I think they're building a bike path that more closely follows the creek. I'm usually pretty handy with the camera but I forgot to snap any pics.  

 Anyway, more updates to follow. You cruise along Potomac, also known as Fitzsimmons Parkway. It used to be Fitzsimmons Army Base but it's transformed into a glistening new medical center. There aren't many military remnants so you'll notice the Quonset hut. That's so WWII. So when you get here you'll be at Fitzsimmons Pkwy and Montview Blvd . Turn right, cross the road and you'll be on the trail.

 Now you're on the Tollgate Creek Trail, it is a smooth downhill ride. The trail follows the terrain. The trail doesn't go very far before you hit the sand Creek confluence.

 That's the bridge where we meet the Sand Creek Trail. We're going to continue downstream on Sand Creek.

 At the confluence there is a lake you can ride around. I did.

 I saw a nice grove of trees.

 I went in for a closer look.

 I hung out for a while with this tree. I laid in the grass looking up through the branches. It was pretty cool. Once upon a time I was on the Burke  Gillman trail in Seattle. It was Autumn and I was on a night ride and I was in Mathews Beach Park, laying under a big Oak tree and I saw a leaf detach from a top branch, I watched as it fluttered to and fro and when it neared the ground it floated into my hand. I treasured that leaf as a gift and never failed to visit that tree on future rides. We had shared an event. It sheds millions of leaves over it's life and very few are caught.

 Sand Creek has single track. I took the regular path today but next Sand Creek it will be a single track exploration.

 Here we leave Aurora and enter Denver.

 There's a view of that sweet single track from the regular trail.

 If you click this picture you can see a Prairie Dog in front of those wildflowers. This spot will be completely brown by July.

 This is looking West towards the Rockies.

  Then the trail comes to Havana Way which it follows for a while.

 You pass the Bluff Lake Nature Center. A natural area that used to be in the approach path at former Stapleton Airport. If you ride the single track trail you'd end up in  there, where bikes are forbidden. If you came that way they'd probably let you walk your bike out. 

 Continue down Havana until you see the prison on the right. That's where you want to turn left.

 Here's where you turn left. Sand Creek Trail.

 Go through the concrete barriers.

 Past the farmer/rancher observatory.

 There's that single track. It was so tempting I rode some and it was pretty good. Last time I rode it the trail had sandy spots but now the single track is pretty packed down and awesome.

 There is waterfall #1 on Sand Creek.

 Right before you pass the old runways in the old Stapleton Airport you pass an old bike bridge now abandoned. It used to be part of the old bike path that was destroyed when the Stapleton housing project was built. Hopefully one day it will be connected again. looks like a single track connection I must investigate.

 This is where the runway crossed Sand Creek.

 OK, now you are out of the airport about to enter an industrial area. Ride on the road for 100 yards or so.

 Then you're back on the trail.

 Past the airplane graveyard.

 Hang left for single track. I've seen Deer and Coyotes in this section before.

 A bridge over Sand Creek right next to I-70.

 I used to run across homeless encampments but not so much anymore. Maybe they're better at hiding now.

 Just before the Sapp Brothers truck stop there's a new auto bridge being built.

 There's a future bike path underneath the bridge.

 Beaver activity. These trees have been felled and some branches removed.

The trail in this section is fairly new and really nice.

 Next along the trail is Wetlands Park.

 There's a nice place for a rest looking over the wetland.

 Then it's back on the trail.

 Waterfall #2.

 Continuing on down the trail. This is at Dahlia Park Trail head.

 Waterfall #3.

A nice spot to pause and reflect.

 The refinery at Commerce City.

 Here is the track the Amtrak train takes into Denver. You can see the Westbound Zephyr around 7:00 am, the Eastbound around 9:00 pm. The GPS coordinates are N 39.80568 W 104.94163. This is the Union Pacific right of way.

 Waterfall #4.

 There were a few bands of light rain. Lucky me, the next day there was baseball sized hail and two funnel clouds were spotted in this area. http://photos.denverpost.com/photogalleries/coloradoimages/#id=album-114565&num=content-2233378

   Waterfall #5. We're at the spot where the Burlington Ditch goes under Sand Creek. You can see the ditch in the background.

 Here's the Burlington Ditch bubbling up on the other side.

 Almost at the end of the trail now.

 Here's where the trail meets the Platte River Trail. Turn right to get to the Clear Creek Trail.

 A few years ago I documented the building and plumbing of two new reservoirs along the Platte River. Now they are completed and full of water.

 Here is where they cut through the trail during construction.

 Critter tracks.

 You ride the Platte for a mile or so then you come to Clear Creek. That's clear Creek on the left.

 Turn left to go up Clear Creek.

Nice trail along Clear Creek.

 Good ol' Clear Creek. The A for Adams County looks cool enought to have penned by Sir Francis Bacon. He liked stylized "A"s. He wrote "The History Of The World" in 1623 but King James I ordered all copies destoyed. They got most of them.

 Well that's about it. I got off at Washington Street to catch an RTD #7 back to downtown Denver. Great ride, I just love Sand Creek. 4 stars for sure.