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Safely Navigate your Neighborhood by Bike – Academy & Chelton

Below is the first in a series of stories on how to navigate your Colorado Springs neighborhood by bike. Our first comes from Michael Neumann whose family reticently moved to the Palmer Heights neighborhood of Colorado Springs.

My family and I recently moved to Colorado Springs from Lakewood, CO in 2020 and settled in the neighborhood near Chelton Rd and Constitution Ave, just south of the Rock Island Trail and north of Palmer Park Blvd. I’ve been a cyclist my entire life and have been a committed cycling commuter in several urban settings before moving to Colorado Springs. At first glance, this part of town doesn’t appear to be very cyclist friendly. With Academy Blvd running north-south and dominated by vehicle traffic, Constitution Ave running east-west and Palmer Park Blvd also running east-west and offering very little to no protection for a cyclist, this area can be very intimidating and dangerous for any cyclist.  However, with some time and exploration, I’ve discovered a network of off-street trails and bike lanes that enable any cyclist access to this part of the city as well as a connection to downtown.

However, with some time and exploration, I’ve discovered a network of off-street trails and bike lanes that enable any cyclist access to this part of the city as well as a connection to downtown.
The Rock Island Trail is a must for anyone going to or coming from downtown or the Old North End area. Beginning at the north end of Jackson St. at its west terminus and ending at Powers Blvd on the east end, this off-street trail, while requiring some street level crossings and interfacing with vehicles, offers safe and easy access due to it’s very mild gradient and wide design. I often use this trail while riding with my kids to access some local parks along the route. If you’re comfortable with on-street riding while in a bike lane, Chelton Rd. offers a bike lane from Maizeland Rd at the north end all the way to Galley Rd. at the south end. Do watch out for some steep hills, though. This can be a steep climb or a very fast decent. You can even access Palmer Park open space from this route and connect to some great road or mountain biking within the park and gain access to Austin Bluffs by riding through Palmer Park on some well maintained dirt roads through the park. South of Galley, the bike lane on Chelton disappears for a bit, but the adventurous cyclist can continue south on Chelton and it eventually it picks back up and allows connection to Bijou St., which can get you to downtown and beyond. Enjoy and be safe!

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