Rampart Range Reservoir Keeps Colorado Springs-Area Mountain Bikers on Track

In and out, it follows the shape of the nearby shoreline; a serpentine singletrack trail slithering through thick forest and over rocks, roots, and water crossings, some 12 miles-worth of mountain biking bliss. It's Rampart Range Reservoir, located outside of Woodland Park, Colorado, a small mountain town near Colorado Springs. Locally, Rampart is widely considered a fantastic place to take a beginner to, one of the perfect places to turn a newbie on to the beauty, the fun, and the thrill of mountain biking.

Sitting on a huge granite plateau, the reservoir was built in 1970 to serve as the water supply for Colorado Springs - a service that caused the area to briefly end public access as a security measure after 9/11. In addition to mountain biking, Rampart offers a variety of outdoor fun - as you ride you'll encounter hikers, runners, and fishermen. Boating, camping, and picnicking are also quite popular, and motorcyclists will find plenty of motorcycle-only trails nearby.

The twisty, rolling trail offers mountain bikers a variety of challenges. Except for a dirt road (linking the trailhead to the trail) and the dam crossing, the entire ride is nothing but groovy, prime singletrack. The trail follows the shoreline as it snakes in and out of the surrounding forest. Because of this, it often feels as if the rider is making zero progress due to the constant entering/exiting of cove after cove. At one point the dam seems so close - it's just right over there! Yet several coves later...it's still just right over there!