The dirt road makes a nice warmup and gives you an opportunity to soak up the high alpine scenery. If you can't bring youself to ride it, simply drive up as far as your vehicles clearance will allow. Normally, I don't get too excited about old railroad beds, but this one has reverted to true singletrack, the scenery is spectacular, even by Colorado standards, and the occasional interpretive signs are fun to read. You even get a couple of alpine lakes. This is the best place to soak up the environment, get some exercise, and get an interesting history lesson all at the same time.
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Beautiful, historic ride with stunning alpine views. This was one of the most enjoyable rides I've been on in years. The trail follows the 1887 Colorado Midland RR's original route over the Continental Divide. The railroad was steep and featured sharp switchbacks to reach Hagerman Tunnel at an elevation of 11,530'. This is not your typical rail bed ride. Years of deterioration have created a great blend of technical singletrack that includes rock gardens. The downhill ride is a blast. Be careful though, I managed to crash pretty good on the way down. Thank God for armor over my knees and a helmet. That rock my head landed on would not have been very forgiving...
A 1100 foot curved trestle that was part of one of the switchbacks to reach the tunnel. The remnants of the trestle, snow sheds and telegraph lines dating to the 1880s are still visible today.
The Colorado Midland RR was abandoned by 1920. Go ride a beautiful piece of Colorado history!
I added a few historic images for anyone that is interested. Enjoy!
Thank |