COLORADO SPRINGS — On a moonlit stretch of Palmer Park’s Yucca Flats section, bright lights bounce over a rocky trail and throw tall shadows into rustling thickets.
From the view of a speeding mountain bike, these LED beams — blindingly bright from head-on — shed just enough light on the jagged path for a sense of what’s coming as the trail stutters and twists through harrowing terrain.
Shouted warnings — “No bombing off the cliff!” comes to mind — complete the “Blair Witch Project” vibe, but somehow, when the group skids to a halt, no one’s missing.
“How many other places that have awesome mountain biking can you actually ride at night in December?” asks Andy Dukes of Colorado Springs, one of a half-dozen riders who joined a Gazette reporter on a recent night ride organized by The Hub Bicycle Shop.
As winter shortens days — commencing the dreaded indoor training season — packs of intrepid mountain bikers such as these are tearing up health club memberships and charging into parks near you, aided by LED lamps affixed to helmets and handlebars.
It’s difficult to say how widespread the practice has become, but stores such as The Hub in Colorado Springs say they do a brisk business selling high-powered lights, which run on special battery packs that enable them to stay bright for hours.
“The light on your handlebars is pointed at the trail and the light on your helmet lets you see the corners,” Hub co-owner Chris Behm said of the widely recommended dual-light setup.
Another indispensable tip: Bring either an extra battery pack or extra light, or both. It’s a bad idea to get caught in the dark on a trail ride.
The lights can be costly — ranging from $30 for sometimes temperamental generic imports to more than $200 for more sophisticated, higher-end models — but for those who’d rather avoid the wintertime spin class scene, it’s a bill worth paying.
“It’s the difference between riding and not,” said Rich Dukes of Colorado Springs, a veteran of Palmer Park’s unforgiving trails. A sociology professor at the University of Colorado at Colorado Springs, Dukes also can deliver a lecture on how bike lights have evolved since he bought his first trail light in 1993.
In terms of light output, trail riders should look for something “700 lumens and up,” said Nate Andromeda, a bike technician at Bicycle Experience, a Colorado Springs bike shop.
“Some of them are ridiculously bright, like motorcycle lights,” he said. “They’re pretty pricey. They usually start in the couple hundred dollar range, but they’re awesome. They really light it up.”
Some recommend that newcomers start cheap — poking around online for the best deals — and then decide later on whether to make a more serious investment.
The trend registers on websites such as MTBR.com and MeetUp.com, which offer frequent opportunities to join fellow night riders on trails of varying difficulty in and around Colorado Springs. Group organizers are usually upfront about the difficulty level of the ride.
Colorado Springs city parks are open 5 a.m. to 9 p.m. November through April and 5 a.m. to 11 p.m. May through October, and cycling is permitted anytime during those hours except where expressly prohibited, said Chris Lieber of Colorado Springs Parks, Recreation and Cultural Services.
Aside from the benefits for trail riders, high-powered cycling lights might be contributing to a statewide boom in bicycle commuting, said Dan Grunig of Bicycle Colorado, a Denver-based cycling advocacy group. While a 2012 U.S. census report shows that only 1.3 percent of the state’s population uses a bike as a primary mode of transit, the figure represents a 40 percent increase over a 2005 tally, he said.
“To be a commuter year-round, you have to have lights,” Grunig said, citing a state law.
Runners and hikers looking to extend their operating hours are also in luck: They generally can make do with simpler, less expensive LED headlamps.
Non-riders, too, can check out MeetUp.com for group hikes.
Organizations such as the Trails and Open Space Coalition in Colorado Springs also put on group moonlight hikes.
Nighttime jaunts in the parks can be frosty — requiring layers — but the rewards are rich. During The Gazette’s tour of Palmer Park after dark, city lights blinked in the distance and clouds swirled dramatically overhead.
Snaking through stands of scrub oak and pine on illuminated trails is an unforgettable experience — as invigorating as it is ghostly.
The route started in the Yucca Flats leash-less area and veered briefly onto Templeton Trail before proceeding to the park’s southern canyons on Grandview, Cheyenne and Kinnickinnick trails.
In the glow of helmet- and handlebar-mounted lights, trails were visible for perhaps 15 to 20 feet, requiring a constant lookout for rock steps and sudden drops.
Remember, though: At night, the parks come alive with visitors of uncertain intent, so it’s a good idea to ride with a group.
It’s also recommended to stick to trails you know, and you might want to pack some bear spray.
