The trail begins by branching from the Platte River Greenway south of Hudson Gardens. This first stretch has a true country feel, with horses on the surrounding properties and a mini-forest hugging the trail. You quickly pass under Santa Fe Dr (mile 0.2), emerging in Lower Ridgewood Park by a baseball diamond. Here, trees to the north hide the small creek.
At mile 0.5 the trail crosses Prince St into Upper Ridgewood Park, a developed area with basketball and tennis courts and playground. Enjoy the paved trail as it passes the facilities, then drops into the gulch (0.7) and turns to crushed gravel. The homes here sit on large lots, often hidden by trees. The terrain restores that rural feel.
After you cross Windermere St (1.3), the homes crowd the trail more, with fewer trees hiding them. Don't despair! This is still a very nice neighborhood, and many yards sport beautiful landscaping. Be sure to catch the carved wood sculpture at mile 1.6! In the gulch, more old trees feast on the available water. Bear right at the junction and cross over the bridge to the south side of the creek, then follow the trail to the left. You pass behind tennis courts as you enter Carbone Park.
At mile 2.0 a side trail leads to Runyon ElementarySchool, but we continue straight. The homes are still nice here -- catch the landscaped waterfall south of the creek! Leave this park (2.2) as you cross Elati St, and enter Horseshoe Park. Apple trees lining the fences here often sag with fruit in the early fall.
The path continues to foster that rural feel as the park widens in wild Horseshoe Park, nestled in a curve of the Highline Canal. The canal trail crosses ours here, as it drops into the gully and back out. (The two trails actually share several yards of trail.) We continue straight, running under the canal flume (2.7) and entering a very overgrown creek. The trail turns to concrete and immediately climbs out of the gulch, heading for the traffic light at Jamison Ave and Broadway (2.9).
The trail is easy to lose here! After crossing Broadway, head left (north) on the sidewalk. Follow it across the next side street (which leads into the hospital), then catch the dirt trail running up the gully to your right. The creek here is still wild, though the trail runs along a groomed slope above the stream. Soon houses line the narrow corridor on either side, squeezing the trail for a short distance.
Cross Mineral Ave at mile 3.6, and enter the groomed grounds of Puma Park. The concrete path runs along the edge of the park, eventually reaching Ogden St (3.9). Turn right on Ogden and follow it to another stretch of trail (4.0). This short spur runs through the grassy field and dumps onto Marion Cr (4.1) as you ride behind Powell Middle School. When it ends on Marion, follow the street south until the bike path reforms at mile 4.3. This last short spur ends at Clarkson St (4.5).
OPTIONS:
For a loop trip, take Clarkson St south and cross over County Line Rd to catch the connection (west of the Land Rover dealership) to the Columbine Memorial Trail. You can then take this back to the Highline Canal or the Platte River Greenway for your loop.
