W 8th Ave - Devinney Ct(sh) by Bicycle - Velo

For me this has often been a nice little climbing extension on a ride (back) from Denver, on the Lakewood Gulch Trail. There is a nice far view from the top, if you don't mind a foreground of shopping center with an ocean of parked cars in front of your foothills. On the north side the route connects nicely with the Clear Creek Trail, after a few miles on the streets. Going west towards Golden instead goes over points that are slightly higher than this one.

1.START-END EAST SOUTH: jct Platte River Trail - Lakewood Gulch Trail
2.Lakewood Gulch Trail crosses light rail tracks at Sheridan Station
3.Trail crosses Garrison bike route
4.Lakewood Gulch Trail ends at jct with Oak Street
5.profile joins W8th Ave and heads west
6.TOP W8th Ave - Devinney Ct(sh)
7.profile joins Clear Creek Trail
8.jct Clear Creek Trail - Ralston Creek Trail
9.START-END NORTH: jct Platte River Trail - Clear Creek Trail

Approaches

From South. The profile starts along the South Platte River Trail, south of Confluence Park, where the Lakewood Gulch Trail starts. On recent signs this trail is also called Dry Gulch Trail, which should add to the confusion of Dry Somethings Trail that proliferate in the Denver area. The trail is a byproduct of the construction of the light-rail line to Golden. This trail is great going west uphill. Going downhill towards the east it is not quite as efficient as the Clear Creek Trail for example. But all major intersections are crossed with bridges. As of November 25, there is a major concentration of homeless tents in the area west of Sheridan station. This station is also unusual because the bike route actuallycrosses the tracks inside the station, probably non officially, because there are no signs, and it's a prime location to get lost. But the street alternative isn't bad either.

One street crossing without a bridge is where the trail crosses the Garrison Street bike corridor. From here it is still a climb slightly higher than 100 meters or 300ft (more or less) to the summit. So I am counting this as a summit point with this option too.

The Dry Lakewood Gulch Trail ends close to another light-rail station, this one on Oak Street. The profile jogs towards the south to pick up W8th Ave. From here, across a single traffic light, a straight lane with a good bike lane leads to this shoulder summit point. This is a slightly older suburban neighborhood, so it is easy on the eyes if you are allergic to ostentatious bragadoshery of wealth. The top is clearly a vantage point on the suburbs, the Front Range foothills, the two Table Mountains and the downtown skyline.

From North. (described downwards) After marveling at the number air conditioning units that appear to be necessary on the roof of a major suburban shopping mall, it is time to go on. Continuing towards the west, the land becomes increasingly higher. But this page is about making this particular point the highest on a route. This involves a sharp series of right turns, and heading back east on Colorado Mills Pkwy, in the company of possibly heavy shopping traffic, but only for a couple of blocks. This part can also be shortened by just taking the short paved path from the summit point down to the mall parking lot. The profile makes its way over to the neighborhood knows and Applewood and quickly after that joins the Clear Creek bike path. This leads back down to the South Platte bike path.