The Most Amazing State Park You've Never Heard of

I have to admire a park that names sections of itself after people who were injured there. Curt Gowdy State Park, which straddles Cheyenne and Laramie, Wyo., is that kind of place, and I got to ride bikes with the man whose fall inspired Bruce’s Bounce.

There’s no shame in taking a tumble at Gowdy – I know I took a couple. The park is one of 24 U.S. sites deemed Epic Rides by the International Mountain Biking Association for their challenging nature. It hasn’t had much recognition beyond that, but it should: even if singletrack mountain biking isn’t your thing, there’s 37 miles of hiking, bountiful photo ops from the Laramie Mountains, fishing, horseback-riding, and even archery.

Bruce’s Bounce isn’t the only injury-related part of Gowdy park – there’s also Gordo’s Rock, named after a biker named Gordon who, yes, hit the rock. But it’s named after Bruce Burrows, and it’s a section of the Canyons Trail overlooking Crystal Reservoir that was narrower than it is now.

Make sure to ride or hike along the Stone Temple Trail. (Photo: Greg Keraghosian)

As Burrows tried to walk his bike through the spot, he slipped and plunged about 15 feet: “I went headfirst straight downhill, I didn’t even have time to get scared I went so fast,” he said. “I literally bounced off the rock with my chest, which gave me a chest contusion but it bounced me out onto the water, which broke my fall. That [trail] has now been widened out quite a bit. It’s very rideable, but people need to exercise caution on those trails.”

Get ready to ride over lots of granite. (Photo: Greg Keraghosian)

What makes the park’s trails so challenging is also what makes them so scenic: the geographic variety, with steep inclines, lots of exposed granite and many twists and turns. Not to mention the altitude, which ranges from 6,800 feet to 7.700 feet – I rode three hours of just under nine miles here, which felt like more because I had just landed from sea-level San Francisco.

“A Gowdy mile is a lot longer than another mile,” Burrows said.

Most of the trails are exposed to the sun, which can also drive up the temperature on a hot day, but there are rewards: at one point I took a wrong turn near Hidden Falls, where sweaty riders or hikers can splash themselves with water to cool off.

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If you’re overheating from the trails, you can cool off at Hidden Falls. (Courtesy: Visit Cheyenne)

You don’t have to push yourself hard here to have fun at Gowdy park, named after the former sportscaster: The 2.6-mile Shoreline trail is wide and flat, with just some gravel, and despite my mountain-biking inexperience I handled much of the new Rocking V trail without having to dismount (though I definitely had to at times).

With some help from Anthony from Cheyenne’s Rock On Wheels bike shop, I was also able to handle some more challenging sections, such as the 10-foot drop from Hardee’s Rock. It took me several tries to psych myself into barreling down that granite.

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Me after finally conquering Hardee’s Rock.

A bike or hike to the Stone Temple Trail is also a must – it’s the core trail of the park and offers a fantastic photo op of the rock formation it’s named after. And the Crow Creek Trail is most popular with hikers, as it leads straight to Hidden Falls.

But if you lust for challenge, you can have a spirited debate about the toughest sections of the Curt Gowdy: the 2% Trail is so named because that’s how many people are supposedly able to ride it. El Alto is the highest point of the park (7,700 feet) and steep; the half-mile Skin & Bones Trail (yup, that’s what it’s called) has the steepest downhills.

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One of the scenic views from over a mile high. (Photo: Greg Keraghosian)

And then there are the Play Areas – highly technical, rocky outposts where only experienced bikers need apply, meaning I could not. I was told one mother complained to the park’s visitor center that there wasn’t a swingset in the Play Area.

And if riding in the daytime isn’t challenging enough for you? The park is open all night – you need only bring a head lamp to guide you.

Running into some horseback riders. (Photo: Greg Keraghosian)

Along the way we ran into three women riding their horses with their dalmatians tagging along – as idyllic a scene as I could imagine on this day. Horses aren’t provided for rent – you’ll need to bring your own.

Crystal and Granite reservoirs both offer trout and salmon fishing, and if archery is your sport, there’s a range in the western end of the park.

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