Palmer Park: 1st Impression

[JLampitt]

A buddy and I wanted to hit Palmer Park today on the way back up from Pueblo (which was awesome, btw...)

I've been hearing about this place for a while and was anxious to check it out. We parked at the North Canyon TH and went from there.

Maybe it's because of the equestrian traffic on that side (??) but the trail conditions are the craziest I've ever seen - anywhere - in 20 years of riding. (Edna Mae Nature Trail and Templeton)

Just wondering if trail conditions experienced in this area are characteristic of the entire park? If not, I'd like to come back with a better idea of what area's might be a little less... bomb-crater vigorous.

There are lots of folks who love to ride super-technical trails and if that's your passion, my hat is off to you. It truly takes an amazing rider to ride trails such as I experienced today. It's just not my style.

We didn't get to cover much more than the area I mentioned.

[Pau11y]

Where did you ride in PBlow...the XC loop or did you play in the gullies and rocks?

[hitechredneck]

Palmer park has a bit of both when it comes to a XC loop* that is smoother and then a more techy loop as well. Kinda just have to explore it and check it out


*Disclaimer* You wont find much in the XC loop that is like buffalo creek or most of the XC side of pueblo. The XC loop in palmer is XC by the standards of rating trails like templeton the techy way.

[bkreyche]

How were the trail conditions there at Palmer yesturday?

[kristian]

How were the trail conditions there at Palmer yesturday?

They were great in the morning before the thaw. Things are going to start to get dicey now though between the mud and the camo ice.

Oh to the OP, Palmer is a hoot once you've donated enough blood to ride there.

[SomethingRelatedToBiking]

For a first time experience in Palmer Park, your approach has to similar to going into the thick jungle brush of the Congo--bring a guide. There are so many intersections, getting turned around is inevitable. Maps, and there are several, are next to useless. If you are on the mesa side you will flow down to Templeton like water to a gulley, and from there it turns gnarly. There are plenty of miles of great, mellower singletrack than Templeton, but wherever you go there will be a brief tech section. It took me a couple years of living near by Palmer to really get it figured out and from time to time I still get shown something new.

Such a great resource to have public land right in the middle of our city.

[Pau11y]

Oh to the OP, Palmer is a hoot once you've donated enough blood to ride there.

...and maybe a few bike parts as well?

[richccc]

A buddy and I wanted to hit Palmer Park today on the way back up from Pueblo (which was awesome, btw...)

I've been hearing about this place for a while and was anxious to check it out. We parked at the North Canyon TH and went from there.

Maybe it's because of the equestrian traffic on that side (??) but the trail conditions are the craziest I've ever seen - anywhere - in 20 years of riding. (Edna Mae Nature Trail and Templeton)

Just wondering if trail conditions experienced in this area are characteristic of the entire park? If not, I'd like to come back with a better idea of what area's might be a little less... bomb-crater vigorous.

There are lots of folks who love to ride super-technical trails and if that's your passion, my hat is off to you. It truly takes an amazing rider to ride trails such as I experienced today. It's just not my style.

We didn't get to cover much more than the area I mentioned.

Pueblo has plenty to offer for the aggressive rider looking for technical stuff and also pretty easy X/C trails for just about anyone(voodoo) is about as easy as it gets on the front range, It is a long loop maybe for a beginner but not hard at all.

Palmer is a different story all depends on trails you ride, they are all not like templeton(Hardest) there are much more mellow trails to be ridden.

[JLampitt]

Sounds like I need another visit then... with a guide. I don't mind some technical stuff, but Templeton was off my scale.

Thanks for the responses everyone.

[Sand Creek Sports]

FYI...Sand Creek Sports will host the 2013 Colorado Men's (Masters, Senior and Junior) State XC Championships at Palmer Park on June 16th.

It will also be an American Mountain Bike Challenge event and USA Cycling's Rocky Mountain Talent ID Camp will be racing.

We'll got a 5 mile +/- lap with as few technical sections as possible.

Sand Creek Sports - Mountain bike racing in Colorado

[mantaman]

Almost all the riders I have met here in the Springs area have been VERY good riders both uphill & downhill. Palmer is a butt kicker and I find a lot of the area's are butt kickers and the riders that ride them are so much better than I am or than I ever was. I have been riding for many years all of which was have been in SO CAL, and I'm here to tell you the riders here in Colorado can downhill.

[SpringsRubicon]

I think the observations here are good... one key aspect of Palmer is that it really varies depending on where you go. I'd encourage you to try it again. I rarely drop down around the stables, preferring some of the other loops and trail combos. It's easy to ride there weekly with different combinations of areas. I often stay more on the southern side of the paved road and usually start at the top of the park. As noted, maps are difficult to work with there but a couple of experienced riders can show you a lot.

JLampitt - Any chance you can team up with the Wednesday night group whenever they choose to do Palmer? I did a couple times and learned about all kinds of trails I hadn't seen before. It was a great tour of the park!

[lubes17319]

....with as few technical sections as possible.

Where's the fun in that?

[Sand Creek Sports]

So many people whine about the technical sections...

Don't worry, you just can't "not" have them at Palmer.

S/F at Council Grounds, and paved Overlook Rd. will be closed and we use both sides of that ridge.

[sprocketjockey9]

Where's the fun in that?

Gotta agree there, this ain't cyclocross....... True champions can conquer both the endurance aspect and the technical aspect. Keep the mountain bike in mountain bike racing.

I'm sure you will have a great course though, if it's truly a state championship course it'll be well balanced and cater to all levels of cyclists. I'm looking forward to racing it

[teleken]

Wet trails and horse hoofs = bomb craters; the dirt is always evolving at Palmer Park.

You started with the most technical trails out there- try the other ones next time and you'll like it mo better. All the others are more XC with a tech edge.

[p_DuBs]

lots of people bash strava, but I'd recommend signing up and utilizing the "Explore" feature to check out segments of trails and trying to explore those sections and link them together.

beyond just going out and getting lost, doing that really helped me hone in on my favorite palmer park trails

for some fun segments, look for Jedi, Fun Trail, Cheyenne loop, and Kinnick Descent to Dog Park (andy's drop and cheyenne trail technical downhill are awesome too but more technical)

[peanut09]

Palmer has some great trails some even easy. You just have to spend the time to figure them out. I will say I walk the Edna May LOL I will admit I would love to try to ride parts of it but I would probably end up hiking a good portion.

[fasttreker]

Palmer is great. Many first timers get scared by it when they find themselves off on some technical section, but the park really offers it all. I rode for a while out there tonight and its just one of those places that I love to ride. The conditions were good and its just beautiful. You can have any type of you want once you become familiar with all of the trails. I have been riding it with my son once or twice a week for a few years now and it just never gets old. And yes, you will donate blood and parts but its worth it.

[pastajet]

The Templeton Gap trail rules! Some of the most techy fun around.

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/35450584?byline=0&amp;portrait=0" width="610" height="343" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe>

[ameybrook]

Or a little more speed / flow if you want

<iframe width="420" height="315" src="http://www.youtube.com/embed/Il3E9Jg07g0" frameborder="0" allowfullscreen></iframe>

[brokefork]

The Templeton Gap trail rules! Some of the most techy fun around.

<iframe src="http://player.vimeo.com/video/35450584?byline=0&amp;portrait=0" width="610" height="343" frameborder="0" webkitAllowFullScreen mozallowfullscreen allowFullScreen></iframe>

And that's the easy part.

[SkaredShtles]

Where's the fun in that?

Roadies?

[06HokieMTB]

Palmer is great. Many first timers get scared by it.

I'll be honest, I did not like Palmer the one time I tried it. I had no idea where I was, I couldn't find flow or rhyme/reason to the trails. The portion that I was on was either a groomer or super techie... no inbetween.

I'd be willing to give it another shot as everyone talks about how great it is, but from where I started I did not enjoy it.

BTW: I started in front of a restroom area right next to a neighborhood. I seem to remember horse stables near by? It was really techie then really flat on top. With very little transition or inbetween. I asked a local for advice or how he knew where to ride or where he was and he said you just learn through trial and error.

I gave it 90 min and got frustrated and packed up the bike.

[JOEMTBR COLORADO]

Nice video Pasta, I donated a front stanchion off of my Lyric at the 1 minute mark next to the tree at night. At the end of the video you took the detour above and made it look easy, way to go.

OP, sounds like you headed North up past the stable which would give you quite a hike a bike, best best is from where you parked cross the road and find the single track, follow it East up into the park and start exploring from there, the trail called Grand View would be a nice start.