Flagstaff Road

Description The Flagstaff Road ride is an 18 mile up and back ride of Flagstaff Road in Boulder. It features great views of the University of Colorado, downtown Boulder, and the Boulder flatirons as you climb up through Boulder Mountain Park on some insane gradients and descend back down into Walker Ranch park before climbing to the end. The Route From Baseline Rd. in Boulder ride west. As you begin climbing into Boulder Mountain Park the road turns into Flagstaff Rd. Ride west 9 miles on Flagstaff Rd. until it turns into a dirt road then head back.
Hazards Flagstaff Road can be busy at times, but the traffic will decrease the farther you climb back into the mountains. Watch out for the sharp corners as you barrel down some extremely steep gradients on your way back down. Difficulty This is an extremely difficult ride with insane gradients in the range of 15%! The first 2.5 miles of the climb aren't too bad, but miles 2.5 to 4.5 will have you testing the lower limits of your granny gear. After that the climb calms down a little until you reach the first summit at roughly 6 miles. You will then make a sharp descent through Walker Ranch Park and then start climbing back up around mile marker 8 to the end.

Overall Rating: The scenery does get a little bleak towards the end near Walker Ranch Park due to a fire that passed through and the gradient is a little crazy for my taste, but the views of Boulder and the flatirons make it a worthwhile trip.

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