pmeThe best routes for urban explorations of Tempe’s 165-mile bikeway system are the downtown Rio Salado Paths. Flanked by the iconic Arizona State University and Sun Devil Stadium, the 5 miles of paved, landscaped pathways wind along Tempe Town Lake, past Tempe Beach Park and imaginative public art displays, like the murmuring water of the Marina Water Muse.T

The paved and mostly level 14.2-mile trail starts in Ballard, winds east through fun, funky Fremont, curves north along the shores of Lake Washington (see views of downtown) and ends in Kenmore. There’s parking at several spots, including Gas Works Park, Matthews Beach Park, and Tracy Owen Station. This year, you’ll need to detour around construction at the Fremont Bridge.

By far the prettiest way to travel from San Jose to Los Gatos is along the Los Gatos Creek Trail. The paved route’s 8.5 miles are mostly flat and screened from the South Bay’s busy roads by eucalyptus, willows, and the gentle mumurings of the creek. Stop the meander for a picnic, to feed the ducks, or for a paddleboat ride at Vasona Lake County Park

An absolute classic ― easy, breezy, and with some of the most breathtaking views of the city you’ll find anywhere. Start along Marina Green at the intersection of Marina Boulevard and Webster Street. Heading west on the paved trail towards the bridge, you’ll pass the city’s swankiest yacht clubs and lots of kite-flyers. At Crissy Field, where the whole city gathers on fog-free days to wade in the bay and walk their dogs, transfer over to gravel paths and continue west.

laWhen the Parkway is completed, riders will roll 50 paved miles between Provo’s Utah Lake to the Great Salt Lake. But some of the best scenic stretches are already finished. The 8.5-mile section just west of downtown Salt Lake City has an urban skyline but is wonderfully rural, meandering along the river, sweeping through nine city parks and stately Rose Park Golf course, near wetlands teeming with birds.S

Stretching 23 miles from Pacific Palisades almost to the Palos Verdes Peninsula, the trail is a fossil fuel-free way to explore the best of Southern California. The route traverses the full range of beach life, from the eccentric funk of the Venice Boardwalk to the hard-bodied, hard-hitting world of South Bay beach volleyball courts. Tip: If you want to avoid crowds, get out early and finish by 11 ― after that, stretches of trail can bog down as surely as a So Cal freeway.

Plying the city’s best neighborhoods while following a rippling waterway, the 12-mile Cherry Creek Trail is the city’s own Tour de Denver. Beginning at Confluence Park ― a kayaker’s playground ― the paved sub-street-level trail scoots past LoDo and Capital Hill, past the tony Cherry Creek Shopping Center, before its rendezvous with Cherry Creek Reservoir.

With mountain views, garden scenery, and public art displays along the way, nothing says “Boulder” better than the 7-mile Boulder Creek Path. From the flatlands near Valmont Reservoir, the path gently climbs 600 feet while paralleling Boulder Creek and plumbing the town’s core. Eventually the pavement enters the chiseled Boulder Canyon, where low gears help you climb the remaining unpaved section that tops out at the Fourmile Canyon intersection

euqreuqublThe Paseo del Bosque Trail is a shady 16-mile corridor that follows the languid Rio Grande west of downtown. Don’t pass up a visit along the way to the Rio Grande Botanical Garden, a 20-acre desert oasis that includes a butterfly pavilion and is bordered by the world’s largest cottonwood gallery.a