Sunshine Canyon - Boulder, CO

Boulder gets ridiculously hot during the summer. Like, melt your face hot. Combined with the unrelenting sun, the weather makes outside activities more arduous than usual and increases the likelihood of a painful death by rapid dehydration. No one likes to pee salt, so we suggest working out in the mornings.

Our favorite morning ride these days is Sunshine Canyon, located almost right next to downtown Boulder. The canyon is great for a morning ride because it houses a commuter community, therefore all of the traffic is going the opposite way, and its sheltered from most of the sun's death rays. The ride starts as a gradual climb, before quickly gaining altitude through a series of elongated switchbacks. Once through the steep sections, the ride turns back into a more gradual ascent, with short hills and descents. This ride contains one of the steepest sections we have found in town. You'll know it when you see it. We typically end the ride where the asphalt turns into dirt, but continuing on the dirt part will allow you to connect to Four Mile Canyon through the Four Mile/Sunshine Loop.

We like this ride because it's one of the most easily accessible from downtown Boulder, and provides a great workout in itself (steep!), or a good warm up for a longer ride. Riding back into town before most people are up and about is a great feeling, and lets you score the best spots in the coffee shops. We often see deer along the rode here, so make sure when you are descending to watch out, as to avoid painful death by deer collision.

Distance: 6.50 miles from start (9th and Pearl Street), 13 miles round trip

Directions: From 9th and Pearl, head West on Pearl and take a right on 4th Street which will end at Spruce Street. Take a left on Spruce and then your first right back on to 4th. Head north and take your first left at Mapleton Ave., which turns into Sunshine Canyon Drive.


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