Monumentally Afflicted

Distance - 21 miles Climbing - 3300 feet BGR (Brad's Gravel Rating)  - 50 CRF (Cage Rage Factor)  - medium Scenery - great Location  - West of Monument Parking - Red Rocks Rd Trailhead General Description - A fairly long ride around Mt Herman on mostly decomposed granite forest service roads. Sustained climbing and descending with some really nice scenery. Essentially go up Mount Herman Road, take the old connector over to Balanced Rock Rd, descend past the Palmer Lake Reservoirs and return via Red Rocks Ranch. Traffic on Mount Herman Rd can be bad at high volume times (weekends), with idiot's drifting corners. The connector road/trail used to be accessible to motor vehicles until the USFS decided they'd had enough with all the irresponsible shooting, wheeling, and general destruction. The closed off section is now pretty awesome with great scenery that is usually devoid of other people. This section gets very little traffic and frequently has washou...

Distance - 17.2 miles Climbing - 1365 feet BGR (Brad's Gravel Rating)  - 45 (sand!) CRF (Cage Rage Factor)  - low- Scenery - good Location  - North of Palmer Lake, West of I25 Parking - Spruce Mountain Trailhead, just north of Palmer Lake General Description - So, you like wind, sand, and hoof prints? Well then, this might be your little slice of heaven. For the 95% of other riders, these trails can be an exercise in persistence and patience. So, why bother? On occasion, the stars align and 1 or more of the terrible triad are absent. When this happens, you get to experience riding blissful trails through the high plains with nary a soul in sight. Detailed route description Park at the Spruce Mountain Trailhead (there are several other TH's you could use, Spruce Meadows, Greenland, County Line Rd). Head west and then immediately south and uphill. Head downhill then through the tunnel under the road. Take a left and follow the trail to the Spruce Me...

Distance - 5.1 miles Climbing - 520 feet BGR (Brad's Gravel Rating)  - 45 CRF (Cage Rage Factor)  - low Scenery - good Location  - Monument / Palmer Lake - west of I25 Parking - Pothead Corner (Schilling Ave and Lindbergh Rd) General Description - This is the good stuff. A short loop through the Monument Preserve, consisting of fire road, doubletrack, and singletrack. Wander through the nice ponderosa pine and gambel oak forest. Mostly non-technical, with some loose sand, rock water bars, some roots, and one rock ramp thrown in for good measure. Loads of more technical riding around the area if you want to challenge yourself or come back w/ your mountain bike. Explore and have fun. Easy to lose the trail, but hard to get truly lost. Detailed Route Info Head west from the trailhead past the green gate. Continue to the Memorial Grove, where the road winds up and right. Continue til you can veer left up the skinnier trail (Wishy Washy). If you hit a gate,...