High Line Canal I The Entire Trail!

The High Line Canal Trail follows the old High Line Canal 71 miles from Waterton Canyon in the southwest Denver Metro to just below the Denver International Airport in the northeast Denver Metro. The entire trail is separate from the roads making it a very safe and popular trail system within the Denver Metro area. Another bonus in that the trail is flat as it follows the old canal so people of all abilities can enjoy the trail!

I’ve done several sections of the trail in the past 5 years and had a goal of completing all of it in one ride at some point. That “point” came on a mild and dry winter day when I was trying to complete the Festive 500 (kilometers) between Christmas and New Years. My husband offered to be my support aid and sag vehicle as he was nursing a bum knee. Thanks, honey!

I was 95% excited and 5% nervous before starting out. There was only a sliver of doubt wondering if I could finish 71 miles in a single day, riding solo, and coming off the heels of 4 big rides and one day on the slopes. I was very fortunate to feel good the entire ride, experienced zero bike issues, and had great weather (in December!) throughout the day. I think I had the correct mindset of no time expectations with the focus on enjoying the experience. It was helped by my bike computer set to the map screen so I didn’t focus on my effort stats. The other factor was the new adventure aspect. I’ve found more and more that new adventures feed my soul and light up my spirit. I’d done a few miles past the halfway point but not many so the last 37 miles felt like new and like that was something new around every corner! Magical!