Start this tour at the corner of Holland Wy & 104th Ave, behind Standley Lake High School. Head west on the concrete trail, which runs through a grass strip edged by a concrete gutter. Houses hem you in on both sides. The homes close on your left quickly disappear, and the grass turns into wetlands. Soon the concrete surface turns to old blacktop (and eventually to gravel), and a fork (0.3) demands a choice. Straight ahead the path will dump you onto the street, so instead follow the left branch over the wetlands.
To the south, a ridge rises above you. The trail parallels the ridge, climbing halfway up to overlook Mayfair Park with playground and the homes below. When the park ends, the land below fills with reeds and wild growth. Ahead, peaks of the Front Range come into view. At mile 0.8 you cruise by new baseball diamonds and climb atop the ridge. Here you'll find Countryside Recreation Center, a fully-loaded park with playground, volleyball pits, tennis courts, and basketball. Follow the trail onto the sidewalk (0.9) and around the right side of the building to Oak St (1.0).
Oak is a wide residential street with little-to-moderate traffic. Turn left onto it and follow it past 102nd Pl. The trail reappears at mile 1.4, on both sides of the road. If you'd like an extra workout, take the right spur. It climbs abruptly for another 0.2 miles, ending at Quail St. Catch your breath, and coast back down.
The main loops heads downhill from Oak St, turning left onto the trail. The blacktop surface could use repaving, but the ride is a pleasant (not too steep) coast down through a grassy strip between older, middle-class homes. You reach the bottom of the hill at mile 1.8, crossing Countryside Dr at the pedestrian light to enter Kensington Park. For some reason, the path into the park doesn't quite reach the rest of the trail, though it comes close. You'll have to walk your bike a few yards across the grass (1.9) to make the connection.
You may now ride a gravel trail on either side of Kettner Lake, or (for a longer ride) do a loop-and-a-half. (That option adds 1.1 miles onto your trip.) Go left (around the north side) for the shortest ride. You'll ride along a barren berm between the lake and 104th Dr, reaching the edge of the dam (and the trail junction) at mile 2.3. For a more scenic choice, follow the lake path to the right. The trail stays closer to water level, passing more greenery until hitting the dam. Reach the far end at mile 2.6.
Beware of the tight, steep turn as you drop off the dam! Watch your speed as you follow the trail through the wide wild area below the lake. The trail ends at mile 2.6 (short route), dumping you onto Garland St. To complete the loop turn left on Garland, right on Independence Cr (2.8) and right on Holland Wy, dropping down to your starting point behind the school (3.0).
TRAIL OPTION:
Take Garland St south across 100th Ave and turn left on Garland Dr. It curves and turns into 98th Ave, where a connector brings you onto the Big Dry Creek Trail and other Standley Lake area trails.
