Bike Thornton

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 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!

Suggested Cycling Routes in and around Thornton

Enter your starting point after clicking on a suggested route.

Bike Streets: The Low-Stress Bike Map

Discover safer, more comfortable bike routes with BikeStreets.com. Find bike friendly streets, trails, and destinations that make exploring your community easier and more enjoyable. Best of all, you can install the app and simply ride, your trips help create new routes on the map as more riders discover and use the same streets.

Colorado Safety Stop

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/135KB]
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.

Electric Bikes, Scooters & Motorcycles

The City of Thornton's updated ordinance clarifies where different wheeled vehicles are allowed. Make sure you understand the rules before you ride, or before you purchase any type of wheeled vehicle for your child. Learn about the differences between these vehicles and the rules that apply to each on the Know Before Your Ride website.

Bike Safety

2025 saw an increase in bicycle-involved crashes in Thornton, continuing an overall upward trend over the past 5 years. On December 17, 2024, Thornton adopted a Vision Zero Action Plan to combat this upward trend in bicycle-involved crashes. In addition to reducing bicycle-involved crashes, the Plan looks to reduce pedestrian-involved crashes and reduce crashes of all types that result in death or serious injury. More information on the Plan can be found at goCOT.net/tvz.

Line graph showing bicycle crashes increased overall from 15 in 2021 to 23 in 2025, a 53% increase.

Bicycle Colorado Business Member

Our mission as a community is to ensure the availability of a broad range of services using all available public and private resources. Thornton will provide a high quality of life by being responsive to its citizens' physical and human requirements through innovative leadership and planning. The City of Thornton is a supporter and member of Bicycle Colorado.

Bicycle Colorado