Bike Thornton

Fun Fact: Did you know riding a bike on the sidewalk is legal in Thornton? 

Colorado Revised Statute 42-4-1412 (10) (b) states, “A person shall not ride a bicycle, electrical assisted bicycle, or electric scooter upon and along a sidewalk or pathway or across a roadway upon and along a crosswalk where the use of bicycles, electrical assisted bicycles, or electric scooters is prohibited by official traffic control devices or local ordinances.” Thornton does not have any signs prohibiting riding a bicycle on sidewalks or pathways, and Thornton has not adopted any ordinances prohibiting riding a bicycle on sidewalks or pathways. So, riding a bicycle on the sidewalk in Thornton is legal!

Cycling In And Around Thornton

• Find Bike Lanes & Racks
• TrailLink by Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (not managed or owned by Thornton)
• Colorado Bicycle & Byways Map (not managed or owned by Thornton)
• Map My Ride (not managed or owned by Thornton)

Colorado Safety Stop 

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You're on a roll, because Thornton is a Safe Stop City! A Safe Stop City means when you're riding your bike in Thornton, you can treat stop signs as yield signs and red lights as stop signs, when safe to do so.

What Is Colorado Safety Stop?

• Colorado Safety Stop Card [PDF/131KB]
• Bicyclists can now yield at stop signs (when safe) in Thornton
• Senate Bill 18-144 Bicycle Operations Approaching Intersection
• Colorado Revised Statue
  The Colorado Safety Stop allows cyclists to roll through a roadway with a stop sign if the intersection is clear and safe to do so. The policy is commonly referred to as the "Idaho Stop," and was introduced as law in Idaho in 1982. A study conducted by Idaho has shown the practice reduced crashes from 30 percent to 60 percent.
• Read more about the regulation of bicycles approaching intersections in Thornton’s City Code Section 38-492.

Suggested Cycling Routes in and around Thornton

Enter your starting point after clicking on a suggested route.

• Carpenter Recreation Center
• Trail Winds Recreation Center
• Community Center
• Downtown Denver
• North Metro “N Line” Stations:
  • Original Thornton & 88th
  • Thornton Crossroads & 104th
  • Northglenn & 112th
  • Eastlake & 124th

While there was a slight uptick between 2022 and 2023, the trend for bicycle-involved crashes continues to be downward, with bicycle-involved crashes decreasing by 35% over the past 5 years. Thornton's number of miles of on-street bike lanes has increased 66% in the last 5 years, which may be influencing the downward trend. 

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