Mountain Bike Lake Pueblo State Park

The Basics: Pueblo Reservoir is one of the largest bodies of water on the Front Range, which isn't saying much, but in my opinion this is the best recreation area around Pueblo! Thanks to Southern Colorado Trail Builders, there are dozens of miles of well-maintained trails throughout 3 main arms of land that jut into the reservoir on its South side. This 13 mile ride is entirely on the middle peninsula. The Inner Limits and Outer Limits trails create a heavenly XC loop with views around every bend (and there are a lot of them!). 

Although this is a State Park, free parking is available off of Highway 96 at various access points. For the sake of this route description, it is best to begin your ride at the lot specified on the map. The parking lot is a dirt pull-out on the South side of the road that can fit about 20 cars. *Don't leave valuables in your car here*

The Ride: Directly across the road, take a dirt trail up through the fence line. Take a right at the first T-intersection, then a left onto Driftwood Trail, named for the huge piles of driftwood stacked between its turns. Driftwood Trail ends into a 5-way intersection, where the Inner Limits trail begins (Picture 2). Follow its dozens of twists and turns, ups and downs aaalllll the way to the tip of the peninsula (Pedro's Point). Don't just blow past all of the awesome viewpoints - they are worth it! (Picture 3)

At approximately mile 6.5, have a snack at Pedro's Point (Picture 4) and begin to loop back on the Outer Limits trail, which is equally swoopy. At the end of this trail, turn left to return to the 5-way intersection. You can either take the easy Pedro's Point trail (beginner) to the right back to your car, or if you're feeling frisky, go straight into the Waterfall Trail (advanced). Once on the Waterfall Trail, take your first right for the Log Drop option. This routes you above the main trail and into a steep canyon with 2 log ramps to ride down (Picture 5). Careful - this canyon is spring fed, so it ices over in the winter. Make your way all the way down the rocky canyon until you reach a stream crossing (Pictures 6&7). Turn right and continue straight uphill toward the highway and back to your car.

The Area: Of course, this is only about 1/3 of the riding available here. Check out this epic XC ride for great instructions on how to ride the rest of this area! Also, camping and amenities are available if you pay to park inside the park. This area would be perfect for 2 days of camping and riding; boating too if it's nice enough! Visit the Southern Colorado Trail Builders website to check on trail conditions before you go, and do not ride wet trails! They turn to clay/mud and bike tires create deep ruts.