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Deer Creek Canyon
41 reviews
3.98 of 5
From the parking lot, enter Plymouth Creek Trail and head south, the trail will be rolling at first, then begin its ascent. (It climbs from approximately 6,075 ft at the parking lot, to over 7,000 ft at the top of the Plymouth Creek, and to over 7,400 ft on the Red Mesa Loop) About 1.3 miles up the trail, a spur enters from the left. This is part of the Plymouth Mtn. Trail. (you will come out here later) Continue up the Plymouth Creek Trail (.57 miles) until the junction of the Plymouth Mtn. Trail and the Red Mesa Loop turn off. At this point you can do either of the two different loops; the Plymouth Mtn. Trail, or the Red Mesa Loop. I prefer to go left and continue up the Plymouth Mtn. Trail to the top (.4 miles). At the top there is a scenic view trail (off to the left) that gives a great view of southwest Denver and the Chatfield Reservoir. Continue on the Plymouth Mtn. Trail and it will continue to bend back north, then west until it rejoins the Plymouth Creek Trail (2.05 miles). At this point you can either take a right and head back down the canyon to the parking lot, or swing a left back up to the Red Mesa Loop trail intersection. If you choose to go left, you will go back up to the intersection. At this point take a right, up the Red Mesa Loop instead left up Plymouth Mtn. After approximately.56 miles you will run into another junction. This is the Red Mesa Loop proper. Take a left and run this loop until you pop back out at the intersection. This loop is approximately 2.5 miles. After coming back to the intersection head back down to the parking lot, or do another loop on Plymouth Mt. it's your call. The downhill back to the parking lot is quite steep and loose in spots so use caution. There also tends to be quite a bit of foot traffic and an occasional horse or two. Always yield to the uphill please. This trail was just re-worked by Jefferson County after all the rain this spring. If you haven't been on it recently, it is in great shape and 100% rideable if your legs can hold. Enjoy
C-470 to Kipling Pkwy. South on Kipling to W. Ute Ave. Take a right (west) on Ute Ave. This will turn sharply to the south and join up with Deer Creek Canyon Rd. which then heads to the west. Follow Deer Creek Canyon Rd. untill it intersects Grizzly Dr. Take a left (south) on Grizzly to the marked turn for Deer Creek Canyon park.
Summary: Great begining climb if you like rough riding. Shortly after the bridge comes the wall, which is the hardest part to climb but is also one of the easyest and the most fun part to decend. Not too much father there are two great loops. Off of the loops there are a few hikers only trails, a few look outs, and a few pirate trails.
Recommended Route: Ride up Plymouth Creek Trail, ride Plymouth Mountain Trail clockwise, then ride Red Mesa clockwise, then ride back down plymouth Creek Trail. Also you can ride both the bootleg trails coming off of Red Mesa (better than any trails in the park).
Other recommended trails in the same area: If you ride Red Mesa clockwise the first pirate trail you will reach is called Beggers Canyon (Gnarly singletrack with lots of dangerous rock sections and a few log jumps, the trail spits out on highgrade road(search for "Beggers Canyon Trail Colorado" on youtube to fide footage)). If you keep going on Red Mesa the next pirate trail is called No Name Trail (this trail is very fast kinda wide open with lots of loose rock and some gnarly rut sections, the trail spites out on Deek Creek Canyon Road (seach for "No Name Trail" on youtube to find footage)).
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Summary: So, I just started biking this season. I'm in fairly good shape and this trail is 30mins from my apt., so I thought I'd try it out. The first trip was embarrassing, as the Plymouth Creek Trail is fairly steepy, rocky and technical. This is definitely not for beginners. I've since done a little more training and have returned twice with much better results. Of course, I walk the stairs section both ways, and maybe a couple of other short hikes here and there, but for the most part, the climb is doable, provided you're in good condition. Red Mesa loop is a lot of fun, I'd recommend taking a left off of Plymouth on to Red Mesa, as this seems to be the preferred direction for bikers. The scenery and views are beautiful. The only knock on this place is that it is BUSY on weekends. I'm not the type that has to have the trail to myself, but one thing I hate is that, being a beginner, I need to really be focused coming down the technical sections, and often you're in the middle of a rocky, technical pass and you have to yield to uphill traffic.
Recommended Route: Up Plymouth Creek to Red Mesa (clockwise) and back down. I usually don't have the energy to do Plymouth Mountain afterwards, but I think a lot of bikers hit that up after Red Mesa.
Other recommended trails in the same area: Apex, Mt. Falcon
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Summary: Wow, the climb on this trail really kicks your ass, but after that it is very rewarding. Here's a tip that your gonna want to remember: Either do red mesa first and then plymouth mtn or just plymouth mtn and come back down. When you do Plymouth mountain make sure you go clockwise. This is so you can get the best downhill run coming back down the mtn. It would not be fun to climb up this section (counterclockwise on plymouth). On the way down it starts out smooth and steep with natural minirature jumps going across the trail that you can sail off a bit. It can be extremely fast coming down if you let it rip, so make sure it is not very crowded and slow down before blind turns.
I suffered up this trail on my 40lb bighit, but the ride back down made it soooo worth it.
Beautiful views too.
Watch out for the wildlife.
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Summary: This trail has changed in the 7 plus years since I rode it last. It has gotten more technical since lets say 2000. The bottom section all the way past the bridge is far more technical than it used to be. The stairs have been added just past the bridge. This section has always been a tough climb and now with the stairs it is perfect for hike a bike. Once past this section the trail, the climb becomes more bearable and has not changed from earlier in the millenium. There are great views from the top. The downhill provides a great ride and the technical sections are passable but challenging. A full suspension bike doesn't hurt either.
Recommended Route: plymouth up to red mesa loop. Red mesa loop clockwise. If you have enough time, do plymouth up to the top, loop back down and then do red mesa loop before coming back down.
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Summary: This is a very technical trail but once you pass the bridge it opens up into some of the most beautiful scenery I have ever seen. We saw wildlife from deer to a coyote and even a black bear. Go early on weekends as there is alot of traffic. Even if you are an intermediate riding it is worth the pain and hiking to see the top.
Recommended Route: Plymouth all the way to the top and loop back around.
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