In July, my friend and avid gravel advocate, Thad Eby, set off to preride a couple of routes for the upcoming bikepacking/adventure/fun event called Wild West Gravel (www.wildwestgravel.com) . We wanted to explore the route, test out our gear, and have fun exploring the mountains and gravel roads around the northern Colorado and southern Wyoming border.

Bikepacking /'bīk•pak•iNG/

n. The act of riding a bicycle over long distances on primarily unsealed roads, carrying gear and supplies to sustain the rider throughout the journey.

Gravel riding has completely different demands on the body and the bike than other types of riding, it requires some technical abilities like mountain biking or cyclocross on typically less treacherous terrain which makes it fun for beginners and less technically inclined riders like me. I also like how you are able to experience the ride a bit slower than road racing, you can soak up the terrain and the views without the world wheezing by at 30mph.

Lucas Clarke

Our three-day gravel adventure winds its way through northern Colorado and into Wyomings Medicine Bow Forest and Snowy Peak range is a gorgeous and minimally trafficked part of America, with National Forests and rugged terrain it experiences way fewer visitors than more popular National Parks in California, Wyoming or Montana.

Stats for the three days of riding:

211 Miles
17,220 Feet of Elevation Gain
3 Days
4 Epic Mountain Passes:
Sand Creek (Gravel)
Medicine Bow Peak
Snowy Range (Gravel)
Deadman (Gravel)
+80% Gravel

Woods Landing, Wyoming was our destination for Day 1 and our base camp for Day 2 and Day 3. Woods Landing is anchored by the Woods Landing Dance Hall which is a national historic landmark and a community gathering place and watering hole since 1889. Rolling down off of sand creek pass into Woods Landing along the tranquil Laramie River was a sight to be seen flanked by a pastoral green river valley and large rock formations it encapsulates everything alluring about the American West. We grabbed some dinner at the Woods Landing Dance Hall, pitched our tents, and geared up for the next days' adventure.

Lucas Clarke

Day 1

Features

Town of Livermore, CO which was one of the gateway towns of the Colorado Gold rush
Cherokee Park
Sand Hill Pass
Big Laramie River Valley

Route on Strava - https://www.strava.com/activities/11997415255

Thad and I woke up to a cool, crisp morning next to the Laramie River, our tents blanketed in droplets of morning dew. We downed some cups of cowboy coffee and set out on our adventure for the day. We climbed out of the Woods Landing valley up to the Medicine Bow ridge where we jumped on the Medicine Bow rail trail which is a former railroad track that has been converted into a 10ft wide gravel path that stretches for 21 miles of the Medicine Bow forest.

We meandered our way northwest on the rail trail and followed a beautiful gravel ridge road next to the Rob Roy reservoir at just under 9,000 ft above sea level. Turning off from the gravel road we found ourselves on a heavily wooded double track snaking it’s way up towards the Snowy Peak mountain range. We climbed this rocky, twisting track until we popped above the treeline at 10,500ft and faced the incredible sight of the Snowy Peak range right in front of us, like the back of a snow-capped Stegosaurus, it was a sight to beholden. We descended down the paved road into the small town nestled at the foot of the Snowy Range, Centennial, for some pizza and live music at the Black Bottom Grill.

The gravel road that took us from Centennial back to Woods Landing was a wide open farm road taking us through mile-long fields of wheat and barley. As a light rain fell we climbed gradually towards a crease in the hillside that would take us back to Woods Landing.

Day 2

Features

Medicine Bow Forrest & Rail Trail
Lake Owen and Rob Roy Reservoir
Snowy Peak Range
Black Bottom Grill - Centennial, Wyoming

Route on Strava - https://www.strava.com/activities/11989069413

Lucas Clarke

Sunday morning we woke up early, eager to get on the road and kick off the last day of our adventure. Our tents were soaked, throughout the night we had intermittent thunderstorms and lots of rain, which made for a soggy camp clean up and pack out. The rain also tempered the dusty gravel roads we were going to traverse to get back to Livermore, Colorado, making the gravel a bit tacky and smooth.

As we left camp in Woods Landing we snaked our way south through a large wild horse grazing land in route to Dead Man Pass, a rather ominous name for such a gorgeous gravel road that cuts next to Killpecker Mountain in route to Red Feather Lakes. The climb was about 9 miles rising up to 10,300ft above sea level, we saw speedgoats, deer, rabbits, and even a moose as we slowly climbed with fully loaded bikes. The road on the back side of Dead Man was super smooth from the rain the night before and we flew down to Red Feather Lakes, feeling the heat of lower elevation and the sun really starting to burn off the clouds and gear up for another 95-degree day. As we approached our car at the Livermore Community Hall a sense of relief came over Thad and me, knowing that our journey had come to its conclusion, just in time to ovid the mid-day summer scorcher.

This gravel adventure had everything you could have asked for, steep climbs, flowing descents, chunky gravel, smooth gravel, dirt roads, double track and even a little pavement. Getting out into nature, away from the hustle and bustle of the city and escaping heavy vehicle traffic is what gravel riding is all about. There is something calming about soaking in the silence of the outdoors, the crunch of the gravel beneath your tires and the wind gently blowing across your skin. This is why we seek adventure and connection with nature.

Day 3

Dead Man Pass
Killpecker Mountain
Red Feather Lakes

Route on Strava - https://www.strava.com/activities/12004755258

Lucas Clarke