Discover Denver Trails: Denver Orbital Trail - 177 miles of urban and natural adventure!
DOT
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- Meet DOT, the Denver Orbital Trail. DOT is a 177-mile circuit around Denver, Colorado. It is the brainchild of Michael Tormey, who deserves all the credit for mapping out this Denver Trails route. This page is merely dedicated to the progress my wife, Beth, and I are making following his route as we walk bike, and hike the segments over the next several months.
Map Created using onX BackCountry.
The map above shows our progress on the Denver Orbital Trail, marked in red and purple. The incomplete segments, shown in alternating black and brown, have yet to be completed. We’re strategically cycling on some of the longer paved sections to cover more ground faster. We believe this approach will help us fill up more segments in the near future. But it is not a race for us. It’s about learning about lesser-known areas, spending time together, and taking pictures—lots of them!
Denver Trails Logged
Time Logged
Denver Trails EstimateS
Time Logged
Mike drew inspiration from other efforts from around the world. Such as:
- United Kingdom
- United States
The Denver Orbital Trail is a unique route divided into 28 segments of varying difficulty. Visit the official DOT website for comprehensive trail details and frequently asked questions. Mike generously provides maps and GPX files for free download and covers ways to tackle the segments, including public transportation options to many segments. He also shares direct links to the trails with step-by-step navigation on AllTrails. However, we’ve encountered some access issues, so after speaking to Mike, I put the tracks into other popular formats.
onX Users can get the routes here.
Gaia GPS users can get the routes here.
Google Maps users can get the official DOT routes here. Scroll down to see Mike’s Interactive Google Sheet. Click on each segment to learn more.
I created a Google Sheet to group segments that can be conveniently done in a single outing. I’ve also tagged them for possible bicycle routes. Where permitted, experienced mountain bikers could ride nearly all of the trail. We are breaking our route up. Mostly riding pavement, hiking, walking, and everything else. You can see our progress below. You can download your own copy of the planning sheet here. (You cannot edit this version. But you can download a copy that you can modify for your needs.)
Denver Trails: DOT Segment Planning
Click on the Image Below to View our Live Tracker with Denver Trails Route updates and notes.
Segment 1Downtown Golden,
Lookout Mountain and Apex Park
Coming Soon!
Segment 2
Red Rocks ParK
Coming Soon!
Segment 3
Downtown Morrison
and Bear Creek Lake Park
Coming Soon!
Segment 4: Bear Creek Lake Park and C-470 trail
Coming Soon!
Segment 5: South Hogback Open Space, South Valley Park, and Deer Creek Canyon Park
Segment 6Plymouth Mountain, Hildebrand Ranch Park, and Chatfield State Park
Coming Soon!
Segment 7
Chatfield State Park
Coming Soon!
Segment 8
Douglas County Open Space
Coming Soon!
Segment 9
Highlands Point and
Big Dry Creek Trail
Segment 10
Bluffs Regional Park
Coming Soon!
Segment 11
East/West Regional
Trail to Cherry Creek Trail
Segment 12
South Cherry Creek
Trail
Segment 13
Cherry Creek Trail to
Cherry Creek State Park
Segment 14
Cherry Creek Spillway,
Horseshoe Park and Toll Gate
Creek Regional Trail
Segment 15
Toll Gate Creek
Regional Trail to High Line Canal
Segment 16
High Line Canal,
Morrison Nature Center, and Sand
Creek Trail
Segment 17
High Line Canal to
First Creek Trail
Segment 18
Rocky Mountain
Arsenal National Wildlife Refuge
Segment 19
Northfield Greenways
and neighborhood parks
Coming Soon!
Segment 20
Sand Creek to Platte
River
Coming Soon!
Segment 21
Platte River Trail to
Riverdale Regional Park
Coming Soon!
Segment 22
Horizon Tributary Trail
to Lee Lateral Ditch and Signal
Ditch Trails
Coming Soon!
Segment 23
Signal Ditch Trail,
Hunters Glen Lake, and Big Dry
Creek Trail
Coming Soon!
Segment 24
Big Dry Creek Trail:
Front Range Community College
to Wadsworth Parkway
Coming Soon!
Segment 25
Big Dry Creek to
Standley Lake
Coming Soon!
Segment 26
Farmers & Croke
Canals Trail through Two Ponds
National Wildlife Refuge
Coming Soon!
Segment 27
Majestic View Park,
Ralston Creek Trail, and Blunn
Reservoir
Coming Soon!
Segment 28
Fairmont Canal Trail
to North Table Mountain, Tucker
Gulch to Downtown Golden
Coming Soon!
Interactive Denver Orbital Trail
Click on any colored segment above to learn more. For more information, visit Mike Tormey’s official DOT website.
I did not create the Denver Orbital Trail. All credit goes to Mike Tormey. I hope you enjoy following our journey. But please visit Mike’s site and say thank you if you enjoy any of these resources.