Featured Ride: Curt Gowdy State Park, Wyoming

Curt Gowdy State Park, located between Wyoming’s capital city (Cheyenne) and primary college town (Laramie), is two hours north of Denver and is slowly being discovered as a worthy weekend destination, even for Colorado’s trail-spoiled mountain bikers. Wyoming State Parks has embraced mountain biking at Curt Gowdy, and its trails were specifically built to accomodate all riding styles. Camping options, boating and fishing allow for a full family vacation.

The 19-mile IMBA Epic at Curt Gowdy is a varied loop that travels through a host of different landscapes, terrain types and ecosystems. Trail offshoots includes freeride and trials areas that take advantage of the area’s natural granite rock. Smooth, fast trails follow the shorelines of the park’s two reservoirs and intermediate trails wind through pine forests over crushed granite, rock-strewn surfaces. The entire ride hovers between 7,000 and 8,000 feet, but expect to climb about 2,200 feet if you do this route as shown.

Extend this ride at its southern end by adding the five-mile Canyons trail, the park’s longest and one of its most consistently technical.

• Fees for in-state residents: Daily admission – $4 per car; Camping – $10/night
• Fees for out-of-state residents: Daily admission – $6 per car; Camping – $17/night

Photos courtesy of MTB Project.