Clear Creek, a tributary of the South Platte River, rises along the Continental Divide and descends eastward, rumbling onto the Piedmont at Golden, Colorado. Below Idaho Springs, it has carved a narrow, scenic canyon through the foothills (photo).
Always looking for a new trail to explore, we discovered that the Peak to Plains Trail, not yet completed, will parallel Clear Creek through this canyon. Having not been in Clear Creek Canyon for a decade or more, we headed for the Big Easy Trailhead, which provides access to a completed section of the trail.
To my dismay, we discovered that the new route is a paved hike-bike trail, built into the south wall of the canyon and accessed by rusted-metal bridges from parking lots along the canyon road; newer sections are completed or under construction near Golden. While this concrete path will permit access to handicapped individuals and (perhaps) keep cyclists off the winding (and dangerous) road, it is, in my opinion, an extension of suburbia into the canyon ecosystem. Despite heroic work and what has surely been an exorbitant expense, I must register my disappointment.
