NEW! Northeast Colorado
Sterling - Logan County
We are pleased to announce the April 30th launch of our new field guide for Sterling - Logan County, CO.
This field guide is at the printer and distribution will start in a few weeks. Stay tuned for details for launch events in Denver, Fort Collins, Chicago & Sterling.
Introduction
Logan County is a unique Front Range-adjacent gravel-bike frontier along the South Platte River corridor. Expansive fields of corn, angus steer, and farm implements punctuate 1,618 miles of dirt roads you can explore with a “free-range” gravel-travel mentality.
The gravel routes in Logan County navigate beyond the beaten path of well-known Colorado bike destinations. Pedaling under the vast horizon above Sterling-Logan County, you’ll be truly inspired to connect with the rural quality of life found here and in the eastern plains.
The farm and ranch life are what make Sterling-Logan County a gravel frontier. Quiet roads, with more cattle guards than cars, summon cyclists to pedal the Great Plains with wonder and excitement. Routes here remind adventurous souls that there’s “another part of Colorado” with Native American and pioneer history overlain by a culture of a working agricultural landscape, in a region defined both by the South Platte River’s stunning flora and fauna and Native American and pioneer history.
Logan County’s mild weather and close proximity to the Front Range make it a four-season gravel-bike destination. Escaping urban life for an adventure-travel experience on the gravel frontier of Northeast Colorado has never been easier, letting you see the state in a whole new way.
Welcome
Visit Logan County is excited to introduce gravel cyclists to a free-range-travel mode of thinking. The gravel bike is a good way to enjoy the unpaved rural roads of Northeast Colorado, and this edition of the Gravel Adventure Field Guide shepherds readers toward all the great riding to be found here.
The semi-arid yet fertile prairie landscape of the South Platte River Valley has fostered a “free-range” farming method under the aegis of freedom to roam. Visit Logan County encourages this perspective when thinking of the gravel experience on Colorado’s eastern plains.
With the community of Sterling as the hub, cyclists can stay, ride, and explore the sparsely populated landscape of Northeast Colorado with confidence. This edition of the Gravel Adventure Field Guide is the necessary inspiration to pull off Interstate 76 and embrace free-range gravel travel in Logan County.
Road Origins
Early road-system development in Logan County integrated Native American and pioneer trails, as well as the railroad, which arrived in the late nineteenth century. Formal state-highway access to Sterling and the surrounding communities came later, in the twentieth century.
Native American trails followed and led to the South Platte River. Plains tribes—including the Arapahoe, Blackfoot, Cheyenne, Kiowa, Pawnee, and Sioux—utilized these routes for communication, hunting, and trade. The South Platte River corridor can be characterized as a “superhighway” that connected a larger network of trails.
As European-American settlers moved farther west, they added these ancient trails to their transportation routes. The Overland Trail formed in the mid-nineteenth century as a branch of the Oregon Trail. It accommodated pioneer settlers in covered wagons, followed by stagecoaches and then the railroad. Arriving in 1881, the Union Pacific Railroad pushed the founding of Sterling. Subsequently, the early roads built from town were intended to link producing farms and ranches with the railway, for shipments.
Today, the Pawnee Pioneer Trails Scenic Byway commemorates the intersection of Native American and pioneer trails throughout the shortgrass prairie of Northeast Colorado.
The South Platte River has transformed from a natural waterway essential to human subsistence, to an industrial artery, to the river restored through focused conservation. It has gone from a variable, seasonal waterway supporting diverse forms of life to a significantly modified system crucial for agriculture and wildlife habitat.
— Geologic Processes —
The headwaters of the South Platte River are found in the Rocky Mountains southwest of Denver, in the Mosquito Range. The river travels approximately 380 miles before reaching Sterling. This waterway is the result of the Rocky Mountains uplifting, the flow of significant ancient meltwater floods, and ensuing erosion and sedimentation. The river’s current course developed during the late Miocene to Pliocene epochs.
— Human Use and Engagement —
Before being named the South Platte River, this waterway was called Niinéniiniicíihéhe by the Arapahoe tribes, a name likely related to its appearance or flow. French and Spanish explorers took the same cues, calling the river the “Platte” (flat) or “Rio Chato” (calm/flat river) due to its wide and shallow nature. The first wider European-American use of the Platte as a trail westward began with the Colorado Gold Rush of 1858, which led to the founding of Denver. Increased population growth led to demand for the Platte’s waters for agriculture production. This in turn led to the construction of extensive irrigation systems and the adoption of the Colorado Doctrine of 1876, which posited a “first in time, first in right” legal framework for water allocation.
Front Range urbanization led to the South Platte River becoming heavily industrialized. Destructive floods, like the one in 1965, contributed to the construction of flood-control basins, to limit damage to communities along the river and enhance water management and improve ecosystem health.
— Agriculture —
The Open-Range Farm & Ranch Way of Life:
The eastern plains of Colorado were initially perceived as arid, but settlers quickly realized that Logan County’s potential as a farming hub could be met through irrigation. Between 1909 and 1911, the North Sterling Irrigation District built the North Sterling Reservoir, with the primary objective of storing agricultural water for farmers in Logan County. Since 1992, Colorado Parks and Wildlife has managed it as a state park for recreational uses like boating, fishing, and camping.
A key impact of early irrigation efforts has been an altered flow regime on the river over time. This resulted in an increased base flow (return flows) that sees water which seeped into the ground from fields and canals recharging the underground aquifer, which then slowly drained back into the river. This produced a more constant (perennial) flow during the late-summer, fall, and winter months than would have taken place naturally.
— Cattle —
Logan County serves a major role in Colorado’s cattle industry. Northeast Colorado is a key supplier within the state’s overall beef production. Census data shows 225,744 cattle and calves.
The cattle industry in Logan County began in the 1800s, influenced by the region’s fertile grasslands along the South Platte River. Settlers arriving with livestock positioned the county to not only supply the demand of Colorado’s growing population, but also of major East Coast cities. Today, you’ll see a mix of cattle breeds on the gravel roads, with Angus and Hereford being the most common. Angus are known for their black or red coats, and valued for their high-quality marbled meat and maternal instincts; they are born without horns. A classic breed, Hereford has a red body and white face; some are born with horns. Ranchers appreciate the Herefords’ hardiness, good disposition, and excellent beef quality.
— Crops —
Irrigation systems along the South Platte River made Sterling-Logan County agriculturally rich. Crops here include wheat, corn, hay, and proso millet. The last is a warm seasonal grass that can grow from 1 to 3.5 feet tall. Its small, shiny yellow to brown seeds are a nutritious source of protein and fiber. Proso millet is gaining popularity for gluten-free human food products, helping to conserve soil moisture, control weeds, and provide a low-input alternative to corn.
Historically, Logan County was a major sugar-beet-growing region and included a processing plant. It was the dominant crop of the twentieth century and helped solidify the county’s identity as a farming community. Large-scale farming provided work for German-Russian immigrants who brought expertise in the cultivation of beets. While not as significant today, sugar beets continue to be a legacy crop.
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Gravel Adventure Field Report
Hometown Gravel
Cycling-industry veteran Lisa Pejsa Hudson understands how a small, close-knit community like Sterling can shape a life. Born in South Dakota, Lisa moved to Sterling at a young age. Fond memories of the Logan County Fair, annual bike-a-thon fundraiser rides, wandering along the South Platte River, and riding her horse Dusty keep her spirit lassoed to the unpaved roads of Logan County. She’s closely bonded with family on the Northeastern plains, returning periodically to traverse the familiar gravel byways of her childhood terrain.
As co-owner of Feedback Sports in Golden, Colorado, she’s ridden unforgettable, destination-class roads and trails around the world, yet she’s drawn to the silence and solitude of Logan County’s expansive rural gravel road network.
Later relocating to Denver, Lisa discovered bicycle racing and quickly learned to climb podium steps. She became a Masters National Mountain Bike Champion and earned bronze at Masters Cyclocross World Championships.
Mixed surface riding is encoded in Lisa’s DNA, thanks to her formative years of training on the rural routes around Sterling. She has even ridden the 148 miles of east-trending gravel from Golden to Sterling. Sparse traffic on the Northeastern plains remains a primary draw. Lisa recalls riding three hours and seeing only one car. With the right kit, riding is possible year-round; summer and fall are ideal, and winters are often mild enough to enjoy.
FARM TECH
Responsible water is not as simple as it looks
Agricultural operations in Logan County now use modern, high-tech tractors, implements, combines, and precision-tech irrigation sprinklers for crops. Farm tech is essential for water conservation. Advanced, precision irrigation sprinkler systems use smart technology to apply water efficiently, saving water/energy, increasing yields, and reducing runoff by customizing irrigation based on soil/topography data. Durable hardware and low-pressure sprinklers offer energy savings, while remote management makes for more efficient agriculture for Logan County’s farmers and ranchers.
Irrigation equipment is part of the visual aesthetic of Northeast Colorado gravel riding. Center pivots and linears are the core machines that move across a field, with pivots rotating around a central point, and linears moving back and forth. Low-pressure sprinklers function at a reduced force (10–20 PSI) to minimize energy costs and water loss. Soil maps, yield data, and topography are integrated into water application; management is controlled via a smartphone or computer. All this data informs irrigation recommendations to optimize water usage.
Live-Work-Play
Sterling - Logan County, Northeast Colorado
With today’s emphasis on leading a location-based lifestyle, Sterling-Logan County has emerged as a worthy destination for those considering the rural Colorado live-work-play balance. Situated near the booming Front Range, Sterling offers affordability, an agrarian community, diverse economic opportunities, and access to 1,618 miles of dirt roads—it’s the ideal place to experience the free-range gravel life on the eastern plains.
Sterling’s location on Interstate 76 makes it easily accessible: Denver, and its airport, are only two hours away. You can start or end any day off with a gravel ride, and still do business, create art, or train for the next gravel event. Sterling also offers 300 days of sunshine a year, with that warm Colorado light easily found on the dirt roads connected to downtown. Stay for a night, or a few—Sterling is a gravel-bike destination that offers a side of Colorado most folks don’t get to see.
Affordability means you can live here or visit and easily get full value from the gravel-riding experience. Logan County’s low cost of living and housing expenses are well below the national average, including that of the Front Range. A diverse economy and job opportunities in agriculture, renewable energy, healthcare, and education give the golden prairies a glow.
Entrepreneurs and remote workers alike have ample reason to consider a gravel live-work-play scenario in Logan County. Co-working amenities offer 24/7 access, furnished offices, conference rooms, event spaces, and meeting rooms. Add the unpaved road network to the mix, and it’s easy to see why Sterling-Logan County’s free-range gravel travel pairs well with Colorado’s outdoor vibe.