Our neighbor to the south, Jefferson County Open Space, has recently completed a multi-use trail system at the North Table Mountain Open Space. The new trailhead is located off Highway 93 (just north of Golden), and offers a nice parking lot with space for seven horse trailers. There is currently a total of 14 miles of trail, arranged in several stacked loops, so you can choose how long you want to ride.

Pat Holgate, Anne Davidson and I explored most of the new trails in mid-February and suggest that it “rides” best in a clockwise direction from the trailhead. This enables you to climb up the steep parts instead of descending them. Be prepared for some narrow, steep, and rocky parts; deer, mountain bikers, and spectacular views in every direction. The top is pretty exposed—so you probably don’t want to be up there on a very windy, stormy, or a very hot day. All in all it’s a unique ecosystem and it’s much more interesting than it might appear from down below.

A Bit of Geology: Table Mountain was formed by a volcanic basalt flow about 60 million years ago, so you get very familiar with igneous rocks on this ride.