A newly completed 1.3-mile extension of the Dakota Ridge Trail near Morrison is giving hikers, mountain bikers and trail runners more mileage on the popular trails at Matthews/Winters Park.
The new black-diamond trail on Dakota Ridge is “playful and bike-optimized,” said Eric Fields, trail team lead for North Jefferson Counties Parks and Open Space.
Fields and his team designed the trail as a lollipop loop on the ridge’s south end. The trail’s naturally rugged features were incorporated into rocky ramps and dropoffs meant to be ridden clockwise by cyclists and walked counter-clockwise by runners and hikers. But the trail directions are a guideline, not a rule. “People can go either way,” Fields said. “The idea is that hikers don’t have to have bikers coming up behind them.”
Bail Out Trail, also completed in 2017, is located at a well-signed junction at the lollipop’s neck. Bail Out leads trail users west, down to Red Rock Parks Entrance 2 on County Road 93 — and gives them the option of climbing back up to the ridge to the northeast, via the Red Rocks Trail.
An additional .75-miles of looping trail to the south of the new extension, aptly named the Dakota Ridge South Trail, will be added in 2018.
Located 20 minutes from downtown Denver, the Dakota Ridge trail has been a popular getaway for Front Range outdoor enthusiasts since its creation in 1986. But trail users were limited to a 2.2-mile out-and-back along the ridge. The new trails create loops that offer users more options for extending their time on trail.
When the sun’s out, the ridge heats up quickly, making it a popular place for winter hikes and rides. The ridge is home to wildlife — including rattlesnakes and mountain lions — and offers spectacular views to the east and west along singletrack that winds among rugged rock formations and gnarly stands of cedar, pine and scrub oak.
Trailheads
Dakota Ridge can be accessed from the Matthews/Winters Park parking lot located near Interstate 70 and Colorado 93. Walk east along a paved path, cross the highway and climb up a moderately steep old road bed to the trailhead.
From the east, Dakota Ridge trail can be gained from the parking lot at William F. Hayden Green Mountain Park, located at 1000 S. Rooney Road, near Alameda Parkway and C-470. From the lot, cross Rooney Road and ascend the Zorro Trail a mile to its junction with the Dakota Ridge Trail.
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