| Curt Gowdy State Park Trail |
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| Curt Gowdy State Park   | 
| Location: Wyoming, United States, North America Lat/Lon: 41.18010°N / 105.25°W Trail Type: Cross Country, Mountain Technical Difficulty: Medium Aerobic Difficulty: Medium Layout: Loop Length: 16.0 Mi / 25.8 Km
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| Page By: Koolbreez Created/Edited: Nov 19, 2007 / Nov 19, 2007 Object ID: 264528 Hits: 810 Loading... Page Score: 88.1% - 10 Votes Loading... Vote: Log in to vote |
Overview
Sixteen flowing miles of tight and twisty singletrack built specifically for mountain biking are on tap for your pleasure at this prize of a park in southeastern Wyoming. These new trails opened in 2007 and there are plans to double the mileage of trails in the future.
As these trails were designed with mountain bikers in mind, the flow of the trails is outstanding. The builders used many of the embedded rocks in the terrain as obstacles and features to ride up and over rather than around, creating fun technical challenges, while also slowing riders in blind corners to avoid any high speed collisions.
No horses are allowed on the trails, only hikers and bikers, eliminating user conflict and keeping the trails in pristine shape.
A bridge crossing on the A loop |
Besides biking and hiking, Granite Springs Reservoir in the park offers opportunities for boating and fishing, and camping is also available near and around the reservoir.
Trail Description
One of many rock formations in the park. |
All of the trails are temporarily designated by letters, with names to be assigned in the future. Most of the trails begin at the Aspen Grove Trailhead and spur off of the A loop trail. There are also a couple of other jump-in points along the road.
The trails are very well marked with maps posted at nearly every intersection.
There is really something for everyone here, with trails designed for bikers of a variety of skill levels and possibilities to link together trails in an abundance of ways for a huge assortment of riding experiences.
Some examples of routes:
Beginners: K Trail from Aspen Grove trailhead to Granite Springs Dam and return (5.5 miles roundtrip)
Intermediates: A Loop Trail beginning and ending at trailhead (4 miles), or E Trail from causeway to Hidden Falls and return (4 miles rt).
Advanced: From trailhead, begin on A Loop Trail to D Trail, then E Trail to H Trail (4.5 miles out and back), or A Loop Trail to B Trail (3 miles out and back).
Difficult/Expert: From causeway, up 'Corkscrew Hill' on J Trail, then loop on rock slabs of Trail I (including spur to overlook) and return (2 miles out and back).
Some nice turns in the aspens. |
Getting ThereCurt Gowdy State Park is easily accessed from either Cheyenne or Laramie, WY.
From Cheyenne take I -25 to exit 10 and travel 25 miles west on HWY 210, Happy Jack Road. The park entrance will be on the south side of the road.
From Laramie take I-80 east to exit 323 and travel 14 miles east on HWY 210 Happy Jack Road. Entrance is on the south side of the road.
Just past the entrance will be the pay station. Pay the entrance fee and continue on and turn right at the sign for the archery range. The trailhead and parking are just ahead.
When to BikeSummer and fall promise the best weather, with snow likely in the winter. It can also be extremely windy here at times.Web LinksA slightly corny video of mountain biking at Curt Gowdy here.
Parks webpage here.
Arrowhead trailbuilders webpage here. These guys built the trails at Curt Gowdy and did an outstanding job. Their website is a bit out of date, but still contains some interesting reading about trail building.
Wiki about Curt Gowdy THE MAN here.
On the dedication of the park to his name Gowdy had this to say: "It has two beautiful lakes, hiking trails, camping, boating, fishing, and beauty. It has everything I love. What greater honor can a man receive?"Trail Map
These maps are posted at all the major trail intersections. You would have to try to get lost here. |
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