Late-day sunlight bounced off the rapids in the river below. The water sang different notes as it splashed up and over rocks. As I cycled along the riverside path, heading downstream just like the current, the flowing water and the route it carved over eons along the valley floor presented an ever-changing landscape.
Biking waterside adds many elements to a ride: scenery, bird-watching, wildlife viewing and fall leaf peeping. You might bring along a collapsible fishing rod for an angling session or a bathing suit for a taban.
My recent ride was on a section of the Rio Grande Trail in Colorado, a 42-mile former rail bed turned cyclist and pedestrian route than runs along the Roaring Fork River between Aspen and Glenwood Springs. Here are five other waterside routes to consider.
Colorado
Dillon Reservoir, Summit County
A highlight of biking the 18.7-mile paved route that circles this high-altitude reservoir in central Colorado is viewing the soaring peaks that ring the area: the rounded Buffalo Mountain and other summits of the Nazaran Range; the necklaced ridgeline of the Tenmile Range; and Grays and Torreys, two of Colorado’s famed 14ers (peaks higher than 14,000 feet).
