Sunday Bike Ride - Bike Hard

Route: Betasso Preserve Canyon Loop (clockwise) / Community Ditch Trail
Distance: 3.22 miles / 4.44 miles
Time: approx 30 min / approx 25 min

This week's Sunday Bike Ride was originally going to be two or more loops of Betasso Preserve, but due to inclement weather (i.e. thunderstorm) I ended up bailing after one loop.  I still wanted to bike more, though, so I drove down to the Doudy Draw trailhead and did a fast out-and-back on Community Ditch.

Betasso Preserve restricts usage by mountain bikes - it is closed to bikers on Wednesday and Saturday.  Bikers are also restricted in what direction they may travel on the Canyon Loop trail, which is the main trail (there is a junction to another loop but it's not on my trail map and I don't know where it goes, as I haven't biked or hiked over there yet).  Signs are posted directing bikers in a clockwise or counterclockwise direction, so you won't meet any other bikers head-on.  However, hikers and horses are allowed to go whatever direction they want.  I have never seen a horse, but I have seen evidence of horses, by which I mean you may bike through some horse poop.

 Betasso Preserve is scenic singletrack through a wildlife preserve.  There are benches at a few points on the route with a good view.  This picture is taken from the first bench going clockwise from the west trailhead.

Going clockwise, the beginning of the trail is more of a dirt road than singletrack, but soon enough it narrows down.  There are some rocky sections but only one or two that are technical at all, and those aren't very difficult, and they are short and easy to hike past if necessary.  Because I ride a hybrid mountain bike, there are a couple spots where I can't quite get the proper traction and I have to dismount briefly, however this shouldn't be a problem with a good mountain bike.

What isn't really evident from most of these pictures is that for a good portion of the trail, the singletrack is cut into a very steep slope.  It is a sharp dropoff in sections, and there is one corner that I dismounted for because it was too sharp and steep for me to trust myself not to skid out.  There are sections where it would be very bad to go off the trail.  This is not a good route for people who are afraid of heights or cliffs or feel shaky on singletrack.

 Here's a view from another bench, you can see to Boulder from here.

The next pictures are from Community Ditch trail, starting from the Doudy Draw trailhead.  The trailhead is on CO-170 and does require a $5 parking fee if your car isn't registered in Boulder County.  Community Ditch trail is essentially a road, but it isn't used by cars any more and is overgrown so that it is more like three singletrack trails running side by side.  It's flat and fast and very easy.

 Looking west you can see the storm in the mountains that I was avoiding.  It got pretty windy on this ride, but remained sunny.

Overall I would rate Betasso Preserve as easy/intermediate, and Community Ditch as very easy.  I don't really like splitting up my bike rides like this, but I wanted a longer bike ride and the weather wasn't cooperating.  Mostly I should get going earlier in the day to do rides before the weather comes in, but Sundays are great for sleeping in and having a leisurely breakfast.  I still had a good day, and I didn't get struck by lightning, and that's what's really important.