Mountain Biking Colorado's Front Range: From Fort Collins to Colorado Springs [Paperback]

Stephen Hlawaty (Author)

Book Description

Series: Regional Mountain Biking Series | Publication Date: September 1, 2003

Mountain Biking Colorado's Front Range includes over 45 of the greatest off-road mountain bike rides along Colorado's Front Range. A mountain biking atlas to the Front Range region, this one-of-a-kind guidebook details each trail in relation to local history, geology, archeology, legend, and lore. Mountain Biking Colorado's Front Range includes rides near the major Front Range communities of Fort Collins, Boulder, Denver, and Colorado Springs. In addition to the rides, this book also includes additional chapters on mountain bike related topics such as the International Mountain Bicycling Association (IMBA), Any and All Bikes one-stop mobile bike shop, and Denver's famed HandleBar & Grill. Readers will find highly detailed and accurate maps, route directions, brilliant photography, vivid descriptions, and much more.

Editorial Reviews

From the Back Cover

Heaven on two wheels. Colorado's Front Range offers a wealth of mountain biking options, from scenic cruising trails to heart-pumping, demanding singletrack. So get on your bike and ride.
Local mountain biker and author Stephen Hlawaty outlines more than fifty great rides near the major Front Range communities of Fort Collins, Boulder, Denver, and Colorado Springs. Explore alpine trails near the historic tungsten and gold mining towns of Nederland and Ward, discover off-the-beaten-path routes in the Red Feather Lakes area, and ride along an old narrow-gauge train bed to the Continental Divide at its highest crossing in North America. Insider tidbits about the area's rich history, attractions, and wildlife make this more than just a trail guide. Also included: detailed ride descriptions; trip distances and approximate riding times; easy-to-read maps; ratings for aerobic level and technical difficulty.
Wherever you ride and whatever your skill level, let Mountain Biking Colorado¿s Front Range be your guide to this mountain biking paradise.

About the Author

Writing for a variety of local and national outdoor and technical publications, Stephen Hlawaty still finds time to refuel his soul by mountain biking, backcountry skiing, and backpacking with his wife, Amanda, and dog in the surrounding mountains near their Livermore cabin. He is also the author of Mountain Biking Colorado.

Product Details

• Paperback: 304 pages
• Publisher: Falcon; 1st edition (September 1, 2003)
• Language: English
• ISBN-10: 0762725559
• ISBN-13: 978-0762725557
• Product Dimensions: 9.1 x 6 x 0.7 inches
• Shipping Weight: 15.2 ounces (View shipping rates and policies)
• Average Customer Review: 3.0 out of 5 stars  See all reviews (2 customer reviews)
• Amazon Best Sellers Rank: #481,729 in Books (See Top 100 in Books)
  • #72 in Books > Travel > United States > States > Colorado

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Customer Reviews

Most Helpful Customer Reviews

5 of 5 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars Gets you to the trail, December 31, 2009

By 

Grain O Sand (erf) - See all my reviews

This review is from: Mountain Biking Colorado's Front Range: From Fort Collins to Colorado Springs (Paperback)

2.5 stars. This book informed me about mountain biking trails that I otherwise would not have known about but it really lacks a realistic and comprehensive rating system of trail quality. I spent a lot of time trying trails on the front range that were not very good that he presents as being worthwhile and describes as "popular". There was a reason I had never heard of some of the trails in this guide. For example, the Ceran St. Vrain trail is described as being "a Boulder favorite" and people "drool over the pristine singletrack". What!?!? I had never heard of anyone biking that trail... nor did I drool and that's cuz it SUCKS!! We were the only morons on bikes!!! Heil ranch he describes as being great for those who like smooth singletrack... nothing could be further from the truth! Heil Ranch...for the most part...is as rocky as any trail around Boulder gets. Maybe he meant Hall Ranch,that's the best ride on the front range. And he describes the Mountain Lion Trail as technically and aerobically similar to Walker Ranch... not even close. Walker Ranch is waaay easier and waaay better quality.

But enough complaining. The detailed descriptions of the geology and history are cool. The elevation profiles seemed accurate and the book got me to try some new stuff. It seems like mountain biking guidebooks would benefit from star rating system of trail quality that is the result if some kind of consensus. That way we could prioritize our rides...time is always a factor in our lives. Maybe on the next printing.

Guidebooks are tricky business. They result in more traffic in our favorite areas...but if it's gonna be done, it might as well tell me what I really want to know: How good is it really?

ADDENDUM: I also noticed that one of the trail maps in the book DID NOT jibe with the trail map at the trailhead. I trusted the trailhead map thankfully. It seems like the author did cursory research of that particular trail. So beware, that may be true of others as well. Once again, this guidebook gets you to the trailhead, but the rest is up to you.

0 of 1 people found the following review helpful:

3.0 out of 5 stars older addition than i was expecting, February 1, 2011

By 

sister - See all my reviews

Amazon Verified Purchase

This review is from: Mountain Biking Colorado's Front Range: From Fort Collins to Colorado Springs (Paperback)

Book was in good shape, but I probably should have investigated into year published because it was an older version than I was expecting