Penrose Commons « Colorado Trail Riders Magazine

Feeds:: Posts; Comments

Penrose Commons

March 25, 2008 by Chris S.

Location: 1 hour South of Colorado Springs in Penrose, CO

Date: March 2008

Trail Ride Description: We were pleasantly surprised by another ride in these hills. This area is owned by the BLM and when we got there we were a little worried for a couple of reason; First, this seemed to be a hot spot for motorcycles & ATVs. Second, it looked fairly flat!

Boy we couldn’t have been wrong. Even though there were more than 30 motorized vehicles, we only came across them on the trail twice, and they were very polite! We didn’t even hear them that much. However, if you continue a North & East a bit, you’ll be right int he middle of the Beaver Creek Wildlife Area, where they can not go.

Flat… Not! This isn’t the the mountains by any stretch, but we did ascend/descend a thousand feet in just 10 miles! There are creek draws all over the place, and they are deep. (most likely why we did not hear the bikes) There was one trail that due to its steepness, we opted for a different route. And there are a tone of different areas to explore.

Here is the great thing; while Colorado Springs was getting pounded with their first spring snow, we were riding in temperatures in the mid 40s, it was a pleasant ride only requiring a medium jacket. When we got done we headed up 115 about a mile to the Gooseberry for lunch.

This is a very nice ride with lots of options, great for late fall – early spring when Colorado Springs and/or Denver has cruddy weather.

Basics: We rode 10.5 miles and climbed a total of 1000 feet. This area is full of loose slide rock so shoes are highly recommended. Your horses need to be accustomed to motorcycles as they will be in the parking area. Make sure that you park with a way to get out.