Lowry Air Force Base

A tour of duty at Lowry might well be termed a tour de force -- that is, the Air Force. A loop route can be fashioned that follows the roads and old runways of this recently abandoned military facility.

The runways at Lowry Air Force Base haven't been used in years, more recently having been converted to streets. These massive slabs of tarmac are near mile-long strips with laughably large shoulders. When linked with other streets within the facility, they comprise a flat but interesting route of about 6 miles. A tour through the base is a short trip backward in time. This once self-contained facility was like a city within a city; it had everything. Now drab and gloomy, the buildings and hangars look vintage military of the 1940s or '50s, and they don't appear to have received much TLC for some years.

There are several points of interest along the route. Check out the old B-52 bomber and the Wings Over the Rockies Museum.

Trip Planner

Route location: In east Denver County between Alameda Avenue and 11th Avenue.

Surface: Paved roads and former runways; there are patched and sandy sections of pavement; the old runways have huge shoulders.

Distance: 6.0 miles.

Ride time: Allow 30 minutes to an hour for one lap.

Difficulty: Easy. The terrain is virtually flat.

Directions: In Denver travel east on 6th Avenue to Monaco Parkway. Turn south onto Alameda Avenue and continue about a mile to the entrance on the left. A 15-minute drive; turn in and park.