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Everybody has his or her favorite cycling or running route – it is, after all, a fairly subjective subject. But what if you could sift through the data of 38 million rides and runs to figure out a city’s best routes? Well, that’s exactly what the people behind the Strava app tried to do.
Strava allows runners and cyclists to track their activities and compare their efforts against other people who have done the same routes. This leaves Strava with a TON of data about where people are exercising, how fast they’re going, and how competitive they are on certain stretches of a route.
Maybe this will give you some context about the amount of data that Strava has at its fingertips: In Denver alone, they track 4,579 runs per week, totaling 22,131 miles and 7,119 bike rides, totaling 136,328 miles. No wonder we're so fit.
Strava took this data, and then got ahold of local athletes to come up with a number of cities’ top running and cycling routes. Denver was lucky enough to be among the first cities in the world to be part of the new local guides. New York and San Francisco were the only other U.S. cities included at launch.
So where should you run or cycle? Here’s what Strava came up with:
Best Cycling Routes:
- Cherry Creek Reservoir – 18.5 miles, 774 feet elevation change
- Golden Gate Canyon Loop – 56.9 miles, 6,542 feet elevation change
- Chatfield State Park/Roxborough – 25.1 miles, 1,376 feet elevation change
- Lookout Mountain – 39.9 miles, 3,067 feet elevation change
- High Grade/Deer Creek Canyon – 33.1 miles, 3,814 feet elevation change
- Airport Loop – 53.1 miles, 1367 feet elevation change
- St. Vrain + Peak to Peak Loop – 65.6 miles, 5,575 feet elevation change
- Old Stage – Left Hand – Lee Hill – 20.4 miles, 2,504 feet elevation change
- Lefthand/Boulder Canyons – 51.4 miles, 6,625 feet elevation change
- Gateway Ride – 64.7 miles, 2,918 feet elevation change
Best Running Routes
- Washington Park – 2.6 miles, 64 feet elevation change
- Lookout Mountain – 6.9 miles, 1,763 feet elevation change
- City Park – 3.4 miles, 95 feet elevation change
- Cherry Creek Trail – 8.7 miles, 223 feet elevation change
- High Line Canal – 11.3 miles, 141 feet elevation change
- Matthews/Winters Park – 6 miles, 1,170 feet elevation change
- William F. Hayden Green Mountain Park – 6.4 miles, 1,161 feet elevation change
- White Ranch – 12.1 miles, 2,838 feet elevation change
- Mount Falcon – 10.4 miles, 2,212 feet elevation change
- Waterton Canyon – 12.5 miles, 354 feet elevation change
While you can’t help but notice some very popular routes didn’t make the list – the Platt River Trail for example -- you have to admit that Strava did a pretty good job. Click on any of the above routes for details.
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