15 Mile Road, One Way 8500-6500 Elevation

Woodland Park is 15 miles west of Manitou Springs, and 2000 feet above. This scenic road in Fountain Creek Canyon makes a fun bike ride whether going uphill or down. Have someone drive you to Woodland Park and then pull out the bikes anywhere convenient and head downhill.

The road starts downhill as soon as it leaves Woodland Park, and is a steady drop nearly the whole way down. After five miles is the turn off to Green Mountain Falls on the right. This is an optional route that parallels Route 24, and might be interesting with its lake and small town scene.

After two miles is a spur to the left that goes back to Route 24, or you can continue through rural Chipita Park, Cascade and past the start of the Pikes Peak Highway, before coming back out on Route 24.

Just past Cascade on Route 24, the road turns into a divided highway with Fountain Creek in the middle. The next four miles of this road winds through a deep and scenic canyon. The loose walls of this canyon hold countless boulders that appear to defy gravity, waiting for the next rain to wash them on the road. (Which hardly ever happens) There's a lot of traffic, blind turns and not much of a shoulder, so wear bright colors and stay alert. Some drivers think this is a race course, driving 70 mph and cutting lanes, so stay to the side of the road as much as possible.

Four miles past Cascade is a road running into Manitou Springs. This interesting bypass has dangerous traffic, but the city park in Manitou is a good place for a pickup car to wait. Or just continue down Manitou Ave to any number of pickup locations.