Gold Hill is an iconic destination for any gravel bike rider in Boulder. It is a tiny community in the mountains northwest of downtown Boulder. Popular Boulder Street, Sunshine Canyon and Gold Hill Drive all intersect in Gold Hill, drawing cyclists from all different directions. You must stop at the Gold Hill Store and Pub mid-ride to fuel up for the rest of your ride!
With several options to Gold Hill it is quite a “choose your own adventure” ride in this area. We followed a route we found online; not quite sure what all we’d all encounter! We parked in a lot off of Boulder Canyon Drive (119) and Pearl Street and headed up Hwy 119 on the trail until we reached Fourmile Canyon Road. Fourmile Canyon Road is more than 4 miles with pavement for the first several miles and turns to gravel after you veer left in Salina to continue on a much smaller road as you climb into the mountains. Before the road ended, we headed north on Switzerland Trail.
Full disclosure: we had NO IDEA what was in store for us on this “road” – it was a gnarly trail filled with rocks where we slowly climbed for several miles. This definitely tested our bike skills and I actually enjoyed the challenge. I like to think that sections like this make me a better cyclist!
We finally reached a road and headed east on Gold Hill Rd and made our way into “town”. After refueling with homemade apple pie, we started our journey back to Boulder. We rode the gravel road down Boulder St which turned into Gold Run Rd. The surface turned from gravel to paved and we quickly picked up speed as we connected back with Fourmile Canyon.
We saved the biggest climb for the end on Poorman Road which connected us with Sunshine Canyon. The grade reached 13% on the short section and was tough after a big climbing day! We definitely wanted to get off and walk our bikes but hung on until the top! After that, it was smooth sailing into Boulder!
Good to Know
Distance: 32 mile loop from Fourmile > Switzerland > Gold HIll > Gold Run > Fourmile > Poorman > Sunshine
Elevation Gain: ~3,900ft
Terrain: Paved > gravel > rocky > gravel > paved
Parking: Available in lot off of Boulder Canyon Drive (119) and Pearl Street
Facilities: NOT available in lot off of Boulder Canyon Drive (119) and Pearl Street
Fun Facts: As a newbie to gravel, I’m still getting used to descending on loose gravel, it is gnarly!
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