Gravel Grind #5 - Balanced Rock

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 washouts and downed trees.

The descent of Balanced Rock Rock can feel endless at times, but the end result is some nice isolation along the way and good views at the Palmer Lake Reservoirs.

Detailed route description
Park at the Red Rock Rd Trailhead
Head south and west up Mount Herman Rd for a long time :-)
Pass the Mt Herman hiking trail head and keep going.
At a bit over 8 miles, take a right onto an old closed road bed. There is a guard rail blocking the road.
Descend into a beautiful valley, passing some really cool rock formations.
Then ascend out of the valley on the old road bed, eventually coming to another guard rail.
Take a right on Balanced Rock Road and descend for miles and miles, eventually passing the 2 reservoirs and coming out at the Palmer Lake Reservoir Trailhead.
Wind your way back through Glen and Red Rock Ranch, arriving back at the original trailhead.
Take a right on Walnut
Veer right onto Crescent
then left onto Chatauqua
which turns in Buena Vista, then Wall St
Take a left onto Truman
Then right onto Virginia
At the red British telephone booth, take a left on Sun Crest
Continue down until you hit Forest View Rd, where you go right
Continue til you hit Red Forest, where you go right
Take a left at Red Rocks Dr

Comments

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Monumentally Afflicted

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